Chasing The Rodeo: On Wild Rides And Big Dreams, Broken Hearts And Broken Bones, And One Man's Search For The West

by W.K. Stratton

From its roots as the quintessential Western pastime, rodeo has grown to an international, prime-time television sport. Steeped in tradition and the independent spirit of the range, aspiring cowboys and cowgirls are called to its high-stakes, rough-and-tumble fame as they risk their lives for eight seconds of triumph.

In Chasing the Rodeo W. K. Stratton follows this quest for one season of the pro rodeo and bull-riding tours. He explores the history of the chutes -- from rodeo's disputed origins (Prescott, Arizona, or Pecos, Texas?) to its current skyrocketing popularity. But out on the trail Stratton finds more than calf-roping and unrideable bulls, uncovering a culture complete with myths, codes of honor, million-dollar purses, Cowboy Church, and the kinds of legends that make good stories unforgettable.

Just such a story emerges here as Stratton tells of his runaway "rodeo bum" father --Cowboy Don -- whose specter haunts his travels on the circuit. As he learns more about the life that proved too seductive for his father to abandon, Stratton fills in a portrait of the man he never knew but whose legacy he couldn't help but inherit.

Filled with cowboy longing and rodeo dreams, this is a tribute to the characters of the West -- Freckles Brown, Lucille Mulhall (the first cowgirl), Wild Bill Hickock, Lane Frost, and today's superstars like Jesse Bail. In the great tradition of Wallace Stegner and Ken Kesey, W. K. Stratton fashions an expansive tale out of the gritty reality of the life around us. Chasing the Rodeo is a bucking, riveting, glorious ride -- you'll want to hang on for the whole go-round.

Genres: Nonfiction

326 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Linda Hunt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recently read The Last Cowboys and really really enjoyed it. So I thought another rodeo book would be interesting. And it might have been, but not this one.
I didn't give it a 1 rating because there were a couple of sections I enjoyed, but by and large this writer spent the book criticizing the rodeo music, the rodeo riders, the announcers, the towns where the rodeos are held, the rodeo followers, and pretty well everything else he could think of pertaining to rodeos.
I'm sorry his father was a rodeo man and abandoned him, and that background most assuredly tainted his outlook and this unpleasant book, but Stratton generalized everything rodeo into something to disparage.
Definitely not a book I would recommend.

[Michael Marcela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a good book overall. I learned a lot about the history of rodeo, its most famous stars and locations. It started off as quick reading and then slowed down. I took longer to finish it than I had wanted. It does get bogged down in stories and information about the authors father who left him when he was little and all the efforts to track down his Dad's life story. Overall it was a good book and I am glad I read it.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

While rodeo insiders may find fault with this book and quibble over details, it remains an excellent introduction to the history, the personalities, and the meaning of this sport as it's evolved over the past century. Stratton, a journalist based in Austin, TX, with roots in Oklahoma, comes by his "kicker" credentials fairly enough - his mother a cowgirl in her own right and his father a rodeo cowboy who went on down the road and never came back. Stratton's book is a personal journey, a search for an understanding of the romance of rodeo - the call of the wild in the soul, the appeal of risk-taking, the love of a past that can be recaptured for a moment in a beautifully executed ride on a bucking horse or bull. And he does much to reclaim the essentials of a pastoral ritual that has been compromised by commercialism, corporate sponsorships, and marketing that positions it as an extreme sport.

Stratton covers some familiar ground that will not be new for all readers, but many stories deserve retelling, such as that of George Fletcher at the 1911 Pendleton Roundup, the first bulldogger, Bill Pickett, and the death of champion bull rider Lane Frost. Then there is an account of the first rodeo "cowgirl," Lucille Mulhall and of Indian cowboy Will Sampson, who played Chief Bromden in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." In Prescott, AZ, he has occasion to recall at length the rodeo film "Junior Bonner" with Steve McQueen.

There is a wide array of other personalities who find their way into Stratton's book: Justin McBride, Will Rogers, Tom Mix, Willie Nelson, Jack Kerouac, Ben Johnson, Theodore Roosevelt, Buffalo Bill Cody, and evangelist Susie Luchsinger. He gets closest to the sport itself in conversations with all-around champion Jesse Bail and bullriding champion Freckles Brown. The first-chapter account of Brown's famous ride on Tornado at the National Finals in 1967 just takes your breath away. Finally there is the search for the story of Stratton's absent cowboy father, which rounds out the book with more than a little poignance. I loved this book and recommend it to anyone curious about rodeo, the fascination it holds for both fans and participants, and its place in American popular culture.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

After I scanned and shelved this it showed up as "read," but I don't think so . . . at least I have no memory. So am starting . . . with the Cheyenne chapter, since we were there recently.

Ended up reading the whole thing, although starting in the middle made for an unusual approach. See my progress feeds.

January 7, 2019 -- reviewing much too long after-the-fact, but must be done. The book is an entertaining mix of 1) personal recollections of rodeo experiences and cowboys; 2) the author's search (both figuratively and literal) for his dad; and 3) historic rodeo information . . . e.g., I learned lots about the great bull rider Freckles Brown, which is nice, since I have a big Charles Banks Wilson drawing of old Freckles.

Obviously this will be most interesting to rodeo fans, but people who just enjoy seeing writers pouring out their angst may like it, too.

[Mendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been around the rodeo most of my life so I skimmed over the definitions and descriptions. I was more caught up in the stories from the past. Some of them I had already heard from my grandmother but there were a few that were new. I also enjoyed the story about his father and his quest to find out about him. All in all a pretty interesting read.

[Will Mayo]

A book all about rodeoing. The history, the heroes, the life. I was drawn to read it because my uncle on my mother's side of the family, Jim Sullivan by name, was an oldtime rodeo cowboy until a plane crash in the 1960s permanently derailed his career, and I thought that by reading this book I may learn a bit about his life. I may well have picked up a few things. Enjoyed the ride.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my review at my blog.

[Laura Knoerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anybody who speaks well of Harry Vold is okay in my eyes. Loved this book for its ability to convey a deep affection for the "wild west" as it is still preserved in rodeo.