You can take a girl out of town, but…
As my car stopped at a stop sign, my wide eyes silently followed a young family of four crossing the street in an old-fashioned horse-drawn wagon.
–I felt like the city of Pendleton was about to drive the city right out of me.
I was in the area for the first time for the annual Pendleton Round-Up. As a resident of Portland/Oregon, I had of course heard of the Pendleton Round-Up. It is one of the largest annual events in the state, and one of the largest and oldest running rodeos in the country. But as someone who hates both dust and gasoline in my car, attending the Pendleton Round-Up was always on the back burner for me, despite the good reviews I’ve heard.
But after attending my very first rodeo (Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo) and with cowboy culture and western aesthetics becoming mainstream, it was only fitting that I also attend this year’s Pendleton Round-Up.
With my brand new boots and a belt buckle that weighed more than my wallet, I expected to get smacked in the face with COWBOY-NESS’ horse hoof, or maybe even a literal horse hoof. Looking back, I realize I had imagined something similar to Frontierland at Disney. And yes, I saw a lot of cowboy hats, spurs and chaps as I walked down the street to a local bar, but another detail held my attention longer.
Nearly every establishment in town proudly displayed a Pendleton Whiskey flag, a window sticker, or, in the case of one person I met later, a tattoo.
That led me to ask: What makes Pendleton Whiskey so special that the entire city, no pun intended, is smearing itself with the brand? With my very limited experience at exactly one rodeo, I had seen ads from various companies investing and sponsoring rodeos, but this… this felt different. It was something deeper. Pendleton Whiskey didn’t feel like a promotional stamp. Pendleton Whiskey felt like an integral part of the actual Pendleton Round-Up.
So okay really, it led to two questions: why is whiskey even a thing at the rodeo?
“It’s not a rodeo,” a man next to me at the bar stool corrected when I said the question out loud.
Okay, why is whiskey even a thing Wrapping up. Or, I suppose, Western culture in general? While the origins of whiskey are debated, with both Ireland and Scotland vying for the title, whiskey arrived on the shores of America in the 18th century with European immigrants and their distilling experience.
Since there was no Tik Tok at the time, whiskey quickly became a favorite pastime of the American colonists, which of course meant it was also a favorite of the federal tax office. To avoid high taxes, whiskey production was largely confined to the outskirts of the new, burgeoning country. At the time that meant Kentucky and Tennessee, but as settlers moved further west, so did their whiskey.
From saloons to the old dusty trail, whiskey became the drink of choice in the West, including at rodeos. Like the terrain, whiskey was rough, raw and above all Real. As with other aspects of cowboy life, depending on where they went and who they got it from, whiskey could involve a lingering burn. I shuddered, expecting that same burn to cover my own throat as I ordered my first drink at Pendleton, Pendleton Whiskey, of course. Except… there was no burn.
I quickly learned that the burn, or lack thereof, comes down to the finish. Tia Bledsoe, Brand Heritage Director of Pendleton Whiskey, explains that the water component makes all the difference. While legislation like the Pure Food and Drug Act and Yelp reviews have pushed the quality of American whiskey beyond its bootlegged past for centuries, Pendleton Whiskey has access to a certain body of water that can’t be found anywhere else: majestic Mount Hood Glacier water.
There’s a reason why Oregon takes the cake for having the best tap water in the country.
Bledsoe describes the Pendleton Whiskey flavor as the perfect complement for people who also enjoy whole-body products traditionally made with bourbon and whiskey, and because of its unique finish it can also be used for clear spirits. As someone who doesn’t drink often, the versatility of Pendleton Whiskey appeals to me on an economic level, but I could also see that it was something deeper. The brand strives to stay true to its Western heritage, but does so in a way that makes it (both the whiskey and the lifestyle) accessible and welcoming to newcomers.
Okay, so whiskey is a staple at rodeos, and so is Pendleton Whiskey good great amazing quality, so its presence at the Pendleton Round-Up is not surprising. That answered one question. But for Pendleton Whiskey to be SO present at one of the biggest rodeos –
“…no rodeo,” my bar neighbor reminded me with a light-hearted chuckle.
Wrapping up. I meant Wrapping up. That man had impeccable hearing. How did Pendleton Whiskey go from a really tasty drink at a Round-Up to the core of the community? For that answer I had to start at the beginning; I went to the Tamástlikken Cultural Institute, the only Native American heritage center along the Oregon Trail.
Everything we now call the United States of America is, always has been and always will be indigenous land. While the history, traditions and cultures of the Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla and other indigenous peoples of the area date back to ancient times, the introduction of horses to the region via ‘Northern Mexico’ in the mid-18th century was pivotal in modern times . Plateau Tribal History and the Round-Up.
Less than a century later, with waves of settlers and the various epidemics that followed, federal treaties were broken, land stolen, horrific “boarding schools” established, and hundreds of thousands of voices silenced—or at least attempted to silence them.
September 1910.
For the new farming town of Pendleton, Oregon, harvest season had just ended and farmers and ranchers had a few weeks before they could sow again. It was also one of the first years that tribes in the area were allowed to gather, and for some it was the first time they were able to reconnect with their friends and family from other reservations. Following an earlier celebration that included bronc riding, horse racing, tribal war dances and fireworks, Pendleton community leaders partnered with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to bring the Pendleton Round-Up to life.
The Round-Up began and continues to function as a largely volunteer-based organization. Pat Beard, director of the Pendleton Convention Center, confirms that while the sport of rodeo has evolved, the Pendleton Round-Up is still completely community driven. As a Round-Up volunteer, Beard emphasizes that partnerships with local businesses, like Pendleton Whiskey, are extremely important in keeping the Round-Up community guided. “Blue Mountain Community College is helping with construction and infrastructure [of the Pendleton Round-Up]. Service groups and community groups use the Round-Up for their major fundraiser for the year. The community coming together is the success of the raid.”
In turn, the Round-Up ensures their brand partners embody the same values with sponsored funding initiatives such as ‘Tough Enough To Wear Pink’ to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer support programs in the local community. In addition to the numerous organizations that Pendleton Whiskey supports through the Round-Up, they also donate a portion of their proceeds to specific charities, such as their Military Edition which supports veteran families and their Champions Edition honoring the champions of the Round-Up and the 1,200 volunteers – only sold in Oregon!
When I asked other Round-Up attendees what they enjoyed most about the event, and what kept them coming back, I initially expected responses to focus on the excitement of the fighting horses, or the agility of the relay racers, or the ferocity of the bull riders. I expected a few nods to the parties, or the variety of vendors, or even to the comforting food. However, most of the stories I heard were just that.
Stories.
Stories of families being reunited during the Round-Up and catching up in their own language: that has been the case since the beginning. For a week in September, a town of just 17,000 residents supports a crowd of 80,000 people. It sounds almost unbelievable, but for Pendleton it’s as simple as holding hands with each other. At the heart of the Western lifestyle is community, and for Pendleton that community manifests as “…the Pendleton Round-Up?” I raised an eyebrow at my neighbor at the bar.
My neighbor smiled and raised his glass to me: “Now you get it.”
The Round-Up itself is the story of reconnecting and reimagining what life in the West (and beyond) can look like when we work together – and that includes businesses. Invest in the community and the community will invest in you. That’s the secret ingredient, both in life and in my drink.
The spirit of the city is the Pendleton Round-Up, and the spirit of the Round-Up is Pendleton Whiskey.
Kay Kingsman is a writer and full-time crazy goose. In addition to being the first person to cripwalk in Antarctica, Kay has been featured in Forbes, Fodor’s, Viator and her blog The Awkward Traveler.
