Books & Poetry
Book review: Cowboy Park: Steer Roping Contests on the Border
By DAVID HOFSTEDE
Cowboy Park: Steer-Roping Contests on the Border
John O. Baxter
www.ttup.ttu.edu
Among the many reasons to lament the downfall of so many newspapers across the country is the loss of their detailed, documented history of our life and times.
Without newspapers, a book such as Cowboy Park: Steer-Roping Contests on the Border might not exist.
Author John O. Baxter's remarkable chronicle of a lit-tle-known chapter of early rodeo history relies heavily on material uncovered through exhaustive searches of early 20th century first-hand newspaper accounts.
Through long-forgotten articles in the El Paso Times, San Angelo Standard, and other sources, Baxter recounts the time when Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona outlawed steer roping as a result of numerous injuries and changes in the livestock industry.
Enter livery stable owner Nat Greer and his son Tom, whose love for the sport inspired them to find a new venue for future exhibitions.
They set up shop south of the border and launched a competition at Cowboy Park, established in 1907 in Ci-udad Juárez, just across the Rio Grande from El Paso.
There, the thrilling shows continued and future champions honed their skills. Many of them would later earn top honors at the first Calgary Stampede in 1912.
Baxter illuminates through photos and text the exciting era of Cowboy Park — from its inception until growing political turmoil in Mexico brought the roping events to a halt — and the exploits of rodeo's first champions.
Issue: July 2009
