Ponca City in Kay County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)
Bill Pickett
1870-1932
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2024
1. Bill Pickett Marker
First Exhibition 1888
101 Ranch Cowboy
Wild West Show Performer
1905-1932
Inducted
1971 Nat. Cowboy Hall of Fame
1989 Nat. Pro Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame
1992 Black Am. West Museum Walk of Fame
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Animals • Entertainment • Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1870.
Location. 36° 42.224′ N, 97° 4.88′ W. Marker is in Ponca City, Oklahoma, in Kay County. It is at the intersection of North 3rd Street and Grand Avenue East (Business U.S. 60), on the right when traveling south on North 3rd Street. The marker is located beside the sidewalk at the northwest corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 223 Grand Avenue East, Ponca City OK 74601, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South, specifically on the prairies, and on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and Cherokee Outlet.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Miller Brothers (here, next to this marker); William H. McFadden (a few steps from this marker); E. W. Marland (a few steps from this marker); Barnes Store (a few steps from this marker); Ponca Indians (within shouting distance of this marker); Frances Smith Catron (within shouting
this page online
Also see . . .
1. Bill Pickett (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: Willie M. Pickett was an African American cowboy, rodeo performer, and actor. Pickett left school in the fifth grade to become a ranch hand; he soon began to ride horses and watch the Texas Longhorn steers of his native Texas. He invented the technique of bulldogging, the skill of grabbing cattle by the horns and wrestling them to the ground. It was known among cattlemen that, with the help of a trained bulldog, a stray steer could be caught. Bill Pickett had seen this happen on many occasions. He also thought that if a bulldog could do this feat, so could he. Pickett practiced his stunt by riding hard, springing from his horse, and wrestling the steer to the ground. Pickett's method for bulldogging was biting a cow on the lip and then falling backward. This method eventually lost popularity as the sport morphed into the steer wrestling that is practiced in rodeos.(Submitted on December 27, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Marker detail: Bill Pickett
2. William Pickett (Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History).
(by Dianna Everett) Excerpt: Bill Pickett entered his first rodeo in 1888 at the fair in Taylor [Texas]. By the early 1900s he was a popular rodeo performer. In 1905 he joined the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show. Billed as the "Dusky Deamon" [sic] he performed with that outfit for more than a quarter-century. In 1907 he moved his family from Texas to the 101 Ranch, near Ponca City, and in the off seasons he worked as a cowboy and also competed against white contestants in hundreds of rodeos around the West. In order to enter these events, Pickett was often identified as being an Indian, not an African American.(Submitted on December 27, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Meet Bill Pickett, The Fearless Black Cowboy Who Invented The Sport Of Cattle Wrestling.
(By Kaleena Fraga & Leah Silverman) Excerpt: In 1971, Pickett became the first Black rodeo athlete voted into the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museums Rodeo Hall of Fame. And in 1994, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp of Pickett as part of their Legends of the West series. In more recent years, Pickett has been inducted into Fort Worths(Submitted on December 27, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum, honored with statues in Fort Worth and Taylor, and inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. He was even depicted in the 2021 Black Western The Harder They Fall.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 20243. Bill Pickett MarkerLooking south across Grand Avenue East; the marker is located in the concrete planter box beside the sidewalk.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 27, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 244 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 27, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
