PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon’s Pendleton Round-Up began in 1910 as an exhibition of horsemanship and cowboy skills during the American frontier.
Historically, many Black people in Oregon were limited in opportunity and in population because of exclusion laws. But at the turn of the 20th century, the traditional cowboy turned into a figure of entertainment, opening new opportunities for Oregon’s Black community.
There was one man in particular who played a pivotal role in Oregon’s cowboy and rodeo culture: George Fletcher.
Fletcher moved from Kansas to the Umatilla Reservation as a young boy alongside his mother. He spent his youth working horses on ranches and entered his first rodeo in 1906 at the age of 16.
But his most notable saddle bronc riding was at the 1911 Pendleton Round-Up. Fletcher competed in the bucking finals against two others, John Spain and Jackson Sundown.
The crowd was fascinated by Fletcher's relaxed way of riding and cheered him on — but the judges awarded Spain the top prize.
The crowd disagreed with the decision. Many spectators agreed that the decision came from the judge’s reluctance to award the first prize to a non-white man.
“Because the crowd was up in arms about it all, they took George’s hat and cut it up in pieces and sold pieces of the hat to raise enough money to have a championship saddle equal to John Spain’s,” said President of the Pendleton Round-Up Carl Culham.
In a 1911 clipping of Morning Oregonian, Fletcher noted that the judges “jobbed” him from the award.
“Spain pulled leather when his horse fell over the fence,” said Fletcher. “My horse fell over the same way, and I did not ‘pull leather.’ I know I am entitled to the championship, and I believe the judges jobbed me on purpose.”
Fletcher later served in the military during World War I, where he suffered injuries that ended his rodeo career. He passed away in 1973.
In his honor, there’s now a statue of Fletcher on Main Street in Pendleton.
Fletcher was inducted in the first class of the Pendleton Roundup and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame. In 2001, he was also inducted as a member of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.