One place to experience Tooele County’s western heritage is the annual Bit and Spur Rodeo.
This year’s event, to be held July 3 and 4, will be the 69th consecutive rodeo put on by the volunteers of the county’s oldest riding club.
“We have one goal in mind and that is to preserve Tooele’s western heritage and the great sport of rodeo,” said Jim Harrell, who at 13 years is the longest running rodeo chairman for the Bit and Spur Club.
“We produce this rodeo for our community residents and their families, so we all have the opportunity to create or continue lasting traditions and memories,” he added.
The Bit and Spur Rodeo is not only one of Utah’s oldest rodeos, it is also one of the largest, according to Harrell.
An estimated 400 rodeo athletes will compete in eight traditional rodeo events. Saddle bronc, bareback bronc, and bull riding make up the rough stock events. Roping events will include tie down, break-away, and team roping, and then the other timed events are steer wrestling and women’s barrel racing.
The rodeo is sanctioned by the Rocky Mountain Professional Rodeo Association.
There will also be fierce competition among the little cowboys and cowgirls, who vie for three championship mutton bustin’ belt buckles, cash payouts and prizes.
“We’ve had mutton bustin’ at every rodeo I can remember, and its popularity continues to climb,” Harrell said. “Mutton bustin’ competition is a crowd favorite and provides a way to introduce young children to the adult rodeo.”
Funds from the rodeo go back into the Bit and Spur Riding Club to sustain its junior riding program. The club also contributes to various local charities throughout the year, according to Cindy Elton, past president of the club.
The Bit and Spur Riding Club dates back to 1945 and the dreams of a Tooele County sheriff.
Alma “Bish” White was serving as the sheriff of Tooele County during World War II. He held a meeting on May 16, 1945. The country was still embroiled in “the big one” that had covered the globe and stretched out for 16 years. Germany surrendered the week before, but Japan was still fighting. Under these conditions, White convened his meeting at the Tooele County Courthouse to organize a riding club.
“There weren’t a lot of cars in Tooele and people didn’t have much to do for entertainment locally,” said Bev White, Alma’s daughter-in-law. “So he came up with this idea of organizing a riding club.”
In July 1945, just two months after the riding club was organized, it held its first rodeo at Legion Park in Settlement Canyon.
A second “spontaneous” rodeo was held in August 1945 on Victory Over Japan Day, to celebrate the end of the war, according to a history of the Bit and Spur Club written by Ida White.
The club has held a rodeo on every Fourth of July since 1945.
The Bit and Spur Rodeo will be held July 3 and 4 at the Deseret Peak Complex. It starts at 8 p.m. Advance tickets, $8 for adults and $5 for youth ages 6 through 12, may be purchased with a credit card online at BitandSpurRidingClub.com or at Macey’s Food and Drug store in Tooele. Tickets at the gate are $10 for adults and $5 for youth.
Editor’s Note: Thursday’s sports section will feature the Bit and Spur Rodeo’s competitors and events.