Wallowa.com
CHIEF JOSEPH DAYS
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
B3
Tribal encampment plays key
role in Chief Joseph Days
By KATY NESBITT
For the Wallow County
Chieftain
Wallowa County Chieftain, File
Harley Tucker’s white horses were used as a part of his fast and colorful grand entries.
Six inductees to enter Chief
Joseph Days Hall of Fame
in 1877 and many settled on
the New Peace Indian Res-
ervation in Lapwai, Idaho.
JOSEPH — Leading up He would eventually die in
to the 76th annual Chief exile in 1904 at the age of
Joseph Days Rodeo, the 64. Even though he is recog-
Chief Joseph Days Hall of nized throughout the town,
Fame
announced
his name represents
six inductees into its
a black mark in our
2022 class.
country’s
history
These inductees
causing the suff er-
are being honored
ing of Native Amer-
not just for their con-
icans, when a man
tributions to Chief
who wanted nothing
Joseph Days, but
but peace was forced
Taillon
also for their impact
to leave his home.
on the sport of rodeo.
While the action
Here are the induct-
at the rodeo is what
ees of the hall of
many
remember,
fame’s second class:
people are rarely hon-
Cy Taillon was
ored for the work that
the fi rst announcer to
it takes to organize
make his entire liv-
such an event. Dal-
ing by calling rodeos.
las Gene Williamson
He announced his Chief Joseph did just that, and was
fi rst rodeo in 1939
a respected member
and would go on to
of the Joseph com-
announce practically
munity.
Graduat-
every major rodeo in
ing in a class of fi ve
the country. Known
from Joseph High
as “rodeo’s Wal-
School in 1947, that
ter Cronkite,” Tail-
same year he would
lon stood out with his
end up digging post
Williamson
precise grammar and
holes for the rodeo
description while try-
on the Wallowa Lake
ing to recognize cow-
moraine. His pas-
boys as professional
sion for the rodeo
athletes. After pass-
didn’t stop there,
ing away in 1980,
as he served on the
he has since become
rodeo board of direc-
a member of the Pro
tors from 1970-1981,
Rodeo Hall of Fame
and was arena direc-
McCully
and was awarded its
tor from 1973-1981.
lifetime achievement
As arena director
award. Taillon was
he was responsible
the voice of Chief
for working count-
Joseph Days for 11
less hours and nights
years between 1961
before rodeo week to
and 1975.
prepare for the event.
The man who
He helped build new
the Chief Joseph
rodeo stands in 1967-
Dollarhide
Days Rodeo and the
1968, and was the
town of Joseph were
one who suggested
named after, Young Chief that the Chief Joseph Days
Joseph was born in 1840 and Rodeo court receive commis-
became a leader, who accord- sion from selling tickets. An
ing to record, counseled his integral member of the rodeo
people to keep peace when behind the scenes, William-
settlers arrived in the Wal- son passed away in 2016 at
lowas. But after the killing of 85 years old.
a Nez Perce brave by white
Frank McCully became
men was left unjustifi ed, the president of the Joseph
Chief Joseph led his peo- Chamber of Commerce in
ple away from the Wallowas 1946, which was the year
By JACK PARRY
Wallowa County Chieftain
of the fi rst rodeo. He was
elected mayor of Joseph the
next year, and in his time on
the chamber, the membership
grew from 30 to 130. He and
the chamber members would
promote the rodeo fervently,
even fl ying to do so. McCully
was the one who fi gured out
what weekend the rodeo
would take place, by asking
his father and grandfather
to pick the best time of the
year based on past weather
patterns. He was the parade
grand marshal in 1985, and
will be recognized for the
work he put into making the
rodeo what it is today.
After his service in World
War II, Ross Dollarhide Jr.
began participating in rodeo
competitions as a saddle
bronc rider and steer wres-
tler. His career was illustri-
ous, winning 17 event titles
in saddle bronc riding and
18 event titles in steer wres-
tling between 1947 and 1955.
Between 1948 and 1950, he
won the saddle bronc title
three consecutive years. Dol-
larhide won at Chief Joseph
Days as well, taking the all-
around titles in 1950, 1951,
1952, calf roping in 1950,
saddle bronc riding in 1951,
and steer wrestling titles in
1950 and 1951. He would
also work as a riding dou-
ble/stuntman in Hollywood
in the late 1950s. A cowboy
superhero, Dollarhide died in
1977 in Flagstaff , Arizona.
Harley Tucker’s white
horses are being inducted.
