Tom Three Persons facts for kids
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Tom Three Persons (born March 19, 1888 – died August 13, 1949) was a famous rodeo star and rancher. He was a member of the Kainai Nation (Blood people), who are part of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Tom is best known for winning the saddle bronc competition at the very first Calgary Stampede in 1912. He was the only Canadian Indigenous athlete to win a championship at this important rodeo event.
Early Life of Tom Three Persons
Tom Three Persons was born on March 19, 1888. His mother, Double Talker (Ayakonhtseniki), was a Kainai woman. His father, Fred Pace, was a white trader.
Tom was raised on the Blood Reserve. He was adopted by his mother’s Kainai husband. This helped him keep his Indigenous status.
The Blood Reserve was his home when he was a child. In May 1903, he went to St. Joseph’s Indian Industrial School. This was a special boarding school for Indigenous children.
After leaving the school in 1906, Tom started two careers. He became a rodeo athlete and a rancher or cowboy.
Rodeo Achievements
Guy Weadick was the person who organized the first Calgary Stampede. He wanted to find the best cowboys for the rodeo events. He contacted the Indian Agent for the Blood Reserve, W.J. Hyde.
The Indian Agent wrote back to Weadick. He said that Tom Three Persons should be allowed to enter the bucking horse contests. Tom won the saddle bronc contest.
He rode a horse named Cyclone that no one had ever ridden before. Tom won $1000, a saddle, and a gold belt buckle. He got an injury that stopped him from trying to win again at the 1913 Winnipeg Stampede.
Tom kept taking part in local rodeos. He was at the Gleichen (Alberta) Stampede in 1914. He also rode at the 1918 Lethbridge Stampede.
However, he never rode as well as he did at the Calgary Stampede. In the 1920s and 1930s, he stayed involved in rodeo. He helped organize events and worked as a judge.
Ranching and Later Life
Tom Three Persons was well known in southern Alberta as a rancher. He lived on the Blood Reserve. This was even though there were rules that made things difficult for Indigenous people at the time.
He raised cattle and horses. He also farmed grain. By the late 1930s, he owned more than 200 Hereford cattle.
When he passed away, his property was worth about $100,000. News stories about his death mainly talked about his big win at the 1912 Calgary Stampede. In 1983, he was honored by being added to the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.
