Jim Olson

My Cowboy Heroes


By Jim Olson
Special To Ropers Sports News


Paul Carney was one of 61 men who walked out of performing at the Boston Garden Rodeo in 1936. They demanded better treatment. While the show’s organizer, Col. Johnson, was livid and originally refused to give in to the cowboys, a truce was eventually reached. This event led to the formation of Cowboy Turtle’s Association (CTA) which was the beginnings of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA). 

By Jim Olson
Special To Ropers Sports News


Recently I wrote about one of rodeo’s greatest men, Everett Bowman. However, there were five Bowman brothers in the family (actually six, one died young) and they all made headlines in the sport of rodeo. Ed, Walter, Dick, and the youngest, Skeet, were each great hands in their own right and also made contributions to the sport of rodeo during its infancy. Although Everett received more publicity and is obviously the best-known, the other brothers are credited with things like: owning and training the first calf roping horse to back up and work rope while a calf was being flanked and tied, the first horse trailer on the rodeo circuit, the first to get off the horse on the right side and flank a calf, and many other things as well. These men started their rodeo careers in the mid 1920s. Here are the stories.