They Call the Thing Rodeo

Rodeo in Oklahoma evolved from competitions between cowboys at ranches in the Oklahoma Panhandle in the 1880s to the professional sport of the modern era. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn explore the origin of rodeo in Oklahoma, the formation of the PRCA, and the impact the National Finals Rodeo made on Oklahoma City. Their guest is former president of Southwestern Oklahoma State University and Oklahoma Historical Society board member Randy Beutler. He discusses the formation of the Beutler Brothers stock contractors in 1929 and how they became the largest stock contractor in the country. Randy also talks about some of the famous rodeo broncs and bulls in Beutler Brothers history, along with the reputation of Beutler stock being “a cowboy’s worst nightmare.”