Oregon place note · History and culture
The Pendleton Round-Up grew from a one-day show into a county landmark
A 1909 Fourth of July show led to a nonprofit exhibition in 1910. The Round-Up records volunteer support; CTUIR separately records Tribal-member participation.
The central place or history detail is durable. Access, hours, and local conditions may still change. Last reviewed against the listed sources August 12, 2026.
In 1909, Pendleton held a Fourth of July program. It mixed bronc riding, horse races, foot races, and fireworks. Local leaders decided to repeat it each year. In 1910 they formed the nonprofit Northwestern Frontier Exhibition Association. The first Round-Up took place on September 29, 1910. Pendleton stores closed, and a newspaper reported a crowd of 7,000.
The Round-Up association calls volunteer work key to its success. Its history separately records Native participation in the events. The Oregon Blue Book lists the Round-Up as a Umatilla County point of interest. It also says rodeo tourism matters to the local economy.
A distinct CTUIR record preserves the Tribal-member account. The document is CTUIR’s Feral Horse Policy. Its Section 5 records participation in the Round-Up since 1911 and Happy Canyon since 1916. It names tipi camping, traditional dancing, horse races, parades, and other events. For the direct Tribal account, go to Section 5.
See it in Oregon
Read the Round-Up history for 1909, 1910, and volunteer work; use Section 5 of CTUIR's Feral Horse Policy for Tribal-member participation and the Blue Book for county context.
Sources
Last reviewed against the listed sources: August 12, 2026.
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