Back when I was working at the Double RL in Ridgway between 2014 and 2016, the Ouray County Rodeo hosted a ranch rodeo every year on the Friday before the main event. It was a big deal. Cowboys from across the local ranches came together in one place — something that didn’t happen often outside of maybe the Cattlemen’s Ball. But ranch rodeo was different. It wasn’t for the ranch owners or the polished showmen. It was for the working cowboys. That’s what made it special.
Then COVID hit. Ranches pulled back into their own corners, and that tradition in Ouray slipped away.
Funny thing — sometimes a camera and a magazine are reason enough to go chasing what’s been lost. I found out that Hotchkiss still carried the torch, hosting a ranch rodeo at the Delta County Fair. Right away, I knew I had to shoot it for the next issue of The Western Lensman Magazine.
A little digging online led me to Delta County’s Public Information Officer, Lyndsay Mitchell. I could’ve just shown up and started shooting, but experience has taught me that without credentials, you miss the good stuff. Lyndsay didn’t hesitate. She set me up with a press packet to pick up at the livestock office, and just like that, I was in.
My wife Annette came along, as she often does. Having grown up rural herself, she feels at home in the ranching community we’ve grown to love over our thirteen years on the Western Slope. And she likes to remind me she was married to a cowboy once, anyway.
I’d spent some time in Hotchkiss before, but never like this. The rodeo kicked off at 7 p.m. on a Thursday — prime light, even if it meant the heat lingered. Hotchkiss didn’t disappoint.
What struck me first was the sheer number of ranches competing. Cowboys, cowgirls, teams, ranch names — I lost count. But one stood out. In the parking lot behind the arena, I met Jody Haskell of the Roteman Ranch in Olathe. He was curious about my photography and introduced himself straight off: “We run about 700 head and we have a lot of wrecks.” That was all I needed to hear. I liked him right then and there. Later, I caught him warming up his horses with a Coors in hand. Horses, cowboys, and Coors — nothing speaks to Colorado more than that. Add in the ranching crowd of Hotchkiss, and you’ve got the total Western experience.
Inside the arena, I had good access — at least until the sorting started. That’s when I climbed onto a fence rail and found myself eye-level with the riders. Dust filled the air, heavy enough that swapping lenses was out of the question. Shooting all primes these days means I move around more, fussing and adjusting instead of leaning on a zoom. But I’ll take the trade. The image quality is worth it, and the fixed barrel keeps dust off the sensor — something I appreciate more than I can put into words after a night like this.
And here’s what I’ll say about Hotchkiss and Delta County: you won’t find a better slice of Americana anywhere. Warm, welcoming, and utterly authentic. No kids buried in iPhones. No political statements. No attitude. Just a community gathered under the lights, pulling for their neighbors. It reminded me of the 1970s when I was growing up — before things got noisy.
Hotchkiss is a throwback, and its ranch rodeo is more than an event. It’s a reminder of the real West, alive and well in Delta County. And that, to me, is beyond special.