could rope the quickest calf or ride the wildest horse became common practice everyday for them. Roping and riding contests were often in the nearest available corral or pasture. These playdays among ranch hands turned into today’s sport of professional rodeo.
There are rodeo history legends who have lived and are still living in the southeastern area of Oklahoma where I come from. The legends are Freckles Brown, Lane Frost, Todd Whatley, Lige Hammock, and Ernie Taylor. Freckles Brown started rodeoing in 1937 when he was 16 years old and didn’t quit until 37 years later when he was 53. Freckles went to the National Finals eight times between 1959 and 1969 and won the world in Bull Riding in 1962 at the age of 42. He died March 20, 1987 at his ranch in Soper, Oklahoma. His funeral was held at the Agri-plex Center in Hugo, Oklahoma.
Lane Frost gave much of his bull riding success to Freckles Brown. His family moved to Lane, Oklahoma in 1977 where he learned to ride from his father and from Freckles. He ranked the sixteenth cowboy his first year and top fifteenth every year after. The year Freckles lost his life was the year Lane Frost became the World Champion bull rider at age 24. A short two years later, he lost his life after completing a ride on a tough bull named Taken Care of Business in 1989.
Todd Whatley was born in 1920. He became the first All-Around Cowboy named in the RCA and made his home at the T-4 Ranch in Hugo. 1947 was the year the Steer Wresting Championship was won and later in 1953 he won the Bull Riding Title. He died in 1966.
Lige Hammock (which is my great papa was an RCA rodeo cowboy, the first RCA cowboy to receive the Gold Card Lifetime paid-up membership. Lige was 35 when he entered in RCA. He was Beutler and Sons number one pickup man. His contribution to rodeo was steer wrestling, for which he still holds records in many places. It won him the honor of having his name placed alongside that of the great cowboy, his great friend, Todd Whatley, in the naming of the Hugo rodeo arena. My great papa passed away in 1964.
The final resting place for these Rodeo History Legends is at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Hugo, Oklahoma. Lane Frost was buried next to his hero and mentor, Freckles Brown.
Ernie Taylor is our living legend of rodeo from Hugo. He became the World Champion Calf Roper in 1973. This cowboy has rodeoed for years and is still at it.
Legends in this home town of Hugo is part of my rodeo history experience.