Ruth Scantlin, later Ruth Scantlin Roach, later Ruth Scantlin Roach Salmon (

1896 Events January * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports Wilhelm Röntgen's dis ...

– June 26,

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

), was a professional bronc rider, and world champion

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

cowgirl.

Biography

Ruth Scantlin 24-year career began in 1914 and ended in 1938, when she retired from the rodeo and started a ranching business in Nocona,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, with her husband, Fred Salmon. She is an inductee in the

National Cowgirl Hall of Fame The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is located in Fort Worth, Texas, US. Established in 1975, it is dedicated to honoring women of the American West who have displayed extraordinary courage and pioneering fortitude. The museum is an edu ...

(1989), the National Rodeo Hall of Fame in the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Amer ...

formerly known as the National Cowboy Hall of Fame (1989) and the

National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum The National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum, formerly the National Cowboys of Color Museum and Hall of Fame, is a museum and hall of fame in Fort Worth, Texas. History The National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum was founded Fe ...

in 2011. She traveled the world with the

Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), better known as Buffalo Bill, was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody started his legend at the young age ...

Wild West Show and The 101 Real Wild West Show. Bronc riding was her favorite event, although she performed and won championship titles in other areas (as Ruth Roach). During her career she won the titles of World's Champion All Around Cowgirl, World's Champion Trick Rider, and World's Champion Girl Bronc Rider.

Personal life

Ruth Scantlin married fellow rider Brian Roach (winner of the 1919

Calgary Stampede The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, fair, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year a ...

bronc riding competition); after their divorce, she retained the name Roach for the rest of her career for professional reasons. She later married another rider, Ambrose Richardson, and Fred Alvord, a rodeo director and cowboy. Her final marriage was to Fred Salmon, a rancher.The Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West, Michael Wallis, 1999, p. 598 (note 42).

References

External links

Ruth Scantlin Roach Salmon Collection
hosted by th
Portal to Texas History
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roach, Ruth 1896 births 1986 deaths American female equestrians Wild West show performers Saddle bronc riders Trick riders Women stunt performers Cowgirl Hall of Fame inductees People from Nocona, Texas 20th-century American sportswomen