Bill Pickett, the legendary African-American cowboy who is credited with inventing the rodeo sport of bulldogging on the streets of old Rockdale 115 years ago, will be honored during this year’s Juneteenth celebration.
Dedication of a Bill Pickett Memorial is set for 1:30 p.m. June 16, at Wolf Park.
Juneteenth observances run from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. that day and also include a downtown parade and activities at Sumuel Park.
Gerald Anderson, Pickett’s great nephew, will be a guest for the dedication.
It’s documented that in 1903 the 23-year-old cowboy became fed up with a Longhorn steer who refused to enter a downtown Rockdale corral. Pickett rode his horse alongside the steer, jumped on its back and wrestled the steer by its horns.
Observers said he then bit the animal’s lower lip and jerked him down flat.
Pickett then had a career as the first “bulldogger.” But not the last. The event became a mainstay in the rodeo world.
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