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.Mariene retsch Longgo.d
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vided by the association,
liarjorie now resides in .ew
York. She was the Grand
Marshall of the 1371 Hepp
Juan Moe Hudson ner Rodeo Parade.
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Sandra Eubanks Hudrifiui-
In 1922 Heppner
business men, headed bL.V.
Gentry, C.W. McXame'r and
C.K. Latourell organized the
first Heppner Rixieo. It dS
established on hat as call
ed Gentry Field. Bleachers
and a race track v.ere built
and it was held during the
last week in September fol
io in? the Pendleton Round
Up. Four thousand witness
ed the first sho of three
days. Lances were heideach
night at the pavilion, as well
as games of chance.
Mar jorie Clark Ridings as
chosen as queen of this first
sho'. She was twelve years
old at the time. She pre
sided at the head of the pa
rade that was held each day.
She woreabrownriding skirt,
boots, and hat that were tro-
I his
V fS.
Itwi t.rna l.ynn VMniiitKi
1323. Ea Padwrg Grif
fith was chosen for queen of
the 1923 Keppner show by
the Rodeo board htaded b
C.W. XlcNamer. Eva wa; a
top rid- r and a poi-d ham!
with (tie lariat. She wore
the same riding habit as .!ar
jorie and her horse was a
dappled gray named "Ted."
The attendants chosen b;. the
Queen were Bea Gentrv and
Jane Allstott. L.Y. Gentry
earned the flag. The top
rider of the show was Jack
Terr. Eva remembers the
then long trip to Pendleton,
where the Court rode in a
car in the parade there Eva
now resides in Heppner, Ore.
1324. Alice Eietmann Pe
terson, selected as Queen of
the 1 924 Heppner Rodeo was
an excellant horsewoman and
was complimented onlier rid
ing. At the time Alice was
Queen, there were no atten
dants or special activities.
The Queen would ride in the
parade and Grand Entry, and
appear at the dances. Ker
chaperone was her sister-in-law,
Juanita Rietmann. Alice
remembers a most amusing
incident when they were both
locked in their hotel room.
Minus phones, Alice boosted
Juanita up so she could call
to a cowboy in the hall. The
manager was obtained and the
door had to be taken off its
hinges. Alice now resides
in The Ealles, Ore.
1923. Mae Kilkenny, dau
ghter of John and Rose Ann
Kilkenny of HintonCreek. was
crowned the Queen of the Hep
pner Rodeo in 1925. The
Ealles band provided the
usic for the Parade head
ed by Queen Mae I. Mae
wore a white riding skirt
and among her attendants
were Cecilia Kenn Buckman.
Mae Kilkenny Liilivend re
sided in Alameda, California
at the time of her death.
1926. Eva Wilcox, the dau
ghter of P.B. Wilcox of Lex
ington, was ruier of the 1926
Rodeo. Her attendants were
Doris Wilcox, her sister, and
Katherine Bisbee. This year
a grandstand was built and
500 reserve seat tickets were
for sale ahead of the event.
New events that jear were
the pony express race, Ro
man race and the derby. The i
latter tod a purse of S100 jf
and was won by V.F. Swag-f
gart. Eva now resides at
Potiatch, Idaho.
1927. Katherine Bisbee,
Queen of the 1327 Heppner
Rodeo, remembers the ef
forts of the board members
such as McNamer, Stf-rline
section compiled In
Don RobllUu'li. (iepplhT
Fryear, Len Gilnun and Jack
French. Lloyd Madison was
a local talent who rode tuck
in;' halls, cows and ponies
fur exhibition if tiiere were
slack moments in the shiw.
Tin. Lerrv was top rider of
thi 1927 show. Queen Kath
arine 1 alsu wore the brown
skirt, boits and hat hand d
down by the association with
a blouse, scarf and a pair
of beautifully btaded fringed
Indian gloves given to her by
her uncle, Bill Bvymer. (Cath
erine was a good ruhr and
broke and trained tier own
mare, Fed Imp. To ijuote
Kay, she said Queens inthost
days didn't get past the city
limits. She remeniU rs wat
ching Rodeos iron, the Lack of
her horse accompanied by
other ridt-rs including Jane
Allstott, Ediii Lovgren and
Lois Reid Winchester, from
the vantage point of the sou
thwest part of the arena. Kat
herine is now in Waldport,
Ore. where she teaches scho
ol. 1328. The Queer, selected
in 1928 was inez Hayes, now
Mrs. Larry Gentry, who lives
near H'rpprer, Ore. Inez
was brought up on a ranch
and easily filled the role of
a hard riding Queen. She has
since participated in many
Heppner Rodeo Parades. The
Princesses selected by her
were Mae Grostiens, Kather
ine Bisbee and Roxy Sperry
;sister of the Queen). Inez
wore a light buskskin riding
outfit and rode a sorrel geld
ing named Beldy, who Inez
broke and trained. Dances
then were held in the old
Fair Pavilion where the mu
seum is now. Top rider was
H.R. Hayworthand there were
89 participants.
