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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 3, 2020)
20 Wednesday, June 3, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon N U G G E T F L AS H BAC K PHOTO BY DEVERE HELFRICH Jim Bickers riding Billy Be Damned at 1948 Sisters Rodeo. Photo sparks memory of ‘outlaw horse’ The photo on page 2 of The Nugget in the March 27 edi- tion sparked a memory for the Goodwin family of Sisters. The photo depicted saddle bronc rider Jim Bickers com- ing off of a horse named Billy Be Damned during the 1948 Sisters Rodeo. An alert reader thought that horse once belonged to Ted Goodwin. His son Jim confirmed it. <With the picture blown up, it was easy for Dad to rec- ognize his old mount,= Jim Goodwin reported. <Dad was hoping the left side of Billy9s face would have been visible because there was an L7 brand on his jaw. Dad said some horses which were branded on the jaw became 8foolish about the head,9 but that was not the case with Billy Be Damned. <Here9s the story as best as Dad could recall it: A classmate owed a third party $18 and gave Dad Billy Be Damned, and Dad made some arrangement to pay the third party the $18. Dad was work- ing on the Melvin Weberg ranch in Suplee for $1.50 a day at the time. It was 1939. Dad always claimed it took NTED LADY PAI Antiques 541-904-0066 141 E. Cascade, Ste. 104 OUR DINING ROOM IS NOW OPEN! Sun-Thurs 11-9 • Fri-Sat 11-9:30 Menu at SistersSaloon.net 541-549-RIBS | 190 E. Cascade Ave. three guys to 8ear him down9 while Dad got on him. That story was confirmed years later at a branding at Jim Wood9s Aspen Valley Ranch when Les Robertson, who was a young boy at the time, said he witnessed the exhi- bition. Dad rode Billy from Prineville to Suplee to get him out to Weberg9s ranch (75 miles). Eventually, Billy calmed down enough to let Dad get on him without assis- tance, but as Dad put it 8he was just a wild horse,9 having literally been rounded up in the wild. <Dad left Billy and all his tack with his dad when he went to The University of Oregon in 1940. His dad promptly sold Billy Be Damned and the tack, osten- sibly to the local rodeo stock contractor who was well known in the Upper Country as the guy who would buy 8outlaw horses.9= Apparently, Billy Be Damned continued to be an outlaw 4 one that was hard to stick to, inside the arena and out. CELEBRATE SISTERS RODEO’S 80TH ANNIVERSARY BY ADDING TO YOUR WESTERN MEMORABILIA! Rodeo posters, hides, antler decor, branding irons & much more! EST. 1995 Open Thurs.-Sun. 11-4 or by appt. 311 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters | 541-549-4251