Lady Rode Bucking Horses The Story of Fannie Sperry Steele Woman of the West

Long before rodeo, when bucking-horse contests were held at stampedes and roundups, Fannie Sperry Steele stepped into the bronco-riding arena-and won. The Lady Rode Bucking Horses tells the remarkable story of the girl who became Lady Bucking Horse Champion of the World-twice-and went on to become a western performer and legendary rancher.

Born on a Montana homestead in 1887, Fannie knew what she wanted from the age of two, when she declared, "I gonna catch me a white-face horsie." During her long and colorful life, Fannie competed on bucking broncos; raced Thoroughbreds with the Montana Girls relay team; organized a Wild West Show with cowboy husband Bill Steele; performed with the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody; became the first Montana woman to be licensed as a wilderness outfitter; and was named a charter member of the Cowboy Hall of Fame and, later, the Cowgirl Hall of Fame.

The Lady Rode Bucking Horses is a creative retelling of Fannie's life based on family archives, newspaper articles, and personal interviews. This dramatic narrative presents a fascinating look at the pre-rodeo era and the extraordinary woman who became a world champion.

Forty trails in Montana's Absaroka/Beartooth Wilderness.

This is the story of legendary rancher and women bronc rider Fannie Sperry Steele.

Fannie was born on a Montana homestead in 1887. At the age of two, Fannie declared "I gonna catch me a white-face horsie." Even as a child, Fannie knew what she wanted.

Fannie was a remarkable woman who became a world champion. She raced thoroughbreds with a women's relay team known as the Montana Girls, twice won the title of Lady Bucking Horse Champion of the World, rode with Buffalo Bill Cody and other top western performers, became the first woman in the state of Montana to be granted an outfitters license, and was named a charter member of the Cowboy Hall of Fame.

The Lady Rode Bucking Horses depicts an era of the American West when capturing renegade horses from the hills above the homestead served as training ground for extraordinary horsemanship. It documents the life of the outstanding girl who outrode them all at stampedes and roundups and the woman she became, her spirit undaunted throughout a life marked with courage and adventure, triumph and heartache.

The story of Fannie Sperry Steele (1887-1983), who won the title Lady Bucking Horse Champion of the World at the first Calgary Stampede in 1912.

Dee Marvine spent fifteen years in Chicago as a corporate and magazine writer/editor before she moved to Montana to devote her time to writing. Her first book Last Chance (hardcover from Doubleday; paperback, Leisure Books) was nominated by Western Writers of America for their 1994 Best First Novel award. Her second novel, Sweet Grass (Five Star), takes place in 1886 Sweet Grass County and Butte, Montana. She has also written short stories, articles, and poetry. She also works as a freelance editor and conducts editing workshops for writers. A member of Western Writers of America and a founding member of Women Writing the West, she lives in Big Timber, Montana, with her artist husband, Don Marvine.

(1) Homestead and Horses (2) Riding with the Cowboys (3) Wild Horse to Bucking Bronco (4) A Horsewoman's Dilemma (5) Relay Racing (6) Winter on the Homestead, Summer on the Track (7) The Montana Girls (8) Touring the Midwest (9) Montana's Lady Bucking-Horse Champion (10) A Peer among the Best (11) Competing at the First Calgary Stampede, 1912 (12) Lady Bucking-Horse Champion of the World (13) Romance on Horseback (14) The Newlyweds (15) Defending Her Championship (16) Sharpshooting and Bronc Stomping (17) Disappointments at the Miles City Roundup (18) Wild West Headliner (19) A Place to Call Home (20) Big Cities and Buffalo Bill (21) A Troubling Revelation (22) The Fading Dream (23) More Bad Luck (24) Dude Ranching on Arrastra Creek (25) Packing into the Wilderness (26) Loved Ones Lost (27) Life with Beloved Horses (28) Broken Promise (29) Survival and Contentment (30) Hitting the Trail for the Last Time