B12
CHIEF JOSEPH DAYS
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Tuckers lead inaugural Hall of Fame list
By KATY NESBITT
For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
JOSEPH — Four Hall of
Fame inductees will be cel-
ebrated as part of the 75th
Chief Joseph Rodeo Days.
Selected for their contri-
bution to Chief Joseph Days,
these people supported the
inception and popularity of
Northeast Oregon’s popular
Pro Rodeo Cowboy Associ-
ation rodeo.
Harley and
Bonnie Tucker
It comes as no surprise
that Harley Tucker, the most
famous cowboy and stock-
man in Wallowa County’s
history, tops the list. Born on
a ranch near Joseph in 1908,
Tucker owned and operated
the Harley Tucker Rodeo
Co. and provided rodeo live-
stock to events across the
Pacifi c Northwest.
At their peak, Tucker’s
bucking horses, Brahma
bulls, steers and calves gave
even the sharpest cowboy
a real challenge. His com-
pany worked 25 venues a
year and furnished stock
for San Francisco, Salinas,
Fort Worth and the National
Finals Rodeo.
Tucker and his wife,
Bonnie, provided the stock
for Chief Joseph Days for 16
years — the fi rst few years
for free to help get the rodeo
off the ground.
Tucker died unexpect-
edly in 1960 of a heart
attack while fl anking buck-
ing horses in Vancouver,
Washington. His legacy,
though, has lived on. He was
inducted into the Pendle-
ton Round-Up Hall of Fame
in 1980, the National Cow-
boy Hall of Fame in Okla-
homa City in 1997 and the
St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame
in 1999.
The rodeo arena at the
Joseph Rodeo Grounds is
named in his honor, as well
as the Harley Tucker Rodeo
Series award that goes to the
cowboy or cowgirl scoring
Contributed Photo
Harley and Bonnie Tucker were instrumental in the early days
of Chief Joseph Days Rodeo. Both are part of the inaugural
CJD Hall of Fame.
the most combined points
in the Eastern Oregon Live-
stock Show in Union,the St.
Paul Rodeo in St. Paul, the
Elgin Stampede in Elgin and
Chief Joseph Days.
Tucker’s wife, Bonnie,
is also being inducted to the
Hall of Fame. She supported
the rodeo in many ways
including serving as rodeo
secretary. Born Anna Louise
(Bonnie) Knapper in 1914,
she married Tucker in 1939,
helping him with his bud-
ding stock company.
Her most visible role was
serving as the secretary for
all the rodeos the Harley
Tucker Rodeo Co. produced.
So well-revered is Bon-
nie Tucker, the rodeo offi ce
she used at the Pendleton
Round-Up is still known as
the “Bonnie Tucker Booth.”
After her husband’s
death, along with the help of
her crew and friends, Bon-
nie Tucker produced the
remaining summer rodeos.
In 1961 the Harley Tucker
Rodeo Co. was back on the
road in full force, with Bon-
nie Tucker at the helm; the
only female stock contractor
in the Northwest at the time.
Bonnie Tucker Blankinship
was inducted into the Pend-
leton Round-Up and Happy
Canyon Hall of Fame in
2008.
Walter Brennan
Actor Walter Bren-
nan was a longtime sup-
porter and promoter of
Chief Joseph Days. Born in
1894, the three-time Acad-
emy Award winning fi lm
actor, television star and
spoken-word recording art-
ist, Brennan was a part-time
— but active — resident of
Wallowa County from 1941
until his death in 1974.
Brennan came to the
county after purchasing
the 12,000-acre Lightning
Creek Ranch. He became a
Joseph businessman when
he built the Indian Lodge
Motel and a movie the-
ater (currently the Baptist
Church) and opened a dry
goods store on Main Street.
Brennan contributed to
widespread awareness of the
new celebration by arrang-
ing for newsreel footage and
promotional airplane tours,
Contributed Photo
Actor Walter Brennan was a longtime supporter in the early days of Chief Joseph Days. He is
part of the inaugural CJD Hall of Fame.
fl ying the rodeo court, local
businessmen and fellow
cowboy actor Chill Wills all
over the Northwest.
Early in Chief Joseph
Days planning, Brennan said
he fi gured the Chief Joseph
Days Parade couldn’t be a
parade without a marching
band, so he recruited numer-
ous local musicians and
formed the “Chesnimnus
National Marching Band.”
Brennan was inducted
into the National Cowboy
Hall of Fame in Oklahoma
City in 1970 for his mem-
orable portrayals of many
likable codger cowboys in
numerous Western movies.
He was once quoted for say-
ing, “Everyone wants to be a
cowboy.”
Jack Carson
Born in Burns, Jack Car-
son was a top-notch Chief
Joseph Days Rodeo contes-
tant. He served in the U.S.
Army Signal Corps as a
high-speed code operator
and was discharged in 1953.
For 17 years, Carson
competed as a professional
cowboy including saddle
Contributed Photo
Jack Carson won multiple Chief Joseph Days riding events
in the 1950s and ‘60s. He is part of the inaugural CJD Hall of
Fame.
bronc, bareback and bull rid-
ing. During his rodeo career,
he won numerous events
at Chief Joseph Days — in
1953 he was the bareback
champion, and was the sad-
dle bronc champ in 1958. A
six-time bull riding cham-
pion, Carson won the title
in 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959,
1961 and 1964. In 1959, he
won the All-Around Cow-
boy Championship.
Always game for any-
thing, his friend Daryl Hob-
dey dared him to join in an
event at the Eastern Ore-
gon Livestock Show — a
wristwatch was attached to
a bull’s horns and cowboys
could go out and get it if
they could.
Hobdey said to Carson,
“Jack, my watch quit. I’ll
give you $25 for that watch.”
Carson vaulted over the
chutes and grabbed the watch
and handed it to Hobdey.
Carson lives in Clark-
ston, Washington.
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