Bill Pickett

If you're from Texas or frequent rodeos, the name Bill Pickett likely needs no introduction. Credited for being the father of the rodeo event bulldogging, this cowboy and renowned rodeo showman is a testament to the courage and skill of the Black cowboy.

Born in Texas in 1870, William "Bill" Pickett was one of 13 children. The son of formerly enslaved and Indigenous parents, Pickett spent most of his youth working as a ranch hand, where he learned to ride, rope, and horse breaking. During this time, he would invent the bulldogging technique, the act of wrestling a runaway steer down by lounging at it from atop a horse, grabbing its horns, and biting its lip or nose. It's believed that he adapted this maneuver from watching how herd dogs, specifically bulldogs, corral cattle. The technique showcases a rodeo showman's physical prowess and mental fortitude. Known today as steer wrestling, minus the biting, it remains a popular rodeo event.

Soon, Pickett and his four brothers started their horse-breaking service called the Pickett Brothers Bronco Busters and Rough Riders Association, advertising that "We ride and break all wild horses with much care. Catching and taming wild cattle a specialty." He would utilize the technique in his work, but mostly at county fairs and other events. By the 1900s, he was touring rodeos, where he started making a name for himself with his death-defying stunts.

In 1905, he would join the 101 Ranch Wild West Show, a theatrical extravaganza that brought the frontier to audiences. He was nicknamed the “Dusky Demon," performing alongside the acts of Tom Mix, Buffalo Bill, Milt Hinkle, and Pawnee Bill. Pickett was a popular headliner who performed with and worked on the ranch for over 20 years, traveling throughout the United States, Canada, South America, and Europe.

A grainy photograph of Pickett, sitting atop a horse outdoors, in a button down, hat, and chaps, wearing a solemn expression on his face. Photo Source: Tad S. Mizwa Collection, Dickinson Research Center, National Cowboy Museum.

He would amaze spectators by bringing down thousand-pound animals with bravado and athleticism that laid proof to his reputation as a legendary cowboy. This prestige was cemented in Mexico City when Mexican bullfighters challenged him to wrestle a Mexican fighting bull. Doubtful that he would last even five minutes, a coffin was put into the ring with him. Met with boos from a "crowd that had come to see the death of the black American cowboy," Pickett held on for six minutes, winning the bet.

Pickett was often barred from competing in rodeos because of his race. He often had to enter as Native American, erasing his Black heritage, in order to compete. Despite this, he continued to perform and tour until 1916, returning to being a cowhand and rancher. Pickett would star in silent Western films, including "Crimson Skull" and "The Bull-Dogger," and is also considered the first African American cowboy movie star.

A poster for the film “The Bulldogger” with Bill Pickett. A photo of Pickett atop a horse is on the left, and on the right, are the words “The Norman Film Mfg. Co presents Bill Pickett, creator of bulldogging, world’s champion, and ‘Spraddley’ his hose in ‘The Bulldogger',’ directed by Colin Grey. Image Source: Glenn D. Shirley Western Americana Collection, Dickinson Research Center, National Cowboy Museum.

Bill Pickett would die at the age of 61 while working with horses, leaving behind his wife, Maggie Turner, and nine children. He would be posthumously inducted into the National Cowboy Museum’s Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1972, the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1989, and the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. He’s featured on The Legends of the West stamp collection. In 1984, the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, an all-Black rodeo that celebrates the Black cowboys and cowgirls and their contributions, was created in honor of the man, who President Theodore Roosevelt called "one of the best trained ropers and riders the West has produced.”

Reflection Questions

What has your perception of American cowboys been shaped by? How many examples of non-white American cowboys from this era have you come across before?

Learn More

Watch this video about the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.Visit the The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to see artifacts from Bill Pickett’s life.Watch a snippet from “The Bulldogger” film.Read more about the history of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.