Between 1890 and 1910 rodeo emerged as a public entertainment through wild west shows and performances at 4th of July celebrations and cattle men conventions.
Then in the early 20th century rodeo came to be recognized as a competitive spectator sport. Annual stampedes, round ups and frontier days attract regional audiences and contestants throughout the west. Today rodeo appears on national TV and from Madison Square Gardens to Las Vegas.
Rodeo changed from cowboy sport to public entertainment through the efforts of early promoters. In the spirit of Wild West show entrepreneurs, these men saw the opportunity of making rodeo a distinctly American pageant. Their vision, organization and funding helped popularize the sport far beyond its western origins.

Today such individual promoters have largely been replaced by local rodeo committees. An important part of rodeo since the early 20th century, stock contractors supply the horses, bulls, steers and calves essential to the sport. Today there are nearly 50 suppliers of livestock providing animals for over 600 Professional Cowboys Rodeo Association (PRCA) sanctioned rodeos held each year in the United States.

The Darrington Rodeo is sanctioned by ProWest.

Rodeo began in the mid-1800's as a formal contest between working cowboys, which tested such skills as bronc riding and steer roping. Rodeo is the only major competitive sport that evolved from an actual lifestyle. Accomplished skills of roping and riding stout-bred, strong willed horses became a necessity during the western cattle drive era at the end of the Civil War.
Life on the cattle trails produced a breed of men that eventually grew into the living legend- The American Cowboy. These nomadic "cowpunchers" faced incredible odds during the early days on the open range. Survival and success in the early west forced these bronzed men to develop their roping and riding skills to a high level. It also brought the competitive spirit of these independent rawhide tough men to the surface.