September in this eastern Oregon town means one all-encompassing thing: the Pendleton Round-Up.
Back country roads lead to quiet prairies filled with ranch homes, grain silos, and abandoned farms scattered all along the outskirts of Pendleton, Oregon. Don’t let the quiet fool you. Every September — the second full week to be exact — this town of just over 17,000 tucked in a valley of rolling hills and wheat fields sees more than 50,000 people descend for one of the most action-packed and time-honored events in rodeo and in the West: the Pendleton Round-Up. Founded in 1910, it’s bucking stronger than ever. When you experience it, you realize just how much the motto “Let ’er buck!” really means.
The community and schools shut down for rodeo week, since the kids and families are volunteering for the event. In the downtown, streets close down and transform into pop-up shops, food booths, carnival rides, and mini concert venues with stages set up right in the road.
Last year was my first time attending the Round-up, which is one of the last big benchmarks for rodeo athletes to attain a spot at the National Finals Rodeo. I have photographed quite a few rodeos in my career, but I haven’t been to one as exciting or as authentic as Pendleton. I knew there would be people visiting from all over the world, but I had no idea just how much energy would surround not only the rodeo grounds but the entire town. Every restaurant and local vendor had it on television. Every street felt not like an opportunity to drive but an opportunity to do: eat, drink, shop, dance.
If you somehow arrive during round-up week without the appropriate gear — hat, boots, fringe — and feel sartorially out of step, there are plenty of vendors who can fix that right up with some serious Western flair to add to your look. Pendleton Hat Company is the go-to cowboy hat shop, and you can have Perk Perkins custom shape your crown to your own personal style.
My days in Pendleton were packed full. There was so much to do and see. I toured the underground card rooms that thrived in the early 1900s, when the town had 32 of them, along with bars and 18 brothels. The action was largely underground in a series of tunnels and private rooms to keep things undercover. Pendleton Whisky — a brand of Canadian whisky that is distilled in Canada and bottled using water from Mount Hood, about 150 miles west of here in Hood River, Oregon — was plentifully on hand, and I availed myself of tastings of its whisky selections (personal favorites: Pendleton Midnight and the Pendleton Rye 1910 which, like all of its bottles, honor the Western heritage and traditions of Pendleton with the Round-Up’s iconic bucking horse image). And I gorged myself at two of the best steakhouses, Virgil’s at Cimmiyotti’s and Hamley’s.
In between touring the town and photographing at the rodeo grounds, I drove around exploring the surrounding valley, meeting local folks eager to share stories about Pendleton and its famous Round-up. Happily, I managed to fit in a stop for lunch at OMG! Burgers & Brew, and I can recommend firsthand the PBJJ — peanut butter, raspberry jam, fresh jalapeños, add bacon and cheese curds and deep-fried spicy pickle fries. And naturally, I couldn’t travel all this way without taking a tour of Pendleton Woolen Mills, which has been in the blanket business since 1909, making it even older than the round-up. Here you’ll discover that British weaver Thomas Kay laid the foundation for the company when he arrived in Oregon in 1863. His grandsons, the three Bishop brothers, would go on to open Pendleton Woolen Mills, and Kay’s textile expertise would live on in Pendleton’s tweed, flannel, and worsted wool.
Shooting The Rodeo
I knew going into this event-filled week I wanted to capture the authenticity of this famous rodeo. There are thousands of action shots focusing on the rodeo itself, but I wanted to spend more time documenting the athletes, the lifestyle surrounding the town, the local scenery, and the people who are involved. I wanted images that would honor the people I photographed and that would let the viewer take a closer look at what happens behind the crazy times at the Pendleton Round-Up.
What attracted me most, visually, were the energy of the town and the emotion on everyone’s faces. Everyone there, including visitors, had come from all over the world for one week filled with amazing experiences. My job was to capture that essence as accurately as possible while celebrating those who partake in this rodeo every single year.
Some of the photos that stood out to me the most were the rodeo athletes getting ready, the queen and court, and the portraits of Native Americans at Indian Village.
When I showed up to photograph them, the rodeo athletes were sitting around on rusted chairs, taping up their arms, hands, and knees with athletic tape and sharing laughs and stories about previous rodeos and events they all had traveled from. After spending some time behind the chutes and documenting the action, I wanted to slow things down and highlight the queen and court. This rodeo has started various movements in the rodeo world, including the concept of a rodeo queen, dating back to the event’s founding in 1910. I was able to sit down with the ladies and shoot portraits of each separately before getting one final image of all of them together. Seeing the joy on little girls’ faces as they got the chance to meet the queen and court was special.
Later, while walking around Indian Village, I was fortunate to meet a few Native Americans and make their portraits. Each year more than 300 tepees are set up within Indian Village, offering visitors the chance to not only support Indigenous vendors who sell handcrafted gifts, jewelry, and beadwork, but also to surround themselves with the culture and history of these Indigenous nations. After photographing a few men and women in full regalia, I witnessed the powerful Happy Canyon Pageant in the arena during the rodeo matinees.
Luckily, even after I left Pendleton, the phenomenal experience didn’t end. There were photos to look at, Pendleton whisky to drink, and Pendleton blankets that I FedExed home to wrap up in. And, of course, there was this year’s Round-up to look forward to.
The 2023 Pendleton Round-Up kicks off September 9 and runs through the 16th. For more information, visit pendletonroundup.com.
This article appears in our August/September 2023, available on newsstands or through our C&I Shop.
Photography by Beau Simmons
