Empty Saddles
Harry Vold
By Jon Pompia
Courtesy Pueblo (CO) Chieftain
As immortalized in the title of a book on his storied life, Harry Vold was revered as the “Duke of Chutes,” one of only two contractors to have supplied stock for the entire 50-year-plus history of the Las Vegas-based Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
Vold, 93, died early Monday (March 13, 2017) at his sprawling 30,000-acre ranch southeast of Pueblo.
Read more: Harry Vold
Hadley Barrett
Courtesy PRCA
Sept. 18, 1929 – March 2, 2017
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association lost a legend March 2.
Announcer Hadley Barrett, who was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1999, passed away in the early morning hours of March 2 due to heart failure while at University Hospital in Denver, Colo. He was 87.
Sept. 1, 1935 - Jan. 29, 2017
Arthur George Rodriguez Jr. passed away January 29 at the Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock, Calif. Art was born in Watsonville, Calif., on September 1, 1935 to Arthur George Rodriguez and Lois May Harper-Rodriguez of Castroville.
Dale Smith on Poker Chip Peake
1928 - 2017
Dale Smith, an all-around timed-event cowboy from Safford, Ariz., died Jan. 15, 2017 in Stanfield, Arizona.
Smith won consecutive world team roping championships in 1956-57 and missed a third by just $13. In 1959 he went to the National Finals Rodeo in three events – team roping, tie-down roping and steer roping – becoming the first man in ProRodeo history to accomplish that feat.
1930 - 2016
Dayton Silva passed away peacefully at home in Acampo, Calif. He was born in Hayward, Calif., and grew up in Pleasanton. He started working for the Walker family in Livermore at the age of 16. Dayton’s love for riding horses, roping and ranching, building his own herd of cows, was his way of life. After working for the Walker family for almost 30 years, he moved to Brentwood and worked for Sparrowk Livestock for 18 years. He then retired, sold his cows, but continued running steers at Brushy Peak in Livermore. Branding calves and team roping was something he never gave up. He never turned down a roping or an invitation to brand calves.