BILL PICKETT
Bill Pickett was born the second of thirteen children, on December 5, 1870 in Williamson County, Texas, to former slaves, Thomas Jefferson and Mary Elizabeth Pickett. After completing the fifth grade, Pickett was hired as a ranch hand, where he developed his skills in riding and roping. In 1890, he married Maggie Turner and later fathered nine children.
In the west, shortly after the Civil War, a new kind of hero began to dominate the American scene; Cowboy's emerged. They were gutty and tough, and among them was Bill Pickett. He was one of the best. There was not a four-legged beast alive he would not take on. He attained national and international fame as a rodeo performer, and is credited with originating the rodeo sport called "bulldogging." He earned special billing and the professional nickname "Dusky Demon" for his daring bulldogging techniques. Bulldogging was a term given to the act of roping and wrestling steers to the ground. Pickett personalized the sport with exact timing, coupled with guts and power. One reporter is quoted as saying; Pickett was "a man who outdoes the fiercest dog in utter brutality."
The sport of wrestling steers or bulls down by hand goes back to the Roman era. However, Bill Pickett, standing five feet seven inches tall and weighing only 145 pounds, with powerful shoulders and arms, was widely known for his special "bulldogging" skill which he used to compensate for his stature. He would actually sink his teeth into the rebellious animal's nose or upper lip to render it docile and throwable. It is said that Pickett acquired his technique from once witnessing a bulldog "hold" a ranch steer.
In 1907, Pickett contracted with Zack Miller, owner of the famous 101 Ranch and Wild West Show, headquartered in Oklahoma. The 101 Ranch encompassed a hundred thousand acres and employed about 200 cowboys. Miller boasted that he had the best collection of riders and wranglers in the west. Such notables as Will Rogers and Tom Mix got their start at the 101. In a short time, Pickett became the star performer and principal attraction. For over a decade, he performed his daring stunts in the United States, Canada, Argentina, England, and Mexico. Only he was bold and powerful enough to tackle a steer, or any other beast, without a lariat.
At a Mexican rodeo, in 1908, Pickett experienced a grueling encounter, which almost cost him his life. Zack Miller announced to a crowd of 25,000 Mexicans that Pickett would bulldog a fighting bull. To demonstrate his confidence in Pickett's ability, Miller wagered in excess of $5,000. Pickett accepted the challenge and the match was on. He was tossed about like a rag doll, but Pickett hung on for dear life. The crowd became hostile and began to bombard him with bottles and stones. They took this as an "insult" to their national sport. Although Pickett and his horse (Spradley) were severely hurt, Miller won his bet. Shortly after 1916, Bill Pickett retired from the rodeo arena and later bought a 160-acre ranch. In 1931, the 101 Ranch was in serious financial difficulties and he returned to lend a hand to his old boss.
One morning while roping horses, Pickett was kicked by a stallion, and died eleven days later of a fractured skull on April 2, 1932. He was buried at the White Eagle Monument, in Maryland, Oklahoma, and a marker was erected by the Cherokee Strip Cowboy Association. Zack Miller declared that Bill Pickett was the "greatest sweat-and-dirt cowhand that ever lived; bar none." In 1971, the legendary "Dusky Demon" became the first black cowboy to be admitted to the National Rodeo Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.