It’s rodeo time in Tucson!  

In 1925, Frederick Kramer, president of the Arizona Polo Association, created The Tucson Rodeo, known as La Fiesta de los Vaqueros. The event gave visitors a taste of cowboy range work and glamorized Tucson’s Wild West background. It also gave cowboys a chance to win some cash! The first rodeo featured four events—steer wrestling, steer tying, calf roping, and saddle bronc riding. The purse was $6,650. 

The first Tucson Rodeo was held at Kramer Field, now a neighborhood called Catalina Vista, near the U of A. 

Advertising posters are an important part of any event, and Tucson rodeo posters have certainly been an important part of this tradition.  Over the years there have been some spectacular posters inviting folks to come to the rodeo. The tradition continues today. The folks who run the rodeo are still producing some great artwork.  

So, pull on your cowboy boots, dust off your western hat, and get on down to the rodeo, and don’t forget to check out this years poster while you’re there!

Carol Fenn 2-2018