Tucker gathered six white
horses together for his grand
entrance to the parade. Riders
would wear red leather jack-
ets and carry colorful fl ags
and matching leather chaps
and the horses were outfi tted
with hand-tooled saddles and
matching saddle blankets.
These extravagant steeds
were used by Tucker as a part
of his fast and colorful grand
entries.
The Hall of Fame and a
museum will be located in a
new event center that is being
planned that will be located
at the rodeo grounds.
JOSEPH — Chief
Joseph Days Rodeo is a
mashup of Western cul-
ture with both roping and
riding action in the Har-
ley Tucker Arena as well
as the dancing, singing
and feasting of the tribal
encampment.
In the “old days,”
according to Ralph Swine-
hart, there were 200 tepees
on the rodeo grounds
during Chief Joseph Days.
Slowly the tribal members
stopped coming.
“In 1986 it trickled
down to only three tepees,”
Swinehart said.
In 1988, Swinehart said,
a couple Wallowa County
residents — Steve Zoll-
man and Bruce Womack
— went to visit Nez Perce
descendants of the Wal-
lowa Band on the Confed-
erated Tribes of the Uma-
tilla Indian Reservation,
the Confederated Tribes of
the Colville Reservation
and the Nez Perce Indian
Reservation to ask why
they were no longer com-
ing. They were told they
were not invited.
“Bruce and Steve got
together with Milley Fra-
ser and welcomed them
back,” Swinehart said.
Tribal members from
the Nez Perce reservation
in Lapwai, Idaho, May
Taylor and Horace Axtell,
as well as Soy RedThun-
der from Nespelem, Wash-
ington, on the Colville
Reservation and Priscilla
and Fernmore Craig from
the Umatilla reservation
restarted it.
Swinehart said Don
and Rosemary Green from
Wallowa County and the
Craigs brought fi sh and
organized a potluck that
now feeds hundreds of
people a year.
Jean Pekarek has been
volunteering at the friend-
ship feast as long as
Swinehart.
“In 1988, I got word
that there were going to be
some tribal people bring-
ing salmon, and people
in the community wanted
to come and bring side
dishes,” Pekarek said. “I
went, and as the years went
on, it started growing.”
In 1991, tribal danc-
ing was held at the Joseph
High School gym, Pekarek
“IN 1988, I GOT
WORD THAT THERE
WERE GOING TO
BE SOME TRIBAL
PEOPLE BRINGING
SALMON, AND
PEOPLE IN THE
COMMUNITY
WANTED TO
COME AND BRING
SIDE DISHES. I
WENT, AND AS
THE YEARS WENT
ON, IT STARTED
GROWING.”
— Jean Pekarek, Friendship
Feast volunteer
said, and in 1998 the danc-
ing was moved to the rodeo
grounds’ encampment.
Over the years, there
have been several improve-
ments to the encampment
facilities, Swinehart said.
“We’ve gone through
several diff erent arbors,”
Swinehart said. “The fi rst
year we had a lodgepole
frame with shade tarps and
in 1990 the fi rst arbor was
constructed.”
About fi ve years ago,
a permanent arbor was
constructed with plenty
of room for the feast and
after the chairs and tables
are picked up, the dancing
and drumming begin.
While
the
tribal
encampment needed some
reinvigoration in the late
‘80s, Swinehart said tribal
members have always
been in the parade. A vin-
tage car collector for more
than 30 years, he has
driven some of the elder
tribal members who no
longer ride horseback in
his Model A Ford.
Today, the chief salmon
cook is Joe McCormack
and the Stangel Buff alo
Ranch donates burgers.
Ahead of time, volunteers
get together to make pat-
ties out of 250 pounds of
ground meat, said Shelley
Rogers, a rodeo committee
member who helps orga-
nize the friendship feast
and other encampment
details.
This year the local Rot-
aract Club — a Rotary
Club for 21-32 year olds
— are in charge of prepar-
ing and freezing the burg-
ers ahead of the feast.
Rogers said Brenda
Axtell of Lapwai is helping
organize other aspects of
the encampment remotely.
“It takes a lot of coor-
dination with phone calls,
emails …” Rogers said.
While
Swinehart,
Pekarek and Rogers are
dedicated to their labor of
love and hospitality, each
confessed to being over 70
years old.
“We are putting out the
word for anyone to get
involved, especially young
people,” Swinehart said.
The Chief Joseph Days
Rodeo Friendship Feast is
held after the grand parade
at noon on Saturday, July 30.
Those wanting to attend are
asked to bring a side dish to
share. Dancing and drum-
ming will follow the feast.
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