Episode 72 - "Bulldogging" Bill Pickett: Cowboy, Wild West Show Performer & Movie Star
Jennie and Dianne visit the gravesite of Bill Pickett a black man who was born just after the American Civil War. He spent his early life working as a ranch hand, but in his adult life he performed in wild west shows around the world! He wowed audiences with his steer wrestling skills and later became Hollywood's first black cowboy hero. This ordinary extraordinary man would be the first black cowboy to be inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
Resources used to research this episode include:
Adams, Cher. "The growing movement to save Black cemeteries ." https://www.nbcnews.com/. 10 Feb. 2022. www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/growing-movement-black-cemeteries-rcna15566. Accessed 20 Feb. 2022.
Mundis, Jerrold J. "He Took The Bull By The Horns ." https://www.americanheritage.com/. 1 Dec. 1967. www.americanheritage.com/he-took-bull-horns#5. Accessed 20 Feb. 2022.
"Bill Pickett Biography." https://m.imdb.com/. m.imdb.com/name/nm0681873/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm. Accessed 20 Feb. 2022.
Encyclopedia Britannica, Editors Of . "Bill Pickett American cowboy ." https://www.britannica.com/. www.britannica.com/biography/Bill-Pickett. Accessed 20 Feb. 2022.
Alexander, Kathy. "William “Bill” Pickett – Texas Bull-Dogger ." https://www.legendsofamerica.com/. 1 Jan. 2022. www.legendsofamerica.com/bill-pickett/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2022.
Everett, Dianna. "PICKETT, WILLIAM (ca. 1870–1932)." https://www.okhistory.org/. www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=PI003. Accessed 20 Feb. 2022.
"BILL PICKETT ." https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/. nationalcowboymuseum.org/rodeo-hall-of-fame/5074/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2022.
Cartwright, Keith Ryan. Black Cowboys of Rodeo Unsung Heroes from Harlem to Hollywood and the American West. Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press, 2024, pp. 5-12.