The working cowhand of old was a dusty laborer, but today's rodeo performers can hone their skills before small-town crowds and be stars in urban coliseums. Historian Kristine Fredriksson follows the evolution of rodeo from the range to Buffalo Bill's Wild West to the extravaganzas in modern times. How an ordinary, low-paying job became an entertainment that attracts thousands of spectators is a lesson in American culture and a story that will appeal to anyone who spells "western" with a capital W. The book is published by Texas A&M Press. "In this entertaining and informative work, Fredriksson has written the first detailed historical account of rodeo as organized entertainment in the United States." (Library Journal) "Here is a well-written and thoroughly documented scholarly narrative of the rodeo's evolution from its amateur origins to its present status as a professional Sport." (American Studies) "As an up-to-date, carefully-researched, and clearly-written history of the development of professional rodeo into a national sport, the book makes a valuable and significant contribution to rodeo literature." (New Mexico Historical Review)
