December

By Joanne Sanford In 1867, a group of entertainers in New York City formed a loose group to get together for fellowship and called themselves the Jolly Corks. When one of their members died [...]

By Suzanne Waring After Paris Gibson, founder of Great Falls, set eyes on the landscape that became the city, he wrote that the area in 1882 was beautiful, and he knew that its assets – water [...]

By Amy Pearson In 1880, Mose Kaufman moved to Fort Benton from New York City. A decade later he moved to Great Falls. In 1894, he opened Kaufman’s Menswear Center downtown at 218 Central Avenue. [...]

By Joanne Sanford Chuck Fulcher started the Great Western Show in 2013. He had attended larger art shows and realized he wanted to include more than fine art, bronzes and sculptures. He wanted a [...]

By Brad Reynolds Bonnie McCarroll didn’t die in the arena, but the dreams of many a cowgirl did. When McCarroll’s horse crushed her in 1929, it vindicated every rodeo manager and cowboy who had [...]

For decades, Pamela Harr has built a reputation as a professional bronze artist, depicting Western subjects, including female pioneers. “Women are a big part of our history and made some amazing [...]

A century ago, women on the East Coast rebelled against gender norms with bobbed hair and hip flasks. Meanwhile, Western women subverted traditional roles by climbing atop bucking broncos. Female [...]

With the rise of the Cowboys’ Turtle Association following the 1936 Boston Garden strike, rodeo contestants finally had representation in the sport. With the CTA came fair prize money, equality [...]

Rodeo has always been king in north central Montana. Prior to 1952, however, the king’s subjects lacked order. A group of cowboys from Roy gathered individuals from across the region with the [...]

In premise, the Rodeo Association of America (RAA) was a great idea. Its formation in 1929 brought about a standard set of rules, allowing for world champions to be recognized in bronc riding, [...]