The year was 1923. Yale alumni Henry Luce and Briton published the first issue of Time magazine. President Warren G. Harding died suddenly, and Vice President Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as the 30th President of the United States. Walt Disney and his brother Roy founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in Hollywood.
That same year, residents of Estes Park launched a rodeo that remains one of Colorado’s longest-running and most celebrated Western traditions.
As Colorado celebrates its 150th anniversary and the United States marks its 250th birthday, Estes Park historian Howell F. Wright has documented the Rooftop Rodeo’s legacy in a new book tracing the evolution of the community’s signature rodeo.
“The Rodeo with Altitude: The History of Estes Park Rooftop Rodeo,” published by the Estes Park Museum Friends and Foundation Press, chronicles the story of Estes Park’s signature rodeo from the 1920s through its emergence as one of the most respected professional rodeo competitions.
Wright sat down for an interview with the Estes Valley Voice to talk about his 246-page book, which includes 270 photographs and illustrations and features forewords by Tom Glause, chief executive officer of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, and Estes Park Mayor Gary Hall.
For Wright, the book represents the culmination of a lifetime spent studying, participating in, and promoting rodeo.
Raised on a cattle ranch in central Arkansas, Wright developed an early love for livestock and Western culture. While still in high school, he decided he wanted to write a book about American sports. That ambition led him to a county fair rodeo, where he persuaded local cowboys to teach him about the sport.
By the end of the night, he had climbed aboard both a bareback horse and a bull. What began as research became a lifelong passion.
Although he failed to make a qualified ride in 22 attempts as a bull rider, the experience left him hooked on rodeo. After graduating from the University of Arkansas, Wright joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served two tours in Vietnam. He eventually retired as a colonel after a distinguished military career that included infantry and intelligence assignments around the world.
Along the way, he competed in regional rodeos and spent time on the Marine Corps rodeo team while stationed in California.
Following military service, Wright earned a Doctor of Education degree from Nova Southeastern University and built careers in higher education, government, and law enforcement.
He served as the director of electronic learning for the Internal Revenue Service’s Small Business Division, taught at several universities, worked as a reserve deputy sheriff and park ranger, served as a state equine abuse officer, and later became a reserve police officer in Estes Park.
His interests extended beyond rodeo. A recognized authority on whiskey history and production, Wright co-authored “Guidebook to Whiskey and Other Distilled Spirits in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming,” and serves as an instructor for Whiskey University, where he teaches courses on bourbon and Colorado whiskey.
Yet rodeo remained his greatest passion.
When Wright and his wife, J’Ann, moved to Estes Park in 2005, they soon became involved with the Town’s Rooftop Rodeo. In short order, Wright found himself serving six years as president of the volunteer rodeo committee.
“We were Small Rodeo of the Year three times during that period, and we were in the top five every year I was president,” Wright said.
During those years, the Rooftop Rodeo strengthened its reputation nationally, earning multiple honors from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and later recognition from the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association.
As he became more involved, Wright began asking questions about the rodeo’s origins.
How old was it? Where did the famous bowlegged cowboy logo come from? Who was Granny May? Why were certain traditions started?
The answers were surprisingly difficult to find.
“All the questions about the rodeo, nobody had any answers at all,” Wright recalled. “They were just out doing their thing.”
Determined to preserve those stories, Wright spent the next two-and-a-half years researching newspapers, archives, photographs, and personal collections. The result is what may be the most comprehensive history ever assembled about Rooftop Rodeo.
The book traces not only the evolution of the rodeo itself — the word is Spanish for roundup, Wright says — but also tells the story of the annual parade, rodeo queens, stock contractors, volunteers, and community leaders who shape the event.
It also documents the transformation of Estes Park from a small mountain town into a premier tourism destination while maintaining its ranching roots.
Among the stories Wright uncovered are the origins of the iconic bowlegged cowboy logo, the history of the Granny May Arena, and the generations of volunteers who built the rodeo into a regional and community institution.
Wright’s research also debunked the long-held claim that the Rooftop Rodeo began in 1926—a narrative that emerged 50 years ago during Colorado’s Centennial celebration. In fact, rodeo competitions were first held in Estes Park in 1923, although the event was not staged every year. According to Wright’s research, the 2026 Rooftop Rodeo will mark the event’s 98th year.
Today, the award-winning event attracts thousands of spectators each summer and remains one of Estes Park’s signature celebrations of Western heritage.
For Wright, the book is both a history project and a gift to the community.
“I want the museum to make some money, and I’d like for the town to get some notoriety out of it,” he said.
He already hopes future readers will help contribute additional photographs, memorabilia, and stories for an expanded edition in 2028, when Rooftop Rodeo celebrates its 100th running.
The Estes Park Museum will host a conversation with author Howell Wright on Saturday, July 11, at 1 p.m. about “The Rodeo with Altitude: History of Estes Park’s Rooftop Rodeo.” The program is open and free to the public and will take place in the Museum Meeting Room.
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