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A Little History

OldDog/NewTricks

Well-known member
I meat Frank Dean in the early 1960’s when I joined the Santa Clara Sheriff’s Office Mounted Search and Rescue Unite (a working unit - NOT a Parade Unit)

Frank (the Unit Captain) with his wife Bernice, lived and owned “Frontier Town” in the Almaden Area of San Jose, Ca.. Semi-retied from Show Business Frank worked weekday in the Sheet Metal Business, weekends he did local Western Shows. He like to Rope my horse Poco Taco (I called Toni Sue) because she would not “Duck Off the Rope” - we did Local Rodeos with him. A favorite trice was for him to do a Head Stand with His Head In A Bucket and Rope Us As We Rode By.

Frank Dean

(Deceased)

Frank Dean got into vaudeville around the San Francisco Bay area in 1927 and 28, and worked dates in theatres, hotels, night clubs, service clubs and so forth the rest of his life, from San Francisco to Hong Kong. His wife, Bernice, was also a performer. In fact, they were married on horseback during a Wild West Show in Yokohama, Japan in 1935. They both earned Gold Cards (lifetime memberships) in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

Frank Dean did trick riding, trick roping, whip popping, knife throwing and occasionally competed in rodeos in the steer roping, calf roping and bareback broncs and bulls. In 1939, he did something that got him into the Guiness Book of World Records (1975 edition). That entry said, "The longest stock whip ever `cracked' (i.e., the end made to travel about the speed of sound--760 m.p.h.) is one of 80 feet, first cracked by Frank Dean at the North Dakota STate Fair in 1939.
He even received three patents on his inventions, one of which is "The Super Spur," a one-piece spur which stays in one position and can't work loose and does not requite any "tie downs".

Frank Dean sold his first articles to Popular Mechanics and Popular Science in about 1927. He often wrote news releases for the newspapers about the different Wild West shows in which he appeared. In the 1940's he wrote articles for Western Horseman, and he wrote an illustrated history book on Trick and Fancy Riding (Caxton Printers, Caldwell, Idaho). He also wrote a booklet on "The Art of Knife Throwing".

During World War II, he was a staff writer and photographer in the Army and was in Soissons, France when V.E. day came. He also oversaw the publication of a history of the company he was in, the 665 Ordinance Ammunition Company.. And he also carried his whips and ropes wherever he went--even in his pack when he waded ashore on Utah Beach. He returned to America in Nov., 1945 and began touring with the 101 Ranch Wild West Show based in Ponca City, Oklahoma.

In 1976, at the age of 68, he broke his femur bone in a fall from his horse while doing a roping act at the State Fair that August. And he made the TV news which in November he performed roping stunts while still in traction in his hospital bed.
 

OldDog/NewTricks

Well-known member
Many Trick Ropers in History - Good Links

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Trick+Roper+Frank+Dean&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=Trick+Roper+Frank+Dean&oq=Trick+Roper+Frank+Dean&gs_l=serp.12..33i38.28787.33301.0.64346.6.4.2.0.0.1.116.369.2j2.4.0.les;..0.0...1c.1.mDyjgdlDIng&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=b610fb1514df2529&biw=1288&bih=866
 

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
Very Interesting. :D

Monte Montana lived about 5 miles west of us and a child. (Some say born there) He has been back to visit the area and we have a picture of my son as a little guy with Monte. :D

I don't know how he would have compared to Frank Dean but it's still pretty cool. :D
 

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