The First Rodeo In Canada

It wasn't the Calgary Stampede

Tomorrow, the Calgary Stampede kicks off. Called The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, it is by far the most famous rodeo in Canada and likely the world. Between 500,000 and one million people go to the Stampede each year.

It is a huge economic driver for Calgary, and its history dates back over 100 years.

But it is not the first rodeo.

For the first, we have to journey to Raymond, Alberta located about an hour-and-a-half south of Calgary.

The first Raymond Stampede was held in 1902 in a vacant lot as part of the Canada Day celebrations of the community. It was organized by Raymond Knight, whose father owned 400,000 acres of land in southern Alberta, where there were 15,000 head of cattle and 40,000 head of sheep.

Raymond Knight was closely involved in the establishment of Raymond itself, a town that was named in honour of Raymond by his father Jesse.

Raymond was a skilled rodeo performer, and at the first Raymond Stampede he took first prize in the steer roping competition.

The term stampede and stampeding also comes from Raymond, who used it to describe the rodeo, and which is now widely used to refer to rodeo events.

The first Raymond Stampede consisted of saddle bronc riding and steer roping. Cowboys from nearby ranches came out to participate. For the bronc riding competition, the horses were blindfolded and snubbed and they were ridden until they stopped bucking.

This stampede was the first to rodeo to feature contest rules, entry fees and prize money. Today, Raymond Knight is called the Father of the Canadian Professional Rodeo.

With such a successful first Stampede, Raymond financed the construction of Canada’s first permanent rodeo grounds in 1903, which featured a single bucking chute, a covered grandstand and an oval track. These facilities are still used to this day, and are the oldest continuously used in rodeo history.

This year was actually the last time the rodeo would be held in its original location, after 120 years. The grounds were to be moved to make way for a new school in the community.

The Raymond Stampede is recognized now as the oldest professional rodeo in Canada, and it has been held every single year since 1902 except for 1917-1918 during the Spanish Flu, in 1937 due to severe drought, and in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As for Raymond Knight, he died in 1947 after 40 years of running the rodeo he helped to found.