104 Years and Still Running |
The Ski Hi Stampede and What It Means to Monte Vista |
 |
In the summer of 1919, a group of Monte Vista residents decided to put on a rodeo. The San Luis Valley had ranches, working cowboys, competitive stock, and a community that understood the rhythms of ranch life better than almost anywhere in Colorado.
The first Ski Hi Stampede ran August 11–13, 1919. More than 10,000 people showed up to watch in a town that didn't have 10,000 residents. That ratio — massive crowd, intimate community — has defined the Stampede ever since.
One hundred and four years later, the Stampede returns to Monte Vista this week, July 9–12, as Colorado's oldest professional rodeo. It is a PRCA-sanctioned event run entirely by a volunteer organization of more than 200 people.
No one on the organizing committee draws a salary. The arena gets built, the animals get hauled in, the cowboys get registered, and the whole production runs because Monte Vista residents decide every year that it's worth doing. That's not a small thing.
What's on the schedule this year: Thursday evening brings a concert with Chace Rice and Joe Nichols to open the run. Friday and Saturday mornings both feature a parade through downtown Monte Vista. The carnival runs all four days.
Afternoon amateur rodeo events give local riders a chance to compete, and evening PRCA performances — bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc, tie-down roping, barrel racing, and bull riding — bring in professional cowboys competing for points and prize money on the national circuit.
Post-rodeo dances follow Friday and Saturday nights. Sunday wraps up with a Christian Cowboy Service in the morning and the championship rodeo in the afternoon.
The Ski Hi Stampede has outlasted boom cycles, drought years, world wars — two editions were canceled during WWII — and every change the Valley has been through since 1919.
Monte Vista is a town of fewer than 5,000 people. Every July, 10,000 people show up to watch cowboys ride. That's been true for over a century, and it doesn't show any signs of stopping.
🎟️ Tickets and schedule at skihistampede.com → |