At the Santa Clara History Museum, we honor the rich tapestry of our community's past, woven from the threads of our Swiss heritage and the pioneering spirit of our founders. Join us in celebrating the stories that shaped our identity, from cherished artifacts to vibrant customs handed down through the generations. Come discover the things that make our community unique, delve into our history, and discover the heart of Santa Clara.
The Santa Clara Thanksgiving Day Rodeo
The photo on the right is of the 1968 Rodeo Committee, which included (from left) Sylvan Graf, Verl (Si) Graf, Lester Wittwer, Victor Frei, Creighton Leavitt and LaVar Bracken.
Every Thanksgiving Day our town held a rodeo. The old rodeo grounds were up on the hill about where Canyon View Park is located. The profits went toward the LDS Ward budget. This allowed all the kids to be real cowboys or cowgirls. It was not uncommon for two or three kids to ride out on the chutes on the back of a steer, Landon Frei was the rodeo announcer. He always had great stories to tell concerning the local cowboys. Many of the young men in the Shivwit band of the Southern Paiute Tribe participated in the rodeo.
The younger contestants looked forward to the chicken chase. Many young people took home chickens to their own coops as a reward for their efforts.
Those who grew up in the 1940’s and 1950’s remember the rodeo included a horse race. Anyone who thought they had a fast horse could enter. The race began somewhere north of the rodeo grounds, and the finish line was in the rodeo arena. One 88-year-old man recalls that his horse didn’t like being in the confines of the rodeo grounds and when the race entered the last phase the horse stopped abruptly, and the rider flew over the head of the horse onto his back on the ground!
As the Santa Clara Heights housing area developed, the rodeo arena was moved downtown to Boot Johnson’s nice new rodeo grounds among the black lava rocks. It continued to be held there for many years. Local cowboys from all over the country came to compete for prizes.
This is one of our cherished hometown traditions from the past!
Introducing:
Memories and Stories
We would love to have a section on our website where we can share memories and stories of our time in Santa Clara, whether growing up, attending school, or passing through.
It would be a great place to share some of the traditions such as town bell, memories of teachers and experiences at school, interactions with those who've gone on before, etc. And, especially what created these stubborn "Dutchmen" (and women)!"
We're inviting you to share some of your fond memories (or maybe not-so-fond learning experiences). This would be a great way to communicate our thoughts and feelings about our beautiful community!
We'll have some of these memories posted soon. You can share your stories and memories by sending them to [email protected].