Description

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Born in 1894 in Greer County, Texas—which became part of Oklahoma Territory two years later—Ike Rude would go on to have one of the most remarkable rodeo careers ever recorded. His storied life would include a performance for the Queen of England; acquaintances with the likes of Will Rogers, Gene Autry, and Slim Pickens; multiple world titles; and the near-miss of a championship bid in roping—at age 77.

Along the way, he worked for some of the most famous ranches in the west, such as Texas’ JA and Matador ranches and the Chiricahua and Double Circle ranches in Arizona. Rude’s story also includes the many outstanding horses he rode and trained, like the famed Baldy, considered perhaps the greatest roping horse of all time. The career of Ike Rude—and that of several of his horses—is commemorated in nine museums, including the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy in Colorado Springs.

Lovingly woven from archival and family records as well as interviews with Rude by his daughter, Sammie Rude Compton, and closing with an essay on Rude and his rodeo and ranching context by Michael R. Grauer, McCasland Curator of Cowboy Collections and Western Art at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, this biography of one of the formative figures in the sport offers valuable glimpses into the development of rodeo and cowboy culture. The Cowboy Ike Rude: Riding into the Wind is sure to be a favorite of anyone interested in the colorful lives of working cowboys and rodeo performers in the early twentieth century.

About the Author

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SAMMIE RUDE COMPTON, daughter of world champion roping legend Ike Rude, crisscrossed the United States with her family while her father competed in rodeos. Now retired from training and showing quarter horses, she lives in Purcell, Oklahoma.

Praise For…

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“The story of Ike Rude, told by his talented daughter, Sammie, traces the roots of rodeo, ‘America’s Own Sport,’ from the perspective of one very fascinating, and very real character. This book provides insight to the psyche of the man or woman who will embrace a lifestyle of constant danger, uncompromising competition and daily uncertainty of circumstance in order to fulfill a sense of self, simply confident in their own physical and mental capacities to create their personal concept of success. Ike Rude was unconventional, but certainly not ignorant.”—Chuck Schroeder, western artist and founding CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
— Chuck Schroeder

“The Cowboy Ike Rude: Riding Into The Wind is a very informative and interesting read. In this biography of her father, Sammie Rude Compton has captured the life and accomplishments of her iconic ranch and rodeo cowboy father Ike. She brings to life the time period and the surroundings that formed Ike into a great cowboy and horseman. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learning more about Ike and cowboy life.”—Kelly Riley President, Rodeo Historical Society
— Kelly Riley

“What a great read about a legendary cowboy’s incredible life. You’ll follow the tracks Ike made while working on the Matador ranch as a teenager, tending to wounded horses on the front lines of World War I, and swimming his horse across the swollen Red River while cowboying for the famous JA. Then riding the rails while following the early day rodeo circuit, and sleeping in tents on the rodeo grounds. All the way up to traveling in modern vehicles pulling factory made horse trailers, and roping at Cheyenne at the age of 77, while winning 3 worlds championships along the way. What an amazing ride the cowboy Ike Rude had albeit into the wind.”—Jimbo Snively, co-host of “The Cowboys of the Osage” podcast and rodeo historian for the Ben Johnson Cowboy Museum
— Jimbo Snively