1929. The first time that
a Queen's picture appeared
in the Heppner paper was that
of Reita Neal Bibby. Her
reign in 1929 was an out
standing year. Top-rid' rwjs
Turk Greenough. ReiUVs at
tendants that year were Ruth
Fai SteaEairriougTierfy
- - - ... ,
- .,
t Inez Ita.vet.
Peterson, Cecilia Kenny and
Inez Hayes, Queen the pre
vious year. Reita was a
beautiful rider. In hi r white
buckskin outfit on her white
hors. , Appy. she presented
an outstanding picture when
he: horst reared as she was
introduced in the middle of
the arena. 1929 was the
first year that an amplifying
system was installed and
used. Reita and Luke Bibby
resided on a ranch near Iie
pner for many years prior to
her da!h.
1930. Arleta Farrens
Ufcim, daughter ol Helen T.
Farrens, of Lexington, was
selected by the Rodeo buurd.
The Princesses chosen by her
were N:ae Gentry and Mary
Mullahan. Walter Bonifer
was top rider. Arleta pre
sently resides in San Jose,
Ca.
1931. Margaret Becket
Buschke was Queen of the
Heppner Rodeo in 1931. Her
princesses were PatMonahan
and Mae Duhertj. Buel High
was top rider. She and her
husband Claude lived on
ranches near Heppner; in
later years managed a hard
ware store before her death.
1932. Mae Gentry was Que
en of the 1932 Rodeo. Her
attendants were Gwen Evans,
Katherine Bisbee and Kath
erine Cleveland. Bud Cal
vin was top rider. She lived
in Larkspur, Ca. before her
death.
1933. Dorothy Doherty, 17
year-old-daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. B.P. Doherty of Sand
Hollow, Margaret brosnan of
J
( fin-aenr .SMaKgarl
I. !'
" '1 M!
MnlfLZtrtm It-"' lm Nr.) liitiln f
Lena, Ediu Lindstromof lone
and Ruth Dmi't'sofLt'xmgUm,
Mai- UihtTty of Khca
The crowninp ri-rrnioiiit'S
ere hold on ttK' opening of
rmleo, when Ouet-n Dorothy
as lifted to the throne. Que
en Jean Frazior of the
Pendleton Round-up was of
ficially welcomed as an ho
nored guest. Banners ere
displayed on Main Street and
the Heuuner Band held a con
cerUn the street that morn
ing. When Queen Jean arriv
ed, the white-uniformed band
swung around ttie corner and
in their wake, Mayor Ander
son and Hodeo vice-presidents
Herb French, D.A. Wil
son and Henry Aiken, formed
a mounted escort to the brig
htly decorated oen automo
bile which rode C.W. McNa
mer, honorary president of
Podeo, the Queenly Court
and the Hound-up Queen
After the parade, the court
and nieniluTs of the bund
were served a Imftet luncheon
at the Elks That evening, the
dance held at the pavilion saw
Queen Dorothy receive the
golden crown and those of her
court, crown ot silver. Queen
Dorothy also tiecame the
attendant of Queen Jean
Fraier of the llound-up thut
vear
1934. By this time girls
were selected to represent
different communities to be
on the court. The girls se
lected in 1934 were Dimple
Crabtree from Willows
Grange in loiu Erma Lane
from Lexington trange, Lil
lian Carter from Spray, Beth
Wright from Rhea Cm. Gra
nge and Mary Cunh tromthe
Lena Grange. The ammer
dances were held at the big
Pavilion in Heppner and ad
mission to each dance was
good for one vote for one
of the girls to be Queen. Af
ter the last dance about two
weeks before the rodeo, the
tickets were counted and the
Queen announced.
Queen Dimple wore her
leather skirt trimmed in
black fringe with a white sa
tin blouse. The princesses
wore black pants and hats
with white shirts. Activities
then were centered only about
the Heppner Rodeo. Top ri
der was Kenneth Depew. Dim
ple and her husband Archie
Munkers live on a ranch be
tween Heppner and Lexington.
1933. Ilene Kenny, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. John
Kenny of Heppner, and a can
didate from Lexington won
the Queen Contest for 1935.
Her attendants were Eileen
Farley, Willows Grange;
Maxine McCurdy, Rhea Creek
Grange; and Camille Stanley,
Lena Grange. As a leading
contestant Miss Kenny was
a guest of honor at the Ckiah
July 4th celebration and was
honored at theQueen's Dance
prior to the rodeo. The Que
en and her Court were gue
sts at several luncheons of
various groups in the area.
An invitation was extended
to Queen Ilene to ride in the
Pendleton Round-up parade as
guest of Queen Helen
Hansen of Pendleton. Henry
Aiken as Rodeo Association
President acted aschaperone
for the group.
