Canada’s oldest rodeo

Rodeo roots run deep in this town with Raymond being the first rodeo in Canada. On July 1, 1902, rancher Raymond Knight, the namesake of our town, decided to liven things up for the town folk and his lonely ranch hands. At that time, the only form of competition they were familiar with was authentic ranch rodeo.

The cowboys herded wild horses down from the Knight Ranch on the Milk River Ridge, and on that inaugural stock drive, Ray Knight declared, "Boys, if these horses should get frightened and stampede… well, that’s what we'll call our celebration… Stampede!!"

And so, the Raymond Stampede was born. The townsfolk could hear the thunder of hooves as the horses were trailed into town, fresh off the range with snarled, sunburnt coats, matted tails, and untamed manes... not the friendliest sort - and that’s just how the cowboys liked them - hoping to ride a Bucker and test their mettle. All the ranches in the area were invited, so local ranch hands could showcase their cowboying skills - be it steer roping or bronc riding.

By 1903, Raymond was evolving into a proper town, and that July 1st was our grand coming-out party. A grandstand and track were erected in the middle of Victoria Park, and the Stampede took center stage. Folks came from Lethbridge by the trainload for the day's events, with prizes up for grabs in various competitions, making this Canada’s first professional rodeo.

Back in those days, they didn’t have fancy bucking chutes like today. They'd wrangle the wild horses by hand, blindfold them, and saddle them up for the cowboys to ride right out in the open field, while townsfolk circled wagons and carriages around the perimeter to form a barrier. Many of the cowboys were as untamed as the horses they rode, and we owe a debt of gratitude to those early competitors for instilling that ‘spirit of competition’ that still thrives in this town in all sporting events.

This event has been woven into the very fabric of Raymond’s identity, outlasting even the sugar industry for which the town was created. It shaped the town long before basketball, football, judo, rugby, or any other sport took hold here.

The Raymond Stampede Committee remains steadfast in their mission to preserve Ray Knight’s vision, steering a steady course on a “Mission for Tradition.”