Ikua Purdy

One of a group of Hawaiian paniolos (Hawaiian cowboys) who traveled to Cheyenne in 1908 to compete for the World Championship, Ikua Purdy walked away with the World Roping Champion Title at Cheyenne Frontier Days™ and $240.00 in prize money. The long trip to Cheyenne had to be traveled by boat to Honolulu, then by steamship to San Francisco and finally by Union Pacific train to Cheyenne. On the last day of competition and on his second steer, Purdy roped a steer in a minute and three seconds. His average score beat Wyoming’s best ropers, two regional record holder competitors and the 1907 CFD champion and created a stir in the rodeo world. Proving himself a great cowboy in the Cheyenne arena, Purdy never returned to Cheyenne and never again left the shores of Hawaii, working as a foreman on the Ulupalakua Ranch.