The great rodeo cowboy Pete Bruised Head was born on the Blood Indian Reserve March 18, 1897.
The missionaries mistranslated the name ‘Bruised Head’ it should have been Long Curly Hair.
He served the in the Canadian Army for 2 years, receiving an honorable discharge in 1919.
Pete’s natural athletic ability won him a lot of bronc riding contests in the ‘20s
Perhaps the most famous ride of all was when, in 1924 in the old Fort Macleod Arena, H was the first man to ride the legendary Midnight. As it was not an "approved" rodeo, and credit for the first ride is generally given to World Champion Pete Knight.
In 1925 and then again in 1927 Pete Bruised Head won the calf roping championship at the Calgary Stampede.
In 1947 his rodeo career ended when he broke his leg practicing to enter the Calgary Stampede in bronc riding and calf roping. The leg never healed properly.
Pete’s many championship mementos, trophies and trophy saddles were once on display in the Roman Catholic Mission on the Blood Reserve, but they have since disappeared. While his personal mementos were lost in a house fire, it’s rumored his trophy saddles are in a private collection.
The legacy of the famous rodeo family name continues to this day, with five generations of the famous Bruised Head clan rodeoing in both ends of the rodeo arena.
The legendary Pete Bruised Head died in the fall of 1973.
