Legendary cowgirl Sherry Cervi combined a competitive spirit with a strong work ethic from a very young age. Even as a child running barrels in her parents’ front yard on her stick horse, she was determined to do her best. That push to compete resulted in a career as the all-time highest earning cowgirl in...
As the co-manager of historic Sands Ranch for the last 20 years, Marilyn Williams Harris has made protecting wildlife habitats, repairing ecosystems, and preserving Arizona’s western landscapes a priority. Through her work with non-profits, Harris has raised millions of dollars for a variety of organizations ranging from the Arizona Horse Lover’s Foundation to the Barrow...
In 1914, at age 16, Fox Hastings ran away from home in California and began her career bronc and trick riding for the Irwin Brother’s Wild West Show. By 1924, she was best known among few female bulldoggers with her first competition at the Fort Worth Rodeo. A multi-talented arena cowgirl, Hastings trick rode, bulldogged,...
Deborah Copenhaver Fellows was ranch-raised in northern Idaho and grew up with a passion for horses and an avid interest in art. Both her father and brother won World Championships in professional rodeo, and Deborah herself traveled the professional circuit as a barrel racer. She won the title of Miss Rodeo Washington and runner-up for...
Nellie Cashman, an Irish-born pioneer, secured her place in American history as one of the few female business owners in the arduous American West. Nellie owned and operated boarding houses and restaurants throughout her life from Alaska to Arizona. Miners had restful quarters and good meals thanks to her kindness and generosity. A devoted philanthropist,...
Born in El Paso, Texas, Justice O’Connor grew up on her family’s isolated Arizona cattle ranch, learning to shoot and ride before she was eight. She attended Stanford Law School, and subsequently served as Arizona assistant attorney general. She was later appointed to a vacancy in the Arizona Senate, elected Superior Court judge, and appointed...
Louise was the first woman sanctioned by the RCA to photograph rodeo action inside the arena and spent the next thirty years capturing the action there. Credited with revolutionizing thinking about bodies in motion with her black-and-white images of rodeo events, Louise grew up in New York City, attended Vassar and went west at the...
Sister was a true Arizona pioneer. Overcoming tremendous hardships, she spent over forty years teaching in rural one-room schools in southern Arizona. She homesteaded ranching property in the 1930s, doing all the work herself on weekends and teaching during the week. Sister published four books based on her life experiences. She was named 1973 Arizona...
A popular rodeo performer, Dorothy began her trick riding career at the 1944 Greeley Independence Stampede when she was twelve. Riding Lucky, a horse she raised and trained, Dorothy made rodeos from Texas to California. For more than a decade she worked the rodeo circuit with her husband, Carl. An avid supporter of women’s rodeo,...
Nancy headlined at the biggest rodeos at age nine, thrilling crowds with her trick riding and roping skills. She rode and roped at most of the major rodeos in the U.S. Her rodeo career began in 1939 and lasted until 1961, when she retired to devote more time to ranching and raising her family. Descended...
