“Bronco busting isn’t a game for the timid and weak,” Buffalo Bill Cody told newspaper reporters in January 1912. “Death lurks close every time a rider mounts up.”
Lulu Bell Parr thrilled audiences around
the world with her daring rides on unbroken ponies. Born in 1876, she was only
three when her parents died and she and her brother were sent to Ft. Wayne,
Indiana to live with their uncle, William Sheehan. She burst onto the Wild West
Show scene in 1903, when newly divorced Lulu Bell joined Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Brighton Tour and
traveled to Europe where she performed for King Edward VII.
Lulu Bell moved from one wild west
show to another, from Pawnee Bill’s to Buffalo Bill Cody’s, to the 101 Ranch
Wild West program. With them she toured South America and charmed Argentina’s
President Jose Figueroa Alcorta, who showered her with flowers and gift. She
moved back to Pawnee Bill’s show in 1916, riding the decline of the
entertainment form until her retirement in 1929. Fifty-three and broke, Lulu moved
to Dayton, Ohio, to live with her brother and his wife. She spent her days
entertaining children in the neighborhood with stories of her travels and the
horses she’d ridden.
Lulu Bell Parr died on April 24,
1960, from complications she suffered from a stroke. Among her possessions was
an ivory-handled Colt single-action revolver engraved with the words “Buffalo
Bill Cody to Lulu Parr – 1911.” Newspapers reported she had so many souvenirs
of her career you could hardly walk into her room.Tracy Garrett
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WOW. What an interesting life she had! I had never heard of her, Tracy. You know, in those days, you really had to be so daring to break from tradition and have this kind of a life! She was very brave, and it seems, she had a ton of "talent" and expertise, as well! Enjoyed this post, Tracy!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, Tracy. Like Cheryl, I had never heard of LuLu before. You just never think of women when you think about bronc busting.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend whose female relatives also did the rodeo, wild west. I'd heard or Lulu, but didn't know much about her. Thanks for bringing her story to light. Doris
ReplyDeleteAs fascinating as these stories are about the Wild West Shows, don't you know it had to be a hard life. I admire the people who made a living in these kinds of shows, including the circus.
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