Famous Cowboys

The Lund Boys

by Laureen Heggie

In 1902 when the first rodeo in Canada was created, there were no fancy fenced off arenas, just cars parked in a circle on barren Witbeck Family land at the east side of town. They blindfolded a horse, got a saddle on him quickly, so the first brave rider Delos Lund could climb aboard. Lund was a local farmer who helped Ray Knight run the first event and many after. Lund and wife Mary Ellen (Olson) raised twelve children: Manilla, Andrew, Delos, Arthur (1st boy born in Raymond Hospital), Clark, Clatie, Crystal, Mary, Rozzel, Hazel, Harold and Ersel. Like, Delos, the boys were all involved in ranching, training horses and went on to compete and win titles in rodeo.

Famous stock contractor Reg Kesler, who was also from Raymond, recalled a story from 1935, “That day they loaded the chutes at Raymond Stampede with six broncs, then put a Lund boy on each one of them. It was really something, and probably never happened before or after at any rodeo in the world. They turned them out in order that day – Andy, Art, Clark, Rozz, Harry and Ersel (Bronc). I think they all made qualified rides, except one of the younger boys, either Harry or Rozz bucked off. Bronc (the youngest), was about my age, only 14 at the time. Their dad, DeLoss, stood there as proud as could be of his boys.”

After Ray Knight retired from the rodeo scene, Arthur took over as Raymond Stampede manager and Clark as the arena director, which he held the position for about 25 years. Clark and Art both promoted, directed and judged at many rodeos throughout Southern Alberta, including Taber, Brooks, Bassano, Gem, Rosemary and Writing-on-Stone.

Achievements

ANDREW LUND

In 1937, Andrew won the Calgary Stampede Steer Decorating Championship and was inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Andrew and Arthur both participated in an exhibition rodeo for royalty in London, England.

ARTHUR LUND

Art Lund started riding racehorses at nine-years-old and rode in some of the first races held in Raymond. He began riding broncs at 16 and competed in rodeos throughout North America for nearly 30 years. In 1937, he won 16 rodeos in Steer Decorating from Calgary to Montana, which paved the way for his World Steer Decorating Championship title. He also won the All Around Canadian Championship in 1937 and 1940. He was honoured by the Calgary Stampede Board in 1981and inducted into the Canadian Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1984.

CLARK LUND

In 1938, Clark went to Australia to represent Canada, then in 1939, he won the Calgary Stampede and the All-Around Canadian Pro Rodeo title. In Calgary, he proved his All-Around worth by finishing second in the Saddle Bronc, second in the Bareback, third in Steer Riding and placed in the Steer Decorating. In 1975, the Calgary Stampede honoured him as did the Raymond Stampede in 1983, naming him a Town Pioneer and Honourary Cowboy. Clark moved to Rosemary in 1944 where he raised and trained purebred Arabian Horses.

DARWIN LUND

D.C. as he is known to his friends, has been part of rodeo his entire life with a mentor being his father Clark. D.C. won money in all major events and claimed the 1965 Southern Alberta Steer Wrestling Championship as well as All Around Champion in 1974. He served as Canadian Pro Rodeo Steer Wrestling Director in 1974 and 1975, then in 2010, he was inducted in the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Darwin was a Veterinarian, known for his advocate work promoting the fair-treatment of rodeo stock. He had many other talents as an artist and writer, with which he influenced his son Corb Lund, now a famous Country Music singer and a Juno and Canadian Country Music Award winner.

Earl Bascom and The Bronc Bustin’ Boys

By Laureen Heggie

Earl Wesley Bascom was born on June 19, 1906 in Vernal, Utah to lawman John W. Bascom and Rachel Lybbert. Following his mother’s death when Earl was 6 years old, John, who was also a cowboy, moved his family to Alberta, Canada in 1913 securing a job as a foreman on the famous Knight Ranch by Raymond, Alberta. In 1918, John married Ada Romeril Dawley, who had one son, and the couple had five more children making a total of eleven in the Bascom family.

After the father of Canadian rodeo Ray Knight invented the bronc riding chute in 1903 for the Raymond Stampede, Earl Bascom and his brothers adapted the design in 1916 to create the first side-delivery chute. In 1919, he made it safer for the cowboy as they exited the chute, by reversing the chute gate so that it hinged by the horse’s head, forcing the horse to turn. Earl also designed rodeo’s first hornless bronc saddle in 1922, then the one-handed bareback rigging in 1924 and high cut riding chaps in 1926. Many of his innovations are now standard rodeo equipment.

Earl was a rodeo contestant in bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding from 1916 to 1940. He also competed in steer wrestling and steer decorating, which was the event he set a world record time in 1933 at the Lethbridge Rodeo. He also won several All-Around championships and was inducted into the Canadian Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 1985. Bascom was awarded a Pioneer Award by the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2016.

Earl’s brothers: Raymond "Tommy" Bascom, Melvin "High Pockets" Bascom and Weldon "Preacher" Bascom (also a Hall of Fame inductee), were all experienced ranch hands and professional horsemen. They were known as the "Bronc Bustin' Bascom Boys."

Earl was also an extremely skilled artist, pickup man, trick rider, bullfighter/clown, announcer and rodeo producer. He worked on many ranches around Southern Alberta and in the U.S. A quote taken from a Wikipedia article said, “I worked for some of the big open-range outfits from the Sweetgrass Hills to the Canadian Rockies. On one round-up some 7,000 horses were gathered in one bunch a mile wide. And the Knight Ranch dipped 18,000 head of cattle. What a sight to see. The sight, the sounds, the smell I can still remember.”

Wanting to be an artist since childhood, Bascom was influenced by two great icons of Old West art, Charles M. Russell and Frederic S. Remington, both cousins to his father. Russell was on the Knight Ranch when Bascom was working there.

Between rodeos of 1936 and 1937, Earl was a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mississippi. In 1939, Bascom married Nadine Diffey from Mississippi and they had five children: Denise, Glen, Doris, Dana and John.

Earl graduated from Brigham Young University where he was given the title of "Rodeo's First Collegiate Cowboy" after he earned a teaching degree and went on to teach high school art classes. He and brother Weldon were stuntman in western movies and even moved to California closer to Hollywood. Earl was an iron worker building ships as well. He Died – August 28, 1995 at the age of 89 in Victorville, CA.

John Bascom and his daughter Alice, and sons Raymond, Earl, Weldon and Mel.