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"Clarence C. "Clayton" Danks, 1907 Bronco Riding Champion, photo by Ed Tangen, 1907.
Ed Tangen (1873-1952) was a Boulder, Colo. photographer, known as the "pictureman." During the course of
his career from 1906 to 1951, he took an estimated 16,000 photos primarily of the
Boulder area. Of those, only approximately 800 exist today. In addition to photography, he became a self-taught
expert in fingerprints working for the Boulder County Sheriff's office. He was also noted as being somewhat
parsimonious, residing for thirty years in a tent behind 1942 Canyon Blvd.
 . . 
Left: James T. "Jimmie" Danks on Teddy Roosevelt, 1911, photo by
J. E. Stimson.
Right: Ernie Green on Snake River, photo by Ralph J. E. Stimson, 1910.
Clayton Danks and Jimmie Danks grew up in Long Pine Canyon, Nebraska, where their father was the
operator of a stage station. The two brothers later worked as range riders for the Two Bar in Chugwater. Clayton
homesteaded property in Valentine, Nebraska, while Jimmie with another brother Harry settled down in
South Dakota. A fourth brother Lawrence received a patent to land in Niobrara County.
Ernie Green on Powder River, 1914. Photo by Joseph Shimitz.
Ernest M. "Ernie" Green was from LaGrange, Wyoming. He first appeared in the 1911 Amateur Rough Riding Contest which he won. He
also won the same contest in 1914. In 1912, he was thrown by the C. B. Irwin's bronco Woodrow Wilson. In 1914, Ernie placed
second in the bulldogging contest. He also appeared in some of the
Irwin Brothers Wild West Shows including the 1916 Laramie Plains Roundup.
Ed McCarty on "Silver City,", 1909. Postcard by J. E. Stimson
The caption on the reverse of the above postcard, with no mention of Ed McCarty, reads:
Silver City is one of the most noted broncos of the southwest, and is a very hard horse to ride.
Only cow boys of nerve and daring will attempt to climb this "Outlaw." He was the only horse
to "down" Charlie Irwin the "Giant Cowboy" at Frontier Day."
Ed McCarty later became a noted stock contractor and developed the famed "Chugwater String." More photos and discussion of
McCarty is on a subsequent page.
Roy "Skeeter Bill" Robbins on Tanglefoot, 1914. Photo by Joseph
Shimitz.
The photographer, Joseph Shimitz (1873-1929), had a studio on Eddy Street, remamed Carey Street. He advertized that he was the
"official" photographer for Frontier Days. His photographs, some of which are featured relating to Fort
D. A. Russell and others to Frontier Days, are generally from the period 1908 to his death in 1929.
Skeeter Bill (Roy Raymond Robbins (1887-1933)) was a tall, lanky, 6' 5" cowboy from Glenrock. His tall appearance gave rise to his
nickname of "Skeeter." He was a brother of Walter "Skinny" Robbins, Charles "Doc" Robbins, and of "Wild Horse" Frank Robbins owner of the famed
palomino "Desert Dust." Skeeter Bill
was a top bronc rider, trick roper and bull dogger. In 1914, he married
Dorothy Morrell 1914 Pendleton champion lady bronc rider of the world.
Just as today, the Mecca for rodeo cowboys is Oklahoma City, in 1924 the center of the Universe for cowboys was the
First International Cowboy Championships at Wembley's newly constructed Empire Stadeum. The championships were held
as a part of the British Empire Exhibition.
At the time, the Exhibition was the largest show of its kind ever held. The purposes of the
Exhibition was to "stimulate trade, strengthen bonds that bind mother Country to her Sister States
and Daughters, to bring into closer contact the one with
each other, to enable all who owe allegiance to the British flag to meet on common
ground and learn to know each other." Even though, wireless service was in its infancy, the opening by HM King George V was heard by
millions.
As indicated on the following pages, a number of American cowboys joined their Canadian, South African, and Australian
counterparts. The cowboys made a distinct impression on usual staid Lonooners. As Time Magazine, June 16, 1924, observed:
American rodeo cowboys and cowgirls made a lasting impression upon Londoners when they arrived at the capital of the British Commonwealth
en route for the Wembley Exhibition. One cowboy, sitting on the hood of an automobile,
yelled: "I want to rope a red-headed goil." He did, but she turned out to be a blonde,
so he let her go. Every silk hat within a rope's length was regarded as legitimate prey
and Londoners took it all with marked good humor. One body of men who quite overawed the
excited "cowpeople" were the London "bobbies;" they were not molested.
Indeed, the rodeo was the most popular aspect of the Exhibition. Thousands filled the stands as
cowboys straight from American ranches gave demonstrations of roping, broncho busting, trick riding, wild horse racing, and bulldogging.
Among those traveling across the Atlantic on the steamer Menominee with horses, cattle and gear were Skeeter Bill and
Dorothy Morrell. Seventeen Canadian cowboys entered the contest. Americans participating included
cowgirls Mabel Strickland, Bonnie McCarrol who won the Lord Selfridge World Chapionship Tropy, Donnie Glover, Fox Hastings, Helen Elliot, Ruth Wheat,
Florence Hughes, Donna Glover, Vera McGinnis, Ruth Roach,
Tad Lucas, and Bea Kirnan. Judges included Tom B. Hickman. G.M. Jones, Phil Yoder and Tex Austin, who was the general manager.
Cowboys included bareback bronco rider Frank Studenick, trick and fancy roper Chester Beyers who used two ropes,
Tommy Kirnan who roped his wife and pony and repeated
the trick standing on his head, Buck Lucas, rodeo clown Red Sublet,t and Mike Hastings to whom the Prince of Wales presented a
thoroughbred horse.
Former Wyoming cattle baron, Sir Horace Punkett attended a conference at the Exhibition. Rudyard
Kipling made a point of seeking out Skeeter Bill who had written some poetry. Later Skeeter commented about
Kipling, "That man knows cattle and knows horses. You can always tell. Most people looking at a horse begin at the wrong end, while
Kipling looked at my horse's mouth."
The Wembley rodeo, however, was not to be repeated for another nine years. As the New York Post.
May 12, 1925,
noted,
There will be no rodeo this year, thanks to the difficulites made by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The hapless
steer has found its patron and will not again have to be the sport of cowboys. Not that the British
are uniformly tenderhearted; they killed seven horses in steeplechase races on one week of this
spring's season without a groan from the S.P.C.A. or a letter of indignation in the newspapers. The rodeo
was drawing the largest successive crowds that ever filled a hugh stadium until the S.P.C.A. spoined the fun.
Skeeter Bill became the manager of the Hoot Gibson ranch and appeared in
a number of movies with Gibson and developed the
Hoot Gibson bronc string. He served as arena manager for the Los Angeles World Congress of Rough
Riders Labor Day and the Santa Monica Pioneer Days Rodeos. On November 28, 1933, Skeeter with his wife and some
friends were on the way to Noah Beery's Lake. The headlights of the car became obstructed with snow. As he got out
to adjust or clear the lights, a truck hit the car killing Skeeter and seriously injuring his wife.
Ed McCarty on Steamboat, Wyoming State Fair, Douglas, 1910.
webscan copyright G. B. Dobson, 2004.
Next page, Frontier Days continued.
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