Pecos's 1883 Rodeo Ribbons Came From a Child's Dress

On July 4, 1883, settlers gathered for a picnic one block south of the Pecos courthouse. Cowboys from three cattle outfits had each claimed their steer ropers were faster, so the argument became a public contest.

The prizes were not trophies. Blue ribbons were cut with a pocketknife from the new dress of a four-year-old girl in the crowd. Morg Livingston finished ahead of the other ropers, with Trav Windham second. The marker names more than a dozen contestants, almost like a local roll call.

That small detail does more work than a grand title. The scene is specific: a holiday crowd, ranch hands settling a working-country argument, and a child's dress turned into prizes. Nothing about it needed a grandstand or a traveling show. The crowd and cattle outfits were already there.

The historical marker now stands at the entrance to Buck Jackson Rodeo Arena near US 285 and Walthall Street. The original contest happened closer to the courthouse, but the blue ribbons carry that Independence Day scene across town.