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In 1989, Pickett was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica.Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox.
William Pickett, aka: Bill, Will, Willie (1870-1932) – Of black and Cherokee Indian descent, Bill Pickett was one of the first great rodeo cowboys and is credited with inventing the sport of bulldogging.
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.Pickett was descended from American Indians and black slaves in the Southwest. He later appeared in the silent films
Photo from the North Fort Worth Historical Society.
Now known as “Steer Wrestling,” the event he created remains a popular part of rodeos to this day. Pickett moved from ranch work into the show arena in the 1890s, when he and his brother began the Pickett Brothers Bronco Busters and Rough Riders Show that toured fairs and rodeos.
He invented a way of controlling steers called “bulldogging,” and became a star attraction of wild west shows.
With his four brothers, he established The Pickett Brothers Bronco Busters and Rough Riders Association.
For those of you who weren't alive in 1893, today was a big day back then.
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Pickett was descended from American Indians and black slaves in the Southwest.
In 1900 he became a showman, sponsored by Lee Moore, a Pickett performed until about 1916, working as a cowhand and rancher thereafter.
This article was most recently revised and updated by
In 1907, Pickett was hired as a cowhand on the 101 Ranch in Oklahoma and participated in the Miller Brothers’ 101 Ranch Wild West Show.
February 15, 2019, Leave a Comment on Bill Pickett: The Rodeo Innovator that History Forgot Bill Pickett was born the second of thirteen children on December 5th, 1870 in Williamson County, Texas.
Willie M. "Bill" Pickett (December 5, 1870 – April 2, 1932 ) was a cowboy, rodeo, Wild West show performer and actor.
1870-1932 Bill Pickett was the most famous African American rodeo performer of all time, and the first black cowboy movie star.
Pickett’s bloodline was of Cherokee and Black. Every year, the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo travels the country, celebrating the legacy of the black cowboy.
He grew up in West Texas, learning to ride and rope as a boy, and became a ranch hand; he performed simple trick rides in town on weekends.
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He did his bulldogging act, traveling about in Texas, Arizona, Wyoming, and Oklahoma.In 1932, after having retired from Wild West shows, Bill Pickett was kicked in the head by a bronco and died after a multi-day coma.Bill Pickett has a headstone beside the graves of the Miller brothers at the In March 2015, the Taylor City Council announced that a street that leads to the rodeo arena will be renamed to honor Bill Pickett.On June 2, 2017 a new statue of Bill Pickett was unveiled in his hometown of Taylor, Texas; it is prominently displayed in front of the McCrory Timmerman building located at the intersection of 2nd and Main Streets.On August 6, 2018, Bill Pickett was inducted into the Jim Thorpe Association's 2020 Mount Pickett on Orcas Island in Washington State was named after him.
Bill Pickett, (born December 5, 1870?, Williamson county, Texas, U.S.—died April 2, 1932, Tulsa, Oklahoma), American rodeo cowboy who introduced bulldogging, a modern rodeo event that involves wrestling a running steer to the ground. In 1890, Pickett married Maggie Turner, a former slave and daughter of a white southern plantation owner.
Bill Picket, circa 1902. The couple had nine children.Pickett soon became known for his tricks and stunts at local country fairs.