Rodeo royalty: Days of ’76 to host Miss Rodeo America, who is former Days of ’76 queen

Deadwood, S.D. (June 30, 2025) – A familiar face returns to the Days of ’76 Rodeo in Deadwood this July.

Miss Rodeo America Callie Mueller, a former Miss Days of ’76 Rodeo Queen, will be back for the rodeo and festivities.

Growing up in Florence, S.D., she participated in 4-H and FFA, never dreaming she would be a rodeo queen.

But one day, as a student at South Dakota State University, she saw a poster advertising the rodeo queen pageant for the SDSU Jackrabbits collegiate rodeo team.

So she tried out, and won.

It was 2019, and since then, she’s held five more titles: as the 2020 Miss Black Hills Round-Up Queen (Belle Fourche), the 2021 Miss Corn Palace Stampede Queen (Mitchell), the 2022 Miss Days of ’76 Queen, the 2023 Miss Watertown Pro Rodeo Queen, and the 2024 Miss Rodeo South Dakota.

In December of last year, in a pageant of nearly 30 state rodeo queens, she was crowned the 2025 Miss Rodeo America.

Mueller’s motto throughout her years of rodeo is “Faith over Fear.” It was the mantra of her best friend, Evie Kahnke, who passed away from cancer their senior year of high school.

Kahnke’s faith in the Lord was strong, Mueller said. “She knew, no matter what, she would be OK. She was a very strong, religious cowgirl.”

Kahnke’s passing “was very hard on me,” Mueller said. “I was always close with the Lord, but I didn’t realize how I needed to be putting faith over fear every single day of my life. Even now, I have to remind myself, when something is stressing me out, that I need to put faith over fear. I realize I need to talk to God about anything that is stressing me out or worrying me.”

Mueller recalls one night, sitting with Kahnke, on her hospital bed. “I was crying, and she was comforting me,” Mueller said. “She said, everything will be OK, no matter what happens. That is truly how she lived her life.

“That’s what pushed me to make that my platform as a rodeo queen. But it also felt like it was one more thing Evie and I could do together.”

Mueller has turned her motto Faith over Fear into a children’s book that was published last year and is available on Amazon.

The title of Days of ’76 Rodeo Queen is often a springboard to the state title.

Five former Days of ’76 queens have gone on to be Miss Rodeo South Dakotas: Mueller, Jordan Jensen (2021 Days of ’76 Queen and 2025 Miss Rodeo SD); Jordan Tierney Santos (2018 Days of ’76 Queen and 2019 Miss Rodeo SD); Martina Loobey (2017 Days of ’76 Queen and 2020-2021 Miss Rodeo SD); and Kristina Maddocks Sigaty (2010 Days of ’76 Queen and 2013 Miss Rodeo SD).

And on the big stage, six South Dakota state queens have won the Miss Rodeo America title: Mueller in 2025; Jordan Tierney Santos (2020-2021); McKenzie Haley-Vice (2011); Leslie Patten White (1985); Donna Keffeler (1982) and Patricia Koren Sanmartin (1965). 

The Days of ’76 pageant is a good training ground for young women, said Mackenzi Rogers Gatzke, herself a former Days of ’76 Queen (2012) and chair of the Queen Committee and Technology and Social Media committee. 

“We do our very best to represent the same components that Miss Rodeo SD will have to do during her reign,” she said, “including horsemanship, interviews, modeling, public speaking and written tests. We also strive to have judges with a solid rodeo background who support rodeo queens. That gives us a really good basis to make sure we are turning out queens who can represent South Dakota and the sport of rodeo.

“These ladies are the face of our rodeo across the country but are so much more than sparkles and smiles. We expect them to care for animals and ride a horse well, then go take photos and sign autographs while wearing our name on their chest.  They also need to be able to speak about our rodeo, Deadwood, and South Dakota confidently and with poise. We expect a lot from these young ladies and they impress us year after year.”

Days of ’76 hosts state queens throughout the week of rodeo. Last year, twelve state queens were in attendance at the rodeo.

Mueller loved her time in Deadwood when she was crowned in 2022.

“That community is so supportive and excited for their rodeo queen,” she said. “They were so supportive of me, as their queen and as Miss Rodeo South Dakota. They donated to support me, and I felt immense love and support from them, as I went into the Miss Rodeo America pageant.”

Mueller will return for this year’s Days of ’76, as will other state queens, including Miss Rodeo South Dakota Jordan Jensen and Miss Rodeo North Dakota Claire Graner.

The Days of ’76 Queen contest will be held July 20 at 9 am in the Mary Adams Room at the Days of ’76 Museum. Horsemanship follows in the arena at 3 pm. Coronation will be on July 21 at 10 am at Outlaw Square. Queen pageant events are free and open to the public. 

Autograph sessions with the rodeo queens will be at Outlaw Square July 22-24 and July 25-26, from 1-2 pm.

This year’s Days of ’76 is July 20-26. Rodeo performances will be held July 22-26 beginning at 7 pm nightly. Steer roping slack is July 20 at 9 am. WPRA barrel racing and breakaway slack will be July 21 at 9 am. Admittance to both slack events is free.

The Days of ’76 parades are July 25-26 at 1:30 pm both days.  

Tickets range in price from $10-$100 and can be purchased online at Daysof76.com and at the gate. For more information, visit the website.

–Days of ’76