By Jordan Meadows
Staff Writer
Bill Pickett, born on December 5, 1870, in the Jenks Branch community of Williamson County, Texas, was a legendary African American cowboy, rodeo performer, and actor.
He was the second of 13 children born to Thomas Jefferson Pickett, a formerly enslaved man, and Mary "Janie" Gilbert. Pickett’s ancestry was a blend of African American and Cherokee heritage. He left school after the fifth grade to work as a ranch hand, quickly gaining skills in riding, roping, and working with Texas Longhorn steers.
It was during this time that Pickett invented the technique of "bulldogging," a daring method of steer wrestling in which he would leap from his horse, grab a steer by the horns, bite its upper lip, and wrestle it to the ground. This method, inspired by how trained bulldogs handled steers, became his trademark and the basis for modern steer wrestling.
Pickett’s bulldogging performances at local country fairs earned him recognition, and he soon partnered with his four brothers to form The Pickett Brothers Bronco Busters and Rough Riders Association. His reputation grew rapidly, and he performed throughout Texas, Arizona, Wyoming, and Oklahoma.
In 1905, he joined the renowned 101 Ranch Wild West Show, performing alongside Western legends such as Buffalo Bill, Will Rogers, Tom Mix, and Lucille Mulhall. However, due to racial discrimination, he often had to claim Comanche heritage to participate in certain rodeos.
Despite these barriers, his fame continued to rise. In 1908, in Mexico City, he performed one of his most daring feats—wrestling a Mexican fighting bull for seven minutes, which caused an uproar among the audience unaccustomed to this unconventional interpretation of bullfighting.
Beyond live performances, Pickett became the first African American cowboy movie star, appearing in silent films such as The Bull-Dogger (1921) and The Crimson Skull (1923), both filmed in Oklahoma by Richard E. Norman Studios. These roles helped immortalize his rodeo stunts and cemented his status as a pioneering figure in Western film.
In 1890, Pickett married Maggie Turner, the daughter of a formerly enslaved woman and a white plantation owner. Together, they had nine children and continued to live and work in the American Southwest.
He was involved with the 101 Ranch Wild West Show for over 25 years, becoming one of its star performers and an iconic symbol of the American cowboy.
Tragically, Pickett died on April 2, 1932, after suffering a head injury while working with horses at the 101 Ranch. According to reports, he was thrown and trampled after becoming entangled in a rope tied to a bronco. He died following several days in a coma.
Bill Pickett’s legacy lived on well after his death. In 1972, he became the first Black American man inducted into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. He was later inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1989.
In 1984, concert promoter Lu Vason established the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo to honor Black cowboys and preserve their contributions to the sport.
A bronze statue of Pickett performing his signature bulldogging move was created by artist Lisa Perry and installed in the Fort Worth Stockyards Historic District in 1987. And the U.S. Postal Service included him in its 1993 Legends of the West stamp series.
Pickett has been honored in numerous ways: a street in Taylor, Texas, was renamed in his honor in 2015, and in 2017, a statue was unveiled at the intersection of 2nd and Main Streets in downtown Taylor. In 2018, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. A trail in Georgetown, Texas, also features an interpretive sign that commemorates his life.
His influence extends into pop culture, with references in films like The Cowboy Way (1994), Get on the Bus (1996), and an episode of Baywatch. He is portrayed by Edi Gathegi in the 2021 film The Harder They Fall and by Bokeem Woodbine in They Die by Dawn (2013).
