Hit Parade: Days of ’76 Rodeo Parade full of wagons, pieces of American History
Deadwood, S.D. (June 19, 2023) – When the Days of ’76 Rodeo parade goes down the streets of Deadwood, it’s like watching an American history lesson unfold before your eyes.
The parade includes all sorts of wagons: covered wagons, buckboards, chuckwagons, spring wagons, grocer wagons, tool wagons, lumber wagons, milk wagons, ore wagons, ladder wagons, beer wagons, even hearses.
The Days of ’76 Rodeo Association owns the wagon collection, which numbers 60 in all. They are housed at the Days of ’76 Museum in Deadwood, and they are put in the two parades that take place each year for the rodeo (this year on Fri., July 28 at 1:30 pm and again on Sat., July 29 at 10 am.)
Travis Rogers, chairman of the rodeo, said that about 160 horses and about 80 teamsters come from all over the Midwest, as far away as Montana and Minnesota, to pull the wagons. Some families have come for years and bring enough horses to drive four or five wagons.
The wagons are kept as close to their original state as possible, right down to the square nuts, Rogers said. An employee restores them and rebuilds them when necessary; just this last year, he did complete rebuilds on three covered wagons whose wood had rotted. “We use the original stuff as they built the wagon, restored to original, as close as possible,” Rogers said.
The parade order follows the history of the Black Hills. It starts with Native Americans, then goes to the early settlers and their covered wagons, buckboards and the like, then progresses to business wagons (like grocer, lumber and milk wagons), then stagecoaches, which were the “Ubers” of today. Cowboys on horseback at the end of the parade represent today’s ranch and rodeo cowboys.
Native Americans figure prominently in the parade, Rogers said. They do hoop dances from the back of a hay wagon pulled by a team of horses, and when the parade ends, they will be at Deadwood’s Outlaw Square (703 Main Street), doing Native American arts performances like dances and story-telling.
“It’s mostly Lakotas in full attire,” he said, “and it’s fantastic. A beautiful thing to see.”
For horse lover and parade participant Julie Englehart, she’s riding down the same streets her great-grandparents rode on when they pioneered in Deadwood 100 years ago.
The Bison, S.D. woman and her husband, Jim, bring a team of horses to Deadwood each year, as teamsters, pulling one of the coaches in the parade.
The Deadwood stagecoach is their usual vehicle.
The Engleharts bring a team of black Percheron horses; last year, in honor of the rodeo’s 100th anniversary, they borrowed two horses from a neighbor and brought a four-up (a four-horse team.)
Either Julie or Jim drive the team, while the other rides as an outrider. Being an outrider is serious business. “They are there to assist the teamster if there are any problems with the team,” she said. If there’s a runaway, if harness gets tangled, or equipment malfunctions, the outrider is there to help.
The Engleharts, like all of the teamsters, are particular about the horses they bring for the parade. It takes a seasoned, mature horse, Julie said.
The cobblestone streets are noisy and narrow, and the mirrored glass windows can be distractions for a horse. “There are a lot of people to watch and take in the celebration. We want to keep everyone safe.”
It’s a family affair for the Engleharts: Julie was a Bachand before she married Jim. The Bachands, original settlers in western South Dakota, have never missed a year of being teamsters at the Days of ’76 parade.
While in town for the parades and rodeo, Julie’s family gathers. “My brother has a big canopy tent, and we sit around, visit, barbecue and hang out.
They dress period as well, with clothes from the 1800s. When Julie rides, she wears high-waisted dungarees, a collared shirt, long sleeves, a vest, cowboy hat and gloves. She’s even purchased a stage shotgun to carry as a prop.
It’s a privilege to be part of the parade, she said. “It’s an honor. It means a lot to me. The coaches are museum pieces, and there’s a lot of family history in Deadwood.”
The Days of ’76 Rodeo parades are well attended; Rogers estimates there are about 78 parade entries and on Saturday’s parade, about 5,000 spectators. The parade is nearly all horse-drawn except for a few motorized vehicles pulling floats and transporting bands.
Rogers figures the Days of ’76 wagon collection is probably the largest privately owned collection of wagons that is still in use. The wagons are on display at the museum.
This year’s 101st edition of the Days of ’76 takes place July 23-29, Performances are July 27-29 at 7 pm nightly with a 1:30 pm matinee on July 29. Slack, the extra competition that doesn’t fit into the performances, runs July 24-27.
Tickets range in price from $11-$41 (plus fees) and can be purchased online at Daysof76.com and at the gate. For more information, visit the website.
A free concert by the band Brule will kick of rodeo week on July 25 at 8 pm, at Outlaw Square.
In 2011, Days of ’76 was inducted into the PRCA’s Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.
–Days of ’76
