Oregon’s Haines Stampede: How volunteers revived a century-old rodeo

The yearly rodeo in Haines, Oregon, which takes place on July 3–4, got off to a muddy start due to rain on July 4.

But to a cowboy, what’s a little mud?

The origins of the Haines Stampede date back to the middle of the 1890s. Around five miles northwest of Haines, in the Rock Creek area of Baker County, a rodeo was first held at that time.

Prior to the rodeo’s disbandment in the mid-1980s due to the rodeo grounds’ deterioration, the Haines Stampede was a staple of the town’s Fourth of July festivities in eastern Oregon.

“A group of us in the community got together and decided that we should start the rodeo again in 1990,” said Bill Taylor, one of the original members and the rodeo association’s historian. One evening at the neighborhood watering hole, the idea was born. One night when we were all up at the Circle H, some guys said, “Hey, let’s do the rodeo.”

The current rodeo complex was constructed with the help of labor and money donated by community volunteers. On July 4, 1991, they completed the new arena in time for the rodeo to return to Haines.

According to Ken Bain, one of the directors of the rodeo organization, “we were literally still putting nails in on the morning of the Fourth.”

Since then, the entire Haines Stampede has been managed by volunteers. Bain calculated that the two-day festival averages 4,000 visitors annually, which is not bad for a community that was formerly a mining village with fewer than 400 residents.

“It’s a hometown event,” Taylor explained. As you can see, we have a respectable audience despite the rain we experienced today. This is the best tiny rodeo in Oregon, in our view.

Buck is said to be released loose at the Pendleton Round-Up. However, “Cut er Loose” has been the motto of Haines since the 1920s.

The Haines Junior Rodeo is scheduled for July 5–6 at the Haines Stampede Arena, where rodeo activities resume this holiday weekend. Pony bronc riding, dummy roping, and mutton busting—in which children under the age of five try to ride a sheep—are among the events. Admission to the Junior Rodeo is free. A complete event schedule can be found at healthtampede.com.

The Haines Rodeo Arena is the next stop. On August 2, at 6 p.m., the yearly demolition derby will take place there.

Stories by

Samantha Swindler

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