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Sponsored by the Canadian Legion #167 By Phyllis and Henry Catt The first Stampede was held in June of 1947 in the Lumby Community Park. About twenty or more Legion members were busy every weekend and in the evenings of the week days . All the post holes were dug by hand in those days. They put up a 10 or 12 foot heavy page wire fence around the inside of the racetrack. Corrals to hold the cattle and horses were built at the north end of this enclosure for the events. Henry "Kit" Carson from the Kit Carson Guest Ranch, north of Lumby,arranged all the Rodeo events. The second Stampede was held June 7, 1948. There was a parade at 1:00 p.m. led by the Girls Pipe Band. Parade prizes totalled $40.00. These were for best decorated car - float $5.00 each, best dressed cowboy and cowgirl $7.00 each, best decorated boys and girls bicycle $2.50 each, and two second prizes of $1.50 each for some groups. Also a boy and girl comedy prize of $2.50 and $1.50 for each. One of the highlights of this parade was the Clown, Albert Hankey,riding a Bronc backwards, sitting in a wash tub with water in it. This tub was attached to a pack saddle on the bronc. Albert was an experienced rider. He was the B.C. Champion Bareback rider in 1936, 37 and 38. The events of the day were the Tug-O-War with the Bell Lumber Co. vs Lumby Timber Co., stake race, wild cow milking, boy steer riding (14 years and under), calf roping, free for all, bare back bronc riding, slow horse race, steer riding, relay race, bronc riding with saddle, boys pony race (14 years and under), wild horse race. The events ended at 5 p.m. with the chuck wagons race. The third Stampede was held on June 6,1949 with the parade being led by the MacIntosh Girls Pipe band. Events were bronc riding, bareback bronc, wild cow milking, calf roping, steer riding, boys steer riding, cutting horse competition, chuck wagon race, boys pony race and open race. We have no records of the fourth Stampede from 1950. I believe the events were similar to 1949. The stampede was run by C.P.A. rules. The cowboys prize money was raised which meant when the Community Club joined the Legion to make a joint event and the profits were split, it was not a money maker for either the Legion or the Community Club. This was the last year of the Lumby Stampedes. The fence which had been left standing over the years was taken down. |