With over 800 rodeos in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association the Snake River Stampede is one of the few rodeos that has been around for 100 years. To celebrate a 100 years we will honor the history of The Wildest Fastest Show on Earth.

The Snake River Stampede first started out in conjunction with the Nampa Harvest Festival in 1915. It wasn't originally called the Snake River Stampede, starting out as The Bucking Contest in a small arena that was roped off where the now Nampa Post Office stands today.

After gaining more and more popularity, The Bucking Contest added more events such as calf roping and bull dogging also known as steer wresting. The 1920's was a great decade for The Bucking Contest, changing its name to "The Bucking Show" in 1923. This became the main event for the Harvest Festival.

During the 1930's another change occurred when Ed Moody stopped furnishing the stock for The Bucking Show in 1937. This was not the only thing that had effect on the Show. The Rodeo became a national event and broke away from the Festival and moved its dates to the middle of July. After joining the Rodeo Cowboys Association, the rodeo became a Professional rodeo and changed its name to the Snake River Stampede with help from rodeo director Ike Corlett. The name change was not the end of changes for the Stampede. The rodeo switched from an afternoon performance to a night performance by adding lights to the rodeo arena. This also brought Professional rodeo stock contractor, Leo Cramer of Montana. He brought his stock to Nampa by train.

With 1937 being such a big year for the rodeo the excitement was not over yet. President Franklin Roosevelt pressed the golden telegraph key at 8 p.m. Nampa time and the Stampede was under way.

During 1950, a new stadium was built that would hold about 10,000 people. Because the Stampede was becoming such a big a event, Gene Autry would be the first of many stars that would attend the rodeo. Many listened from outside to hear him sing because it was too packed to get in.  Others who followed him included Roy Rogers & Dale Evans, Rex Allen, and the Sons of the Pioneers.

The 1970's and 1980's would bring a ton of other stars and new rodeo events to the Stampede. Because country music is such a big part of the rodeo scene, Reba McEntire, Glen Campbell and Barbara Mandrell attended the famous rodeo. Since McEntire was a former barrel racer, the Stampede exchanged the western singing stars for more rodeo events. The Stampede added team roping, ladies barrel racing and bull-fighting event to the lineup.

The Stampede was not done adding events to the schedule. In the 1990's mutton busting, a kids event, was added and the Miss Rodeo Idaho Contest was held during Stampede week.

The 1990's was also another big decade for the Stampede. In 1997 the Stampede would have a new home inside the Ford Idaho Center and the old green arena would be retired after their last performance in 1996. The way the Idaho Center is built gives every spectator to the rodeo the best view of The Wildest Fastest Show on Earth.

The big changes to the rodeo have made it one of the top rodeos in the world. Each year this rodeo brings top cowboys and cowgirls from all over the country to compete for one of the largest piles of prize money. Some well known cowboys the Stampede brings each year are Trevor Brazile (20 Time World Champion) and Tuf Cooper (3 Time World Champion Tie Down Roper).

Come out to the Snake River Stampede this week and help them celebrate 100 years of history. For tickets go to www.ictickets.com.

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