Stetson Hat, (c. 1925) worn by Bill Picket, the first black cowboy inducted into the National Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Bill Pickett (1870-1932) was born in Taylor and began working on a ranch after dropping out of school in the fifth grade. He observed that bulldogs helped calm runaway steers by biting their noses and lower lip and hanging on. During his cowboy career, Pickett adapted this technique by chasing down runaway steers, springing from his saddle, wrestling the steer to the ground, and then calming the animal by biting the area beneath the nose but above the lip. This action became known as "bulldogging" and it made it easier to walk the steer back to the herd. Pickett performed this trick as well as riding and roping stunts for the 101 Ranch Wild West Shows that traveled throughout the country.
Pickett added to his fame in 1921 by starring in The Bull-Dogger. The movie was produced by the Norman Film Manufacturing Company, a Jacksonville-based independent film company that specialized in outdoor adventure films for African-American audiences. Pickett followed up this movie with another starring role in the 1922 feature The Crimson Skull.
In 1972 Pickett became the first black cowboy inducted into the National Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame. Stetson hat worn by Bill Pickett, ca. 1925 Courtesy of Applewhite-Clark Historical Collection, Texas Displayed on the Museum's third floor through November 2012