By Caroline Clemmons
This is still Black History month, and a western figure
who comes to mind is the famed inventor of the sport of bull-dogging—Bill
Pickett.
In 1890, Pickett married Maggie Turner, a
former slave and daughter of a white southern plantation owner. The couple had
nine children.
He invented the technique of bull-dogging,
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. Bill Pickett practiced his stunt by riding hard, springing from his horse, and
wrestling the steer to the ground. Pickett's famous method for bull-dogging was
biting a cow on the lip and then falling backward. He also helped other cowboys
with bull-dogging. As you can imagine, his method eventually lost popularity
as the sport grew into the steer wrestling that is practiced in
rodeos today.
Bill Pickett biting steer on the lip
Bill Pickett soon became known for his tricks and stunts at local country fairs. With his four brothers, he established The Pickett Brothers Bronco Busters and Rough Riders Association. The name Bill Pickett soon became synonymous with successful rodeos. He did his bulldogging act, traveling about in Texas, Arizona, Wyoming, and Oklahoma.In 1905, Pickett joined the 101 Ranch Wild
West Show that featured others like Buffalo Bill, Will Rogers, and Tom
Mix. He performed under the name "The Dusky Demon." Unfortunately, he
was a victim of the times. Bill Pickett's ethnicity resulted in his not being
able to appear at many rodeos, so he often was forced to claim that he was of
Comanche heritage in order to perform.
Bill Pickett was soon a popular performer
who toured around the world and appeared in early motion pictures. In
1921, he appeared in the films The
Bull-Dogger and The Crimson Skull.
In 1932, after having retired from Wild
West shows, Bill Pickett was kicked in the head by a bronco. After a multi-day
coma, he died on April 2, 1932.He was buried on the 101 Ranch on Monument Hill,
less than a quarter of a mile to the northeast of Marland, Oklahoma.
His fame has lasted long after his death:
In
1971, Pickett was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame of the National
Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
In 1989, Pickett was inducted into the
ProRodeo Hall of Fame.
In 1987, a statue of Pickett performing his
signature bull dogging maneuver, made by artist Lisa Perry, was presented to
the city of Fort Worth, Texas. The statue is installed in the Fort Worth
Stockyards Historic District.
In 2003, Bill Pickett was inducted into the
National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame’
The United States Postal Service chose
to include Bill Pickett in the Legends of the West commemorative sheet unveiled
in December 1993. One month later, the Pickett family informed the Postal
Service that the likeness was incorrect. Its source material was a
misidentified photograph of Bill Pickett's brother and fellow cowboy star, Ben
Pickett. In October 1994, the USPS released corrected stamps based on the
poster for The Bull-Dogger.
In March 2015, the Taylor City Council
announced that a street that leads to the rodeo arena will be renamed to honor
Bill Pickett.
On June 2, 2017 a new statue of Bill
Pickett was unveiled in his hometown of Taylor, Texas. It is prominently
displayed at the intersection of 2nd and Main Streets in the downtown.]
On August 6, 2018, Bill Pickett was
inducted into the Jim Thorpe Association's Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
In They
Die by Dawn (2013), Bill Pickett is portrayed by Bokeem Woodbine. In
the 2021 film The Harder They Fall,
his role was played by actor Edi Gathegi.
Pickett is referenced in season 4 episode 5
of Baywatch.
A You Tube video tribute to Bill Pickett is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1gvSEEXXk8
