Bill Pickett

Bill Pickett Biography, outstanding black cowboy bulldogger.

Describes the life and accomplishments of the son of a former slave whose unusual bulldogging style made him a rodeo star.

"Explores the life of Bill Pickett, the African-American cowboy who invented bulldogging, from his childhood in Texas to his life as a working cowboy to his career as a rodeo star"--Provided by publisher.

A biography of the black Texan who introduced bulldogging to rodeos.

Bill Picket was the first African American inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs. A superstar in his day, Pickett was a rodeo pioneer, credited with inventing the rodeo event, steer wrestling, also known as "bull dogging." His life story is as exciting and danger filled as any Western novel. A star on the Wild West show circuit, Pickett traveled the world and performed in front of thousands of spectators. His daring and deeds have put him in the record books and made him one of the most celebrated cowboys in Western lore. In his entertaining storytelling style, educator Malcolm Dickinson recounts how the inventor of "bull dogging" got his start and became a hero for generations.

Reverend George D. Johnson’s Profiles in Hue is one of the most exhaustive works on the history of black America. But what makes Johnson’s work stand apart from other works is that he does not limit himself to the history of blacks, but includes a discussion on other racial groups, such as the Japanese internment during WWII and Native Americans that have suffered mistreatment. Johnson says, “I never really liked the term “Black History because of its narrowness. Longevity has taught me to believe there is only one Universal race and that’s the human race, comprised of many shades of colors, coming from a single source of LIGHT. And upon that belief I could not limit my research to just the history of blacks who have contributed to making the multi-color quilt that covers this great country of ours known as the United States of America [in which] the title of this book: Profiles in Hue” emerged. Johnson’s exhaustive seminal work provides us with a more exhaustive piece on politics and religion, arts and sciences, labor and industry, law, education, sports and entertainment, among other fields. Another purpose of Johnson’s treatise is to acquaint young minds with the “hardships, defeats, and victories of those who came before them.” By doing so, these young minds can pick up the intellectual torch and keep hope alive. Johnson says, “It’s essential that we must always try to keep alive the memories” of those who came before us.

Almost a century before their arrival in the English New World, Blacks appeared alongside the Spanish in what is now the American West. Through their families, communities, and institutions, these Western Blacks left behind a long history, which is just now beginning to receive systematic scholarly treatment. Comprehensively indexing a variety of research materials on Blacks in the North American West, Junne offers an invaluable navigational tool for students of American and African-American history. Entries are organized both geographically and topically, and cover a broad range of subjects including cross-cultural interaction, health, art, and law. Contains a complete compilation of African-American newspapers.

The word cowboy conjures up vivid images of rugged men on saddled horses—men lassoing cattle, riding bulls, or brandishing guns in a shoot-out. White men, as Hollywood remembers them. What is woefully missing from these scenes is their counterparts: the black cowboys who made up one-fourth of the wranglers and rodeo riders. This book tells their story. When the Civil War ended, black men left the Old South in large numbers to seek a living in the Old West—industrious men resolved to carve out a life for themselves on the wild, roaming plains. Some had experience working cattle from their time as slaves; others simply sought a freedom they had never known before. The lucky travelled on horseback; the rest, by foot. Over dirt roads they went from Alabama and South Carolina to present-day Texas and California up north through Kansas to Montana. The Old West was a land of opportunity for these adventurous wranglers and future rodeo champions. A long overdue testament to the courage and skill of black cowboys, Black Cowboys of the Old West finally gives these courageous men their rightful place in history. Praise for an earlier book by the same author: “Whether you are a history enthusiast or a lover of adventure stories, African American Women of the Old West presents the reader with fascinating accounts of ten extraordinary, generally unrecognized, African Americans. Tricia Martineau Wagner takes these remarkable women from the footnotes of history and brings them to life.” —Ed Diaz, President of the Association for African American Historical Research and Preservation