“Do it with style and a smile” was the motto of Connie Griffith, one of the world’s greatest female trick riders. As a child she rode her horses Toby and Nix nearly every day, later joining a horse club and competing in rodeos. Connie was selected as the Nebraska High School Rodeo Queen and honored...
Nellie published her first book when she was 46, a collection of stories told by her father about early ranching life. She went on to write eleven more books and numerous articles about the people and history of the West. Raised in northwest Nebraska and home schooled until she was ten, Nellie was honored with...
Mabel bested most cowboys in rodeo events, including bronc and steer riding, roping and trick and roman riding. She began her career riding relay races, but soon added steer roping and trick riding, winning championships in all three events and earning considerable fame. Noticed by the booming movie industry, Mabel found Hollywood success and founded...
Ruth and her husband Cal were instrumental in the development and registry of the American Albino horse. The breed, also known as the American White, had its origin on the Thompsons’ White Horse Ranch in Nebraska. A farmer’s daughter, Ruth grew up working horses in the field, but it wasn’t until her marriage that she...
To watch Joan, the 1979 Women’s World Champion Trick Roper, perform is to witness an authentic link to the early Wild West shows. Her interest in roping began in childhood, when, with coaching from a cousin, Joan began performing at fairs, rodeos and on television. Devoted to the art, she teaches clinics and writes articles...
Mari published her first story when she was twelve. Growing up on the sand hills of western Nebraska, she wrote of life around her. Mari first gained fame for Old Jules, the story of her father and other settlers. She also produced six related books on the relationship between Native Americans and Anglos. Mari won...
Willa’s sensitivity to her surroundings appeared repeatedly in her stories and books. Raised on the edge of the western frontier, she wrote with a passion and clarity grounded in her own knowledge of the stories of early Nebraska settlers. Willa was editor of a national magazine, author of bestselling novels and winner of the Pulitzer...
