2nd Place World Bronc Riding Champion 1911
—October 3, 1890 - October 1, 1973 —
Inducted into the Round-Up hall of Fame, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, National Cowboys of Color Hall of Fame
George Fletcher arrived in Pendleton around 1900 at the age of 10 with his mother and stepfather. His home life was unstable, and the hardships faced by African-Americans at that time were difficult to surmount. George was taken under the wing of a local minister, Reverend Cornelison at the Tutilla Presbyterian Church on the Umatilla Indian Reservation east of Pendleton. Friends from the tribes helped him learn how to manage, train, and work with horses. He was the only African-American to compete in the first Pendleton Round-Up in 1910.
George Fletcher was a competitor for the World Bronc Riding Championship in 1911 Round-Up completion. Although John Spain was declared the winner, many of the fans believed Fletcher should have won first place. The first-place price (sic) of a $350 saddle went to John Spain. Sheriff Til Taylor, a Round-Up director at the time, took Fletcher's black cowboy hat and cut it into small bits and sold them to the crowd. He raised enough money for Fletcher to by a $350 saddle like the first-place prize with an additional $350 to spare. George Fletcher was declared the "People's Champion."
Fletcher competed in rodeos until the outbreak of World War I, when
he was drafted into the service. He was sent to France as part of the SOS Unit of the 815 Pioneer Infantry. Following an injury during the war, he walked with a limp and retired from rodeo completion. Fletcher went to work for various ranches and was a familiar face in Pendleton for the rest of his life.
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