Southwestern International Livestock Show and Rodeo

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Southwestern International Livestock Show and Rodeo in El Paso County. Now settle in, because this one goes back a good long ways. The story of livestock shows and rodeos in Texas, the marker will tell you, has a grand heritage.

It draws from the traditions of Hispanic vaqueros and the great Western cattle drives, and organized competitions in the state date from the 1880s. The first documented El Paso rodeo, though, didn't come until 1896. Then in 1902, the city hosted the Texas Livestock Association convention, and before long, local stock shows and rodeos were common enough that nobody was surprised to see one roll into town.

Now here's where the story starts to gather steam. April of 1929. The El Paso Commercial Club sponsored a Ranchmen's Reunion and Rodeo, and that event proved so popular they turned right around and held another one in September of the same year.

Word was getting out. The Optimists, the Kiwanis, and other civic groups began hosting their own competitions, and those competitions evolved into something called the Southwestern Baby Beef, Hog and Sheep Show. That name alone tells you something about the spirit of the thing.

By 1934, the El Paso Chamber of Commerce had stepped in as sponsor of the growing event, now billed as the Southwestern Livestock Show, and it brought in strong participation from 4-H clubs, the Future Farmers of America, and other groups. The rodeo side of things kept growing too. The El Paso Police Department and the Sheriff's Posse debuted their own sponsored rodeos in the late 1930s, and by 1940, all of this energy, all of these separate threads, had come together into a combined Southwestern Livestock Show and Rodeo.

The show had been held at various locations over the years, Washington Park among them, but when the El Paso County Coliseum opened in 1942, the event found its permanent home. Horse shows and parades were added as the festivities kept expanding, and in 1964, the whole grand celebration was renamed the Southwestern International Livestock Show and Rodeo. That name carries weight.

It marks the moment the event acknowledged just how far its reach had grown. And what it does, what it has always done, is provide support to young people and keep alive the ranching tradition of this region, that important link, as the marker puts it, between the state's rural and urban character. Some things are worth holding onto, and El Paso knew it from the start.

What the marker says

Livestock shows and rodeos have a grand heritage in Texas. Drawing from traditions of Hispanic vaqueros and Western cattle drives, organized competitions in the state date from the 1880s, with the first documented El Paso rodeo occurring in 1896. The city hosted the Texas Livestock Association convention in 1902, and within a few years local stock shows and rodeos were common. In April 1929, the El Paso Commercial Club sponsored a Ranchmen's Reunion and Rodeo, which proved so popular another event was held in September. The Optimists, Kiwanis and other civic groups began hosting competitions that evolved into the Southwestern Baby Beef, Hog and Sheep Show. In 1934, the El Paso Chamber of Commerce became the sponsor of the growing event, then billed as the Southwestern Livestock Show, which included strong participation from 4-H clubs, the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and other groups. Rodeos sponsored by the El Paso Police Department and Sheriff's Posse debuted in the late 1930s, with a combined Southwestern Livestock Show and Rodeo taking shape in 1940. After being held at various locations, including Washington Park, the show has made the El Paso County Coliseum its permanent home since the facility opened in 1942. New activities, including horse shows and parades, were added as the event grew, and in 1964 the expanded festivities were renamed the Southwestern International Livestock Show and Rodeo. This citywide celebration provides support to young people and continues to recall the ranching tradition of the region, and important link between the state's rural and urban character. (2005)