Cowboy (1870-1932)
William Pickett was a legendary cowboy from Taylor, Texas of Black and Indian descent. He was born December 5, 1870, in the Jenks-Branch community on the Travis County line. He died April 2, 1932, near Ponca City, Oklahoma. From 1905 to 1931, the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show was one of the great shows in the tradition begun by William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody in 1883.
The 101 Ranch Show introduced bulldogging (steer wrestling), and exciting rodeo event invented by Bill Pickett, one of the show's stars. Riding his horse, "Spradley," Pickett came alongside a Longhorn steer, dropped to the steer's head, twisted its head toward the sky, and bit its upper lip to get full control. Cowdogs of the Bulldog breed were known to bite the lips of cattle to subdue them. That's how Pickett's technique got the name "bulldogging."
As the event became more popular among rodeo cowboys, the lip biting became increasingly less popular until it disappeared from steer wrestling altogether. Bill Pickett, however, became an immortal rodeo cowboy, and his fame has grown since his death. He died in 1932, at the age of 70, as a result of injuries received from working horses at the 101 Ranch. His grave is on what is left of the 101 Ranch property near Ponca City, Oklahoma. Pickett was inducted into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1972 for his contribution to the sport. Bill Pickett was the second of thirteen children born to Thomas Jefferson and Mary Virginia Elizabeth (Gilbert) Pickett, both of whom were former slaves.
He began his career as a cowboy after completing the fifth grade. Bill soon began giving exhibitions of his roping, riding and bulldogging skills, passing a hat for donations. By 1888, his family had moved to Taylor, Texas, and Bill performed in the town's first fair that year. He and his brothers started a horse-breaking business in Taylor, and Bill was a member of the national guard and a deacon of the Baptist church. In December 1890, Bill married Maggie Turner. Known by the nicknames "The Dusky Demon" and "the Bull-Dogger," Pickett gave exhibitions in Texas and throughout the West.
His performance in 1904 at the Cheyenne Frontier Days (America's best-known rodeo) was considered extraordinary and spectacular. He signed on with the 101 Ranch show in 1905, becoming a full-time ranch employee in 1907. The next year, he moved his wife and children to Oklahoma. He later performed in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South America, and England, and became the first black cowboy movie star. Had he not been banned from competing with white rodeo contestants, Pickett might have become one of the greatest record-setters in the sport.
He was often identified as an Indian, or some other ethnic background other than Black, to be allowed to compete. Bill Pickett died April 2, 1932, after being kicked in the head by a horse, famed humorist Will Rogers announced at the funeral of his friend on his radio show. In 1989, years after being honored by the National Rodeo Hall of Fame, Pickett was inducted into the Pro-Rodeo Hall of Fame Museum of the American Cowboy at Colorado Springs, Colorado. A 1994 U.S. postage stamp meant to honor Pickett accidentally showed one of his brothers.
Revised: July 18, 2013.
