"The New Bridge Rodeo"
by Pablo Capra
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| Cooper's Camp and The Rodeo Grounds, c/o UC Santa Barbara Library Special Research Collections, 1926 |
After the success of the Elks Rodeo, and with the infrastructure now in place, it seemed like every summer holiday or event at the Topango Ranch would be celebrated with a rodeo. “Bringing back the spirit of the wild west with… its lawlessness and its freedom” must have felt like the perfect remedy for the Prohibition, anti-gambling times. And since these rodeos were hosted by Deputy Sheriff Archie Cooper, and lightly policed by his friends Sheriff William Traeger and Deputy Sheriff Frank DeWar, the attendees probably got away with a lot.
On June 24, 1923, a rodeo was held to celebrate the opening of a new bridge across the Topanga Lagoon. The straighter route was part of the new Oxnard-San Juan Capistrano Highway, a clunky misnomer for an improvement that the Cooper brothers protested as unnecessary, since it cut right through their campsite only to stop at the Malibu gate. Nevertheless, the rodeo seemed to have been enjoyed by all, and Helen Gibson even returned to perform in it.
Thousands of persons from Santa Monica and neighboring cities attended the barbecue and rodeo yesterday afternoon at Cooper’s Ranch….
Several long lines were formed by the rodeo visitors before the improvised tables where the barbecued meat and “frijoles” were served, while long benches fashioned after those used in army camps were the dinner tables. Occasionally, wandering hungry mules stole up behind the dining folk and purloined food from the paper dishes. Coffee was served in ranch tincups of large capacity.
Local color also was added to the rodeo by the numerous stands which affected being operated as those of the days of ‘49.
Preceding the rodeo, there was an entertainment by dancing girls, while speakers representing Southern California Automobile club [Carl McStay], the State Highway commission [William H. Carter] and Los Angeles board of county supervisors [R. F. McClellan] were heard.
Spectacular horsemanship was shown, not only by the numerous “bukaroos,” but by Grace Teed, Marrietta Gregory, Miss M. Carlson, Helen Gibson and Miss M. Steelman, all of Los Angeles….
Hank Steelman of Hollywood, Archie Cooper, Clarence Pittman, J. A. MacDonald, Noy Henry, Tex Grove, [Al] Brassfield, Clarence [Sovern], Slim Riley, “Whitey” [Sovern], Jim Hogan, Ben Corbett, Jim Shannon, Felix Luttrell, Milton Carter, Gene McCay and H. Bowman were among the cowboys. Most of the group reside in Los Angeles.
Music was furnished by the American Legion band of Hollywood. Several songs by Miss Hazel Devere, of Los Angeles, who has sung at club entertainments in Santa Monica numerous times, were applauded. She sang in front of the bleachers.
Judges of the rodeo were Zibe Morse, Ed Bowman and Art Manning. Valuable prizes were awarded by them to the winners of the various events.
—“Thousands Roll Over New Road,” Santa Monica Evening Outlook, 1923-06-25
This is the only Topango Ranch rodeo that Archie Cooper is known to have competed in.
Hank Steelman (1902-1939), who worked as a double for actress Mary Pickford (1892-1979), was the son of actor Hosea Steelman. “Miss M. Steelman” was probably also related.
Clarence Pittman was probably Clarence Ditman of the Topango Ranch, although I’m not sure which spelling is correct.
After the opening of the new highway, the name “Topango,” suggesting a fantasy Wild West place, began to lose its mystique, and the mainstream “Topanga” was more often preferred. The Topango Ranch even changed its name to the Sea View Ranch.
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This is an excerpt from the book Topanga Beach: A History, 1820s-1920s. Author Pablo Capra is a former Lower Topanga resident, and continues to preserve the history of that neighborhood on his website, www.brasstackspress.com, and as a board member of the Topanga Historical Society, www.topangahistoricalsociety.org.