9."6 Patricia
Norden
1936. Genevieve HannaCor
hln, the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. John Ha una. wasclmseii
Queen of 193C. Hanius were
early ranchers on HintonCre
ek, and the ranch is still
operated by Genevieve's sis
ter and family, Mr. and Mrs.
Don Bennett. Queen Gene
vieve brought upon tin ranch,
rode horses from an early
age. As Queen, she was at
tired in a white leather riilmg
skirt, white blouse, hat and
black boots. The Princesses
ere Frances Rugg, Harriet
Heliker and Betty Doherty.
These girls wore Black Jai
pur riding pants with white
blouses, black hats and
boots. Gen resides in Hep
ner now.
1937. This was the year
for Betty Bergevin Carney's
reign. Mrs. Gartx y now liv
es in San Jose, Calif.
1938. Maxine McCurdy Gil
man, the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Harlan McCurdy, Sr.,
was winner of the dance vo
tes to be the 1938 Queen.
The Court of Queen Maxine
was Florene Becket, Cecilia
Hcaly, Joyce Carlson and Ev
elyn Kirk.
RE1GIM
Maxine wore the traditional
outfit of that time, white lea
ther skirt and vest trimmed
in black with white boots and
hat. Her court was attired,
in black corduroy riding ski
rts, black boots, hats and sa
tin shirts. Henry Aiken was
president and he and his wife
chaperoned the court. Among
the best known riders of that
day were Kenneth and Lloyd
Depew of L'kiah. Pat Owens
was the top rider of the
show, in 1936 the Morrow
County Fair and Rodeo was
characterized as the largest
Oregon Sheep Show east of
the Cascades. Maxine is now
living in Long Beach, Calif.
1939. Cecilia Healy, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. John
Healy of Butter Creek, was
appointed as queen. Healys
were long-time ranchers of
this area and the ranch where
she was raised is still oper
ated by the Healy Brothers,
Tom and Bill. The princes
ses of Queen Cecilia's court
were Kathryn Thompson, Do
rothy Howell, Constance In
stone and Dorothy Brady. Ce
cilia wore the traditional out
fit; white leather riding skirt,
with black fringe, vest, white
blouse, white hat and black
boots. The late Henry Aiken
was president of the Rodeo
Association then. Cecilia now
resides in Portland, Ore.
1940. Marjorie Parker
(Mrs. Fred Hill), who now
lives in Portland, was Queen
of the 1940 rodeo.
Wright Anderson
1955
C arrol
1941. Kathryn Thompson
Webb, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Ralph Thompson Was
Queen of the 1941 Heppner
Fair and Rodeo. Princesses
were Colleer.Kilkeiiny Green
up, Frances Wilkinson Os
lund, Pat t. inert Pettyjohn
and Rita Robinson Caverhill.
Lee Beckner Was president
of the Rodeo that y-aer. Kath
ryn was a beautiful Queen
dressed in the white riding
outfit and the court was an
exceptionally outstanding
bunch of riders. Winners
of events during this Rodeo
were George Nelson, Sonny
Turenian, Cecil Bedford, Gut
Cast, Shorty Ruthedge, Loyd
Depew, Jow Talbot, Jack HiH
yer, Lloyd Lowe, D. Berge
vin, Pat Fi.sk. Ivan Apple
gate, Curtis Tarwattr and
Walt McKitrick. Interesting
ly, many of these winners
have children competing in to
days shows. Kathryn and
her husband, Paul Webb, Jr.,
reside at Walla Walla, wa.
1945. World War II inter
vened and the Heppner Rodeo
was not held for three years.
In 1943 Colleen Kilkenny Gre
enup, daughter of a true Irish
family, was chosen queen.
The Kilkenny ranch, on H in
tern Creek, raised many fine
horses. Colleen was the last
queen to wear the beautiful
white leather riding skirt out
fit. Her princesses, Joan
Hisler, Darlene Biddle, Jo
Ann Graves and Dorothy
Bergstrom were dressed in
white shirts and black trou
sers, hats and boots. Mrs.
Lee Beckner and Mrs. Ruth
Nutting were chapeones.
Men responsible for reor
ganizing and putting the show
back together after the war
were Lee Beckner, president;
Bob Runnion, dance director;
Buzz Fisk, arena director;
Ebb Hughes, stock Direc
tor; and Cliff Dougherty, gr
ounds nanager. Harold Er
wtn was one of the pickup
men, Claude Nutting was an
nouncer, and Harley Tucker
furnished the stock. Jerry
Ambler was all-around cow
boy. 1946. Larlene Biddle was
chosen Queen late in the
spring of 1946. The Court
was taken to Pendleton to se
lect outfits by chaperones
Mrs. Clyde Nutting and Mrs.
Lee Beckner. This year it
was deemed that a change be
made in riding attire from
skirts to riding pants. Out
fits were soon found for the
court, consisting of Jean
Hanna Bennett, Betty Smeth
urst Zeagler, Betty Lovgren
Way and Gwen Coleman
Healy.
Ann M igglesworth Meredith