Home of Champions

Red Lodge in mid July has the Beartooth Rally and Iron Horse Rodeo which includes a day-long motorcycle tour to Cooke City over the Beartooth highway. The tour then winds its way back to Red Lodge over the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway. Our route today will be that of the tour up to Cooke City, then we continue into the park and traverse to the East/Cody Exit and go down Wyoming route 14/16 to Pahaska Tepee.

For some the motorcycle tour is a big deal, but for others the 3 day Home of Champions Rodeo is the most looked for event of the year. This traditional rodeo features real cowboys, horses and riding bulls and has been held regularly as long as I can remember. We drove by the rodeo grounds yesterday. There are new boxes for the officials, judges and celebrities but not much else has changed in 50 some years. Yee Haw!

The photo at the left is my great aunt Dora, all duded up, on horse-- ready for the Rodeo Parade which goes up Main from Carnegie library through town to the Rodeo grounds on the West bench. The kids, me included, followed the parade to the grounds where we could sneak in on the contestants side and watch the doings from around the stock pens. When I was more grown I would sit in the stands like normal folk. It was an enjoyable way to spend a sunny afternoon.

Dode and my mother were friendly with Alice Greenough one of the champions that the rodeo is named for. Alice grew up on her dad's ranch outside Red Lodge and became a rodeo queen and worldwide celebrity-- she even did trick riding and roping in cowboy movies. Alice's sister Marge was a champion also. I've been to the Greenough ranch, and as a 1st grader went there for an Easter Egg hunt. Think it was my first.

There were other rodeo champions from Red Lodge, 7 in all when I stopped counting-- the most famous was Bill Linderman, 7 time world champ. I spent the summer with his son Chuck Linderman working at the Kenevan ranch outside Red Lodge. Chuck and I were more nuisance than help, but we tried a little of everything. Haying was the worst and hardest work--we hated it. Chuck's mother, Lorine, sang at the Swinging Doors, a brawling cowboy bar on Main Street that eventually burned under suspicious circumstances. The city was probably relieved to see the bar go. The vacant lot is now a park on Main street and looks real nice.

The American breakfast at the Pollard is eggs, hashbrowns, bacon and toast plus coffee, of course. This breakfast has been served in cafes in the West since I remember eating out. The Pollard version is great; skip the bacon, add a mixed fruit dish.

Time to leave Red Lodge and head on toward Yellowstone park. It being Monday, most of the motorcycles are gone so the driving should be easy.

Happy Trails to you, Red Lodge.

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