"The Elks Rodeo"
by Pablo Capra
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| "Skeeter Bill" Robbins and Dorothy Morrell. Photo: unknown. |
Although rodeo stunts were introduced to the Topango Ranch by Helen Gibson in 1921, and the first official rodeo was thrown there in honor of Sheriff William Traeger in 1922, the Topanga rodeo truly flourished in 1923, when at least five rodeos were held.
The biggest rodeos were thrown by the Elks and Moose Lodges, two fraternal clubs that would have been present at the Traeger Rodeo, since he was a member of both.
On June 2-3, 1923, the Elks threw a two-day rodeo for the stated purpose of raising money to send their band to a convention at the Grand Lodge in Atlanta, GA. However, much more money must have been spent in preparing for this “monster rodeo.”
Nearly 100 carpenters were employed to build the arena, grandstands, and “Days of ‘49” town.
A regular frontier town will be built with all the necessary dance halls and gambling dens. The old fashioned bars will be much in evidence with all the old “kick” in everything but the liquid goods, but a tribe of dance hall girls will be there to make the merry makers forget that incident of ancient history.
—“Elks of Entire Southland Coming to Topanga Beach Rodeo June 2–3,” Santa Monica Evening Outlook, 1923-05-18
The rodeo’s director, George C. Flores, was praised for organizing “the greatest line-up of real stars of the arena that has ever been brought together for a wild west show in Southern California.” 50 champions, along with steers and wild horses, were selected from as far away as Oregon, Montana, and Wyoming.
Special attractions included the act of “Skeeter Bill” Robbins (1887-1933) and his wife Dorothy Morrell (b.1888), world-champion ropers and riders.
Native American cowboy Miguel Severas from Sonora, Mexico, formerly a follower of Pancho Villa, challenged anyone in California to beat him to the $100 prize for the roping contest.
Multiple world champion “Tuck” Gibson rode Steamboat, “said to be the world’s most famous trained bucker.” Before the fence to the arena was completed, Tuck and Steamboat had an exciting practice ride that ended half a mile up the canyon. Heavy brush prevented cowboys from roping Steamboat, so Tuck had to hang on until the horse tired out.
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| "Tuck" Gibson riding Steamboat, c/o Santa Monica Evening Outlook, 1923-05-30 |
The food was prepared by “world’s famous barbecue artist” Joe Romero (1852-1932). This East LA cowboy earned his reputation by cooking for around 5,000 people at a time, and catering around 25 events a year, for almost 50 years. His method of burying the meat in a pit of hot coals was a point of local pride for Angelenos, who looked down on grilling as suitable only for Boy Scouts. One of his specialties was a bull’s-head breakfast, which fell out of fashion in the late 1920s.
“Virtually all of Southern California, be they Elks or not,” attended the rodeo, including all the orphans and poor children of the Santa Monica Bay cities, who were invited for free. Special bus service was set up from Santa Monica, and the Elks donated their own cars to help transport “the largest crowd of people who ever witnessed a rodeo in these parts.” Guests camped overnight on the beach to enjoy the two-day event.
Thirty thousand people attended the Elks’ round-up at Topanga canyon yesterday, the attendance passing wildest expectations….
The road from Santa Monica to the show grounds was like Broadway on a busy day….
Seating capacity for 25,000 people around the arena was soon filled to overflowing and thousands of spectators eager to see the show dotted the hills on all sides….
Six-guns, spurs, high-heeled boots and two-gallon hats were to be seen in all directions….
—“Crowd Is Estimated at 30,000,” Santa Monica Evening Outlook, 1923-06-04
This rodeo must have been the biggest event ever held in Lower Topanga.
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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.
