Is Colorado Actually Home to the World’s First Rodeo?

There are quite a few things that originated in Colorado, some of which may come as a surprise. Of course, we all know about the Denver omelet, Fat Tire, and Chipotle, but the Centennial state is also where things like the cheeseburger, the parking boot, and Crocs all came from.

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However, there is one distinction that a small town on Colorado's eastern plains lays claim to that is disputed by a handful of other places around the country - the distinction of being home to the world's first rodeo.

Is Colorado Really Home to the World's First Rodeo?

The tiny Colorado town of Deer Trail's claim to fame is the fact that it's known as the home of the first-ever rodeo.

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This rodeo took place on July 4, 1869, and the grounds still stand to this day.

Oddly, there are at least three other towns that claim to carry the same distinction. These towns include Payson and Prescott, both in Arizona, as well as Pecos, Texas. In fact, Prescott received the official patent for the title in 1985.

However, Prescott's first rodeo actually took place on July 4, 1888, 19 years after Deer Trail, while the first rodeo in Pecos took place on July 4, 1883, and Payson's was in August of 1884.

To be fair, Payson adjusted the title slightly to read, "The World's Oldest Continuous Rodeo," but simple arithmetic shows that the rodeo in Deer Trail predates every one of these other rodeos by a significant margin.