And They’re Off! High River’s History with Chuckwagons
“There’s the horn and the charge is underway!” -Les Macintyre
If you take a drive past the High River rodeo grounds this week, you’ll notice the field filling up with horse trailers, trucks and tents of all sizes. Drivers and their teams are busy preparing everything from their bits, bridles and blinkers to their halters, hames and harnesses.
With the dust just beginning to settle from the Calgary Stampede, the horses are ready to kick up the dust here in High River for our own chuckwagon races: The Battle of the Foothills.
The history of chuckwagons and the history of High River are as intertwined as the lines between the horses and a driver’s hands. Guy Weadick, co-founder of the Calgary Stampede, was tasked in 1923 with bringing in more of an audience to the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. His time touring the United States in various rodeo circuits had exposed him to some earlier versions of the chuckwagon race, which was a much more casual event than the spectacle we know today.
These races were born from ranching outfits wanting to prove whose horses would pull their chuckwagon across the range the fastest. This was chuckwagon racing in its most organic form, with working ranch horses pulling wagons that were fully equipped for range work.
Guy did a call out to ranchers all around the Calgary area to participate in a much more official and competitive event – and hosted the very first Rangeland Derby, known at the time as the Cowboy’s Chuckwagon Race.
The event was a hit, drawing praise from spectators and participants alike. The rules and regulations were few and it proved to be a work in progress as the teams and organizers would meet in the barns every evening to make necessary adjustments. One early rule that was implemented after an accident on the track involving the winning wagon was that outriders were to never interfere or “help” their wagon or it’s horses during the race.
As with any successful annual event, the chuckwagon racing is an ever-evolving work in progress and everyone involved from drivers to event organizers to veterinarians have played an important role in growing it to what it is today.
If you are wondering who the winning outfit was that inaugural year, look no further than High River’s first mayor, Dan Riley, whose Mosquito Creek outfit won the most races resulting in the coveted prize of a Calgary Stampede Stetson cowboy hat. This was just the beginning of a long run of High River participants in the grown-in Alberta sport, with names like Glass, Nelson and Willard making their mark as champions.
In 1946, the High River Ag Society built their new rodeo grounds in the southwest of High River, and a new racetrack and infield made way for hosting chuckwagon races. For the first few years, High River only raced three wagons per heat with no outriders due to space constraints.
When the new rodeo grounds were constructed in the northwest in 1965 the track was big enough to hold races that were on par with the Rangeland Derby. This would come in handy 14 years later when a dispute between the Stampede and the CRCA (later called the CPRA) caused many chuckwagon outfits to boycott the big event.
The High River Ag Society threw their hats in the track and offered to host an alternative 10-day race that summer, dubbing the event the Battle of the Giants. It gave the outfits a place to race, and it solidified High River’s identity as a community rooted in chuckwagon racing.
When the chuckwagons returned to the Stampede in 1982, High River continued to host their own races, working with the Stampede to coordinate scheduling and becoming a part of the WPGA circuit. It has been a substantial annual event in High River, running every year except for 2013 – the year of the floods.
The past century has proven that the passion for wagon racing runs in the family. As chuckwagon racing grew in popularity, generations of families grew with it.
The Glass family, for example (some would say THE example), has championships spanning across four generations starting with Tom Lauder who won the second Rangeland Derby in 1924. His son Ronnie, grandson Tom and great-grandson Jason all followed suit, picking up the reigns to win multiple championships and titles over the years. Jason, who will be competing in this weekend’s races, is a four-time World Champion Chuckwagon Driver and has won the Rangeland Derby twice. Across the circuit, the crowd gets loud for the Glass family’s signature checkered wagon but nowhere gets as loud as the High River stands as they cheer their hometown driver across the finish line.
Along with the sport, chuckwagon terminology has evolved over the years. The term outfit, once referring to the crew of ranchers moving cattle across the range, is now used to describe not only the team of drivers, outriders and horses, but the company who sponsors them, with the tarp of the wagon proudly displaying their logo.
In High River, this is a fantastic opportunity for local business to partner up with the historic sport, even further engraining its importance in the identity of the town. Local construction company Shawne Excavating has sponsored local chuckwagon racer Jordie Fike, another fourth-generation driver, since 2014. This weekend will be no different as Jordie will be running the Shawne wagon for the 11th year in a row. Locals will be cheering loud for this local outfit in typical High River style – rain or shine.
As the weekend approaches and folks begin to pour into town to cheer on their favourite outfits, the spirit of Guy Weadick, who was laid to rest in the High River cemetery alongside his wonderful wife Flores LaDue, will fill the stands as his vision of this historic event lives on. That spirit will be felt at its strongest every time the wagons come around the last bend and the thunderous sound of hooves on the track and boots on the bleachers erupts across the town of High River and into the foothills of Alberta.
It is a sound that carries the wagons down the homestretch, across the finish line to victory and into the next chapter of western Canadian history.
Written by Hayley Kerr-Watson
In stride with the chuckwagons and Stampede spirit, a free community pancake breakfast will be held in George Lane Park on Saturday. Be sure to jump in the history wagon with museum summer student Lauren as she shares some interesting historical chuckwagon stories. It will be sure to get you in the mood for the Battle of the Foothills!