Tri State Fort Madison, Iowa Rodeo
- About
This event has been cancelled following the events of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. We will keep you updated for the 2021 Rodeo.
- History
- The year was 1948 and Fort Madison was about to lose their biggest annual event, a Labor Day parade and picnic sponsored by the railroad’s craft unions; with the introduction of diesel locomotives and a resulting decrease in the number of employees needed at the shops, the parade and picnic began to fade. Enter Santa Fe Railroad telegrapher Robert Wilken, cowboy singer Gene Autry and banker C.E. “Eddie” Richards. Richards was installed as Fort Madison Chamber of Commerce president on January 1, 1948, and immediately started looking for something big enough to replace the Labor Day events. His father-in-law, Wilken had an idea. He knew Autry’s livestock had to be rested during the long train ride from Texas to Madison Square Garden in New York City. Wilken was a big rodeo fan, and knew Autry’s cattle and horses had been making an overnight stay in Fort Madison each of the ten prior years. The negotiations began and by September of 1948 Fort Madison had its first rodeo.
- Places to Stay
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