Cowgirls compete in bronco and bull-riding events at an “all-girl rodeo” in this pun-filled Universal Newsreel footage. This all-girl rodeo was held in Fort Stockton in 1949, near the birthplace of rodeo itself, and was sponsored by the Girls Rodeo Association, established in 1948. The Girls Rodeo Association, now the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, was an early group of women that consisted mainly of ranchers' wives and daughters who had been forced to take over the ranch when their husbands or fathers were called to service during World War II. After the war, they resented their role as merely rodeo beauty pageant contestants and sought to find a place for themselves alongside men. They determined to raise the standards of cowgirl contests and protect cowgirls from unfair practices. It is the oldest organization of women athletes in America.

Pecos County Fort Stockton

newreels Universal Newsreel rodeos sports athletics women cowgirls animals agriculture parades

Universal Newsreels Ed Herlihy AGR A.G.R. Girls Rodeo Association