03/13/2025
BULLDOGGING, 1917 at the Miles City (MT) Roundup. The technique of biting the steer’s lips to make him compliant and then spreading arms in victory was popularized by Black cowhand Bill Pickett’s traveling show, which advertised “catching and taming wild cattle a specialty.” James Lynch, the White bulldogger below, was wearing wrist guards, a vest, and his unblemished sugar loaf hat. In modern bulldogging (steer wrestling), speeds can reach 30 mph. The rider chases a steer, throws himself for his speeding horse to the steer’s horns, and rotates its head to bring the steer to the ground. This mad scramble takes less than 10 seconds.
In 1917, photographer Ralph R. Doubleday and Miles City businessman George Foster incorporated as Doubleday-Foster [abbreviated as D.F. below] Photo Co. For two consecutive years, Doubleday photographed the Miles City Roundup. Foster’s studio individually developed the real photo postcards. A low-res scan on eBay served as my source file. Research and Photoshop cleaning/sharpening by Gary Coffrin. A photo of Doubleday and his bulky camera is in the first comment on my page. PC users can click image to enlarge/clarify.
