By Shannon Lukens.
The Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo Series kicks off the 2023 season this Friday and Saturday at Romick Rodeo Arena at the Howelsen Sports Complex, at 5th Street and Howelsen Parkway.
The local Pro Rodeo Series starts this weekend with some big bulls and big surprises. First, seven of the top 15 bull riders in the world will be in Steamboat Springs! Four are past world champions. They’re coming because the Steamboat Springs rodeo has so much prize money, left over from last year.
John Shipley will be back in the crow’s nest announcing.
“It’s a big year. The prize money has increased. We’ve got a bunch of the top bull riders looking at us for week one. It’s going to be exciting.”
The rodeo is every weekend through the end of August. The Steamboat Springs rodeo has been around since the late 1800s, when it was called a “Bronco Busting Contest.” Paul Knowles with the Museum of Northwest Colorado has done some recent research. He said the term “rodeo” wasn’t common until the 1910s. He says the first Bronco Busting Contest was in the Steamboat newspapers around 1897. There isn’t much more history since a fire in 1909 burned the local newspaper archives.
Two extra rodeos for Cowboy Roundup Days are July 3-4. That’s a Steamboat tradition since 1927. That makes this year the 97th annual celebration, again according to Paul Knowles. “A newspaper error in 1990 added 23 years to the event- calling it the 87th annual event instead of the 64th. The error stuck. In reality, Cowboys Roundup Days began in 1927 when the American Legion took over the Independence Day festivities. This would make 2023 the 97th annual celebration, not the 120th.”
See more on the history of the Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo below.
Gates open at 5:30. The BBQ and music starts at 6 p.m. and the rodeo gets going at 7:30.
- JUNE 23 – 24
- JUNE 30 – JULY 1
- JULY 3 – 4
- JULY 7 – 8
- JULY 14 – 15
- JULY 21 – 22
- JULY 28 – 29
- AUG. 4 – 5
- AUG. 11 – 12
- AUG. 18 – 19
- AUG. 25 – 26
A season pass is $100 but you have to buy it before the season starts this weekend to get that deal. Season Pass Info
Don’t buy from someone trying to do a ticket resell. Only buy online through SteamboatProRodeo.com Otherwise, it’s probably a scam. Seating Details
Kids don’t want to miss the Calf Scramble and Ram Scramble. The winner of each gets a gift card to FM Light & Sons and a belt buckle.
The Ram Scramble is for kids five and under.
The Calf Scramble is for kids ages six to 12.
Press Release from the Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo; June 21, 2023.
New Dates for Old Rodeo Mainstays
The Rodeo is Older; Cowboys’ Roundup Days is Younger
The Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo Series board, through consultation with Paul Knowles of the Museum of Northwest Colorado in Downtown Craig, has recently learned that rodeos in Steamboat Springs go back further than originally thought- now into the 1800s. At the same time, due to a 33-year-old newspaper error, Cowboys Roundup Days, the traditional Fourth of July rodeo, is actually quite a bit younger than once believed. Through the use of digitally archived newspapers, Knowles recently discovered the discrepancies and alerted the Rodeo Series’ board of directors.
It has long been believed that Steamboat Springs’ first rodeo took place in 1904. Now it appears that the history of the cowboy sport in the Yampa Valley is older than previously thought, probably in the late 1800’s. According to Knowles’ research, news of a “bronco busting contest” (the term “rodeo” wasn’t common until the 1910s) first appeared in the Steamboat newspapers in 1897. That’s when it was reported that local pioneer, Jack Ellis, outrode J.T. Bickford, a former rider with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Unfortunately, most of the local newspaper archives burned in 1909 and searching the existing digitally indexed newspapers is notoriously cumbersome. Therefore, Knowles believes the first event may have occurred even earlier.
Knowles’ research also uncovered another unexpected find: Cowboys’ Roundup Days, the local Fourth of July celebration/rodeo, is significantly younger than previously thought. A newspaper error in 1990 added 23 years to the event- calling it the 87th annual event instead of the 64th. The error stuck. In reality, Cowboys Roundup Days began in 1927 when the American Legion took over the Independence Day festivities. This would make 2023 the 97th annual celebration, not the 120th.
“The main goal of the Pro Rodeo Series is to help residents and visitors understand and appreciate the fact that Steamboat Springs was a ranch town long before it was a ski town. That legacy really sets us apart from the majority of Colorado’s ski resorts” said John Shipley, rodeo series board president. “We welcome this new information and thank Paul for his research.” Knowles concludes by noting that “Exact historical dates are frequently murky.” “What remains clear, however, is that the Yampa Valley’s history is firmly embedded in its agricultural and ranching heritage”.