Written by: Amy Hampton, Hannah Morris, and Mylee Wooton

The 1960 Oildorado Real Cowboy Association Championship Rodeos were held in Taft High’s very own Martin Memorial Stadium on October 15th and 16th. The RCA Rodeo was part of a series of qualifying rodeos for National Championships. The two shows combined held a crowd of over 6,000 in attendance, including fans from all over California.  The rodeo held cattle-roping, bare back riding, as well as Taft’s Whiskerino contest. James Bellew was the only contestant from Taft. Although he didn’t score, his bravery was still respected throughout the city.

Joining the City of Taft was one of the most well known rodeo stars in America, Andrew Juaregui. Andy won Cattle and Steer-roping championships in Oregon, Arizona and Wyoming, as well as producing the first Rodeo on the Hawaiian Islands. He brought his “meanest, killen’est, wildest, manhatin’est” brama bulls to our rodeo, 17 of which were chosen to compete in the World Series rodeo competition.

The 1960 Oildorado Rodeo remains a memorable chapter in Taft’s history, uniquely held within Taft Union High School’s own Martin Memorial Stadium. Transforming the stadium into a stage for broncs, bulls, and roping events made for a rodeo to be remembered. It just shows that Martin Memorial Stadium has a history that runs much deeper that merely showcasing football and soccer games.