Snake River Stampede
- About
Boasting a $450,000 payoff, the Snake River Stampede is one of the top 10 regular season professional rodeos in the nation.
The Snake River Stampede has evolved from a small, local bucking horse competition in the early 1900’s to a major professional sports event.
Originally it was called the Rodeo and Buck Show and the bucking stock was herded overland from the Horseshoe Bend area. In 1937, it was named the Snake River Stampede and became a professional rodeo.
Virtually all of the world champions have competed at the Stampede at one time or another.
The rodeo features bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, team roping, and ladies’ barrel racing, plus mutton busting for the kids and the famous Snake River Stampeders Night Light Drill Team.
Attendance is approximately 60,000 for the five-day, six-performance event.
- History
- The Snake River Stampede in Nampa, Idaho is one of the top 10 regular professional rodeos out of the approximately 600 rodeos in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. This is a long way from its humble beginnings of just after the turn of the century. The Stampede is a direct descendant of the Nampa Harvest Festival which was first staged in Nampa in 1911. During that first year, the "old-time harvest festival" featured crop and stock exhibits, prizes for the best products of Nampa farms, orchards and gardens, sports and contests, special attractions, and free amusements. The event was held in late September. After two successful years of the Harvest Festival, the committee decided to add a bucking contest to the festivities in 1913. The first bucking contest was held in a large, roped-off area on the block where the Nampa Post Office is now located. There were no stands so the spectators stood outside the rope. The year 1937 marked many changes for the rodeo in Nampa and was the push that was needed to turn the rodeo into a national event. The rodeo separated from the Harvest Festival and moved its dates to July. They joined the Rodeo Cowboys Association and from that day forward, the Stampede has been a professional rodeo. A new name was chosen. After considering such names as Ski-Hi Rodeo and Thunder Mountain Round-Up, rodeo director Ike Corlett named it the Snake River Stampede. Lights were installed on the rodeo grounds and it was changed from an afternoon to a nighttime show. Professional rodeo stock contractor, Leo Cramer of Montana, was engaged to put on the rodeo. He brought his stock to Nampa by train.
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