Archival footage of the Houston Rodeo (KPRC 2 / Texas Archive of the Moving Image)
HOUSTON – Ninety years is a long time and through the long, storied history of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, there have been many grand and amazing moments and stories.
A steer being used for the steer wrestling event appeared to go stiff and then had to be taken off the dirt floor in a pickup truck. Rodeo authorities assured viewers that the animal had a pinched nerve and was going to be OK.
A rodeo protester dressed to look like wounded animals went viral on Facebook, claiming that animals are harmed during the rodeo. Rodeo officials refuted those claims.
People walk through the carnival area at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. (KPRC)
Police said they believe a single shot was fired on the carnival grounds at the Houston Rodeo, but they didn’t find a witness to the shooting or find a firearm on the rodeo grounds. A spent shell 9 mm casing was found in the northwest part of the carnival grounds, near Kirby and Westridge, which led them to believe a shot was fired. Video from witnesses to the panic showed people running out of the carnival. Some people claimed to have heard several gunshots, while others said they were just alarmed by the frantic crowd.
A chuckwagon driver was injured in over-the-top fashion during the Houston Rodeo in 2016. He fell off his wagon during a turn. The Houston Rodeo reported the driver hurt his shoulder during the accident but was expected to be fine.
A team of horses on the Los Vaqueros Rio Grande Trail Ride got spooked and a runaway trail ride wagon collided with another wagon on S. Rice near Linden. The wagon that was hit crashed into a police car, heavily damaging the official vehicle.
A female trail rider was seriously hurt when the runaway wagon hit her horse and knocked her down.
On the Survival Island attraction, a children’s area funhouse that includes a bounce house, a climbing net and a slide, a 4-year-old boy broke his leg last year.
Brie Ana Williams sued the rodeo after she was raped in 2012 during a Dayton event associated with the Los Vaqueros Trail Riders. She eventually settled with the Los Vaqueros Trail Ride in a settlement of $575,000. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which was also included in the lawsuit, was dismissed.
In 2012, a 3-year-old girl was thrown from the Techno jump ride while riding with her brother. Although the toddler met the height requirements for the ride, the girl might have been better off riding with an adult.
In 2011, a man fell from the seat of a car on the Hi-Miler roller coaster and plunged to his death. The family of that man later sued and received a reported $2.7 million settlement from the rodeo and RCS Inc.
Attorneys for the family said the rodeo had been warned for two years leading up to the accident that there was a problem with the ride.
The Hi-Miler coaster is no longer part of the rodeo carnival.
Two people were hurt and were transported to the hospital after a bull named “Hardball” got loose on the Houston Rodeo grounds around 5 p.m. You can watch video of the scene captured by a rodeo attendee in the KPRC 2 clip in the YouTube video below. You can also catch “Houston Life” host Courtney Zavala wearing her news anchor hat introducing the report.
Selena Quintanilla during her last concert performance at the Astrodome. (KPRC)
Selena Quintanilla graced the Houston Rodeo stage for the last time, just weeks before her death on March 31, 1995.
On Go Tejano Day, Quintanilla performed inside Houston’s iconic Astrodome on Feb. 26, 1995. On that night, the Tejano music star arrived in a white carriage, wearing one of her most memorable outfits to this day: her iconic purple, sparkling jumpsuit, which was replicated in the movie “Selena,” personified by Jennifer Lopez. The outfit has also been worn for Halloween by celebrities such as Demi Lovato and Kim Kardashian.
Quintanilla began her Astrodome performance with “I Will Survive,” followed by a mix of popular disco songs. She also sang her own hits, including “Amor Prohibido” and “Baila.” She closed out the night with “Como La Flor.”
Quintanilla performed at RodeoHouston on three occasions, in 1993, 1994 and 1995, all under the Astrodome roof.
She would have turned 24 years old, just two weeks before her death.
Yolanda Saldivar, Selena’s fan club president, shot the star to death in Corpus Christi. Saldivar remains behind bars serving a life sentence in a prison in Gatesville, Texas. She will be available for parole on March 30, 2025.
In the rodeo’s 40th year, Ronnie and Donnie Galyon, Siamese twins, were put on display. Joined at the waist, the brothers sat in a trailer for viewing with their dogs, household objects, and photo of them as children.
Fire damaged the Sam Houston Hall following the 1936 show, therefore, there was no show in 1937. Organizers utilized the year off to explore new ideas for the 1938 Show.
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