1982
Ray Knight - Contestant/Builder
Inducted - November 10, 1982
Oscar Raymond Knight
Oscar Raymond Knight was born April 8, 1872 on a ranch west of Payson Utah where he was raised until he moved to Raymond, Alberta as a young man. During his lifetime Ray managed ranches such as the Knight Sugar Co. and Ranch - 400,000 sprawling acres of land with more than 40,000 head of stock.
Ray was a breeder of fine heavy horses and mules. He often supplied stock for the Calgary Stampede and acted as bucking stock manager.
In 1902 all ranchers in the area were invited to send a team of bronc riders to Raymond to compete for top honors and celebrate the First of July. As Ray and his riders trailed the wild horses to town, Ray said, "If these horses should get scared and stampede ... Stampede?! That’s what we'll call our celebration! The Raymond Stampede.
This was the first rodeo in Canada. There was no prize money, strictly a competition between the ranches and their cowboys.
Ray became an outstanding rodeo cowboy himself. He introduced Calf Roping to the stampedes and rodeos in North America. Ray Knight's championships include winning the North American Calf Roping at the Calgary Stampede in 1917, 1918 and 1919. He was awarded the Tom Campbell Trophy at Calgary in 1924, and the Prince of Wales Trophy, one of his most coveted prizes. Ray once judged at the big rodeo in Madison Square Gardens in New York City.
Ray Knight was a very busy man, managing huge ranches and thousands of head of stock, yet he always found the time to remain interested in community affairs and sports. He put on many stampedes to raise money for churches and charity organizations.
Ray lived in Raymond all of his adult life, and died there on February 7, 1947 at the age of 74.
Herman Linder - Contestant
Inducted- November 10, 1982
Herman Linder
Herman Linder was born in Wisconsin in 1910. When he was but ten years old, the family moved to the Canadian West. Herman and his wife, Agnes resided at the family ranch in Cardston, Alberta.
Herman's debut in the rodeo infield was in 1924 at Cardston, splitting first and second in the Saddle Bronc event with Tom Wiles. In his first year at the Calgary Stampede, 1929, he won the Canadian Saddle Bronc Riding Championship.
Herman's career took him throughout North America, England and Australia. Before retiring from the rodeo circuit in the early 1940's, he had won an unprecedented 22 championships, including 12 All Around titles at the Calgary Stampede. Herman had participated in Boy's Steer Riding, Saddle and Bareback Bronc Riding, Brahma Bull Riding, Steer Riding, Calf Roping and Steer Decorating.
Herman Linder was a founding member of the Cowboy Turtle Association, the first formal organization of professional rodeo cowboys.
After Herman had hung up his rigging and was not going down the road on a regular basis, he turned to producing rodeos across Canada. Herman stated one of his greatest moments was when he was presented a plaque by the people of Fort MacLeod in appreciation of his services to rodeo.
Herman's contributions to rodeo and ranching have been recognized by many honors and awards, including:
- Past president, Canadian Stampede Managers Association
- Member, Calgary Horseman's Hall of Fame
- He and family chosen Master Farm Family of Alberta, 1971
- Elected to the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma city, 1981
Carl Olson - Contestant
Inducted - November 10, 1982
Carl Olson
Carl was born in 1914 in the Wood Mountain district of southern Saskatchewan, where he lived as a boy near the village of Fir Mountain. His mother died when Carl was a young fellow, leaving his three sisters, his father and him to cope with life's problems without her help. During the Great Depression of the "Hungry Thirties", Carl worked for ranchers in the area, and while breaking broncs for them became interested in a rodeo career as a Saddle Bronc rider. He started with the local rodeos, and getting on the big, salty broncs of the short grass country was good experience for a future champion.
Carl moved to Alberta in the late 1930's where he soon became known as a top Saddle Bronc Rider and Steer Wrestler. The bigger the bronc, and the harder he bucked, the more Carl spurred. Every horse he got on knew the "feel of steel." For several years Carl was a full time rodeo contestant in Canada and the United States. During this time he competed and won money at every major rodeo in both countries. Some of his big wins were the bronc riding at Houston in 1947, Tulsa in 1948 and Edmonton in 1952. In 1954 he won the bronc riding for the Southern Alberta Circuit, and decided then to hang his chaps and saddle on the peg.
Carl was the first Canadian born cowboy to be recognized as both Canadian and World Champion Bronc Rider by the respective associations.
CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Cowboys' Protective Association
All Around - 1945
Saddle Bronc - 1945, 1946, 1948
Steer Wrestling - 1948
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Rodeo Cowboys' Association
Saddle Bronc - 1947
International Rodeo Association
Saddle Bronc - 1948
Guy Weadick - First Builder
Inducted - July 12, 1982
Guy Weadick
This great builder of rodeo was born in Rochester New York in 1885. Uninterested in following the family tradition of law, he drifted west at fourteen and worked as a cowboy from Montana to New Mexico learning the skills of riding and roping.
In 1904 he came to Calgary to buy horses with Will Pickett and they put together a small rodeo.
Guy Weadick was also a fancy roper, and he and his wife Flores LaDue, who was also a trick rider and fancy roper, traveled as a team with both the Miller Brother's Wild West Shows and the Orpheum Vaudeville circuit for several years.
He was a man of broad vision and planned a stampede on such a magnificent scale that it would draw the best contestants from Canada, the United States and Mexico. Together it would be the largest assemblage of Plains Indians this continent had ever seen. All he needed was the security of $100,000. This was not easy to find, but after much enthusiastic conversation, four great cattlemen gathered together and guaranteed the funds. They were later to be known as "The Big Four" - George Lane, Pat Burns, A.E. Cross and A.J. McLean. This 1912 Stampede was a tremendous success. The Calgary Stampede was born.
Guy Weadick moved on to promote a stampede in Winnipeg in 1913 and a rodeo in New York State in 1916. He returned to Calgary to organize the Victory Stampede, a replica of 1912, following the First World War. Weadick became the arena director, bringing in the first chuckwagon races, and remained the arena director until 1932. Ill health forced the Weadicks to move to a more moderate climate in 1950, although they did return to Calgary to help the Stampede celebrate their 40th Anniversary. Guy Weadick once again rode in the parade and was on the platform to present the awards to the champions.
He died just six months later on December 13, 1953. His body was laid to rest in the High River Cemetery.