August 2018 24 By Jim Olson, ©2018 WesternTradingPost.com Little” Joe Gardner may have been the first rodeo Cowboy known to endorse a saddle. An early 1900s, S.D. Myres Saddle Company catalog stated, “The Joe Gardner saddle weighs 30 pounds, has a very fancy floral carving with the trim dyed a dark chocolate. The saddle's workmanship is from a master's hand. The material is the finest. He who rides this saddle rides with the knowledge that he has the best. The saddle is made on a 14-inch tree with a 13-inch fork.” S.D. Myres, who started his business in 1898, was a renown saddle maker of the day. The catalog also describes Joe Gardner as “One of the greatest old-time ropers. He is a princely gentleman, a real cowman, and an expert rider. We are happy to count him a friend.” But just who was “Little” Joe Gardner? Some reports claim that Joseph Henry Gardner was born in Hudspeth County, Texas, near Sierra Blanca in 1879. However, according to Hudspeth Co. birth records found online: Gardner, Joseph Henry was born on October 15, 1877. His father, John Gardner (1845–1926) was a Texas Ranger, Veteran of the Indian Wars, Trail Boss and Cowboy of noted fame. Little Joe was raised a Cowboy from the get-go. Joe was a bit on the small side, therefore the nickname, “Little Joe.” However, his roping accomplishments were definitely—not small. As a matter of fact, when folks talk about the “best of the best” ropers from the early part of the 1900s, there are generally three names lumped together; J. Ellison Carroll, Clay McGonagill, and Joe Gardner. What Gardner lacked in size, he made up for in horsemanship and roping skills. He came from a long line of accomplished horseman and an old-timer has been quoted as once saying, "A Gardner would feed a horse first and let his family go hungry.” Joe was also known for rarely missing with his loop. One of the many horses Joe was well-known for was a gray called “Skunk.” He was considered one of the best roping horses of the day and Joe often loaned him to his friend and fellow competitor, Clay McGonagill. Although the title of “World Champion” was ephemeral in those days, it has been reported that both Gardner and McGonagill won World Championships on Skunk. Gardner also performed in Wild West Shows with notables such as Tom Mix, Will Rogers, and William S. Hart. Gardner and McGonagill were two of a group of Cowboys recruited by Midland, Texas area cattlemen to travel to Argentina and put on a series of exhibitions there. Gardner was invited to the first ever Calgary Stampede in 1912. He won third that year in steer roping. Several years later, he returned to the rodeo and challenged anybody on the grounds to a roping match. A fellow by the name of Clem Gardner (no relation), a good Canadian cowboy, accepted the challenge and lost the match to “Little Joe.” Joe also won the “World Championship” roping contest after a grueling twenty-one days of competition in Chicago in 1920. Another time that Joe’s name pops up is when the El Paso Herald on March 02, 1911 reported, “Little Joe Gardner of Sierra Blanca will be one of the Texans represented at the Grand International Roping Contest this weekend at Cowboy Park.” On July 30, 1920, a Cheyenne, Wyoming newspaper, reporting on the Frontier Days activities said, “Joe Gardner of El Paso was one of the conquerors. He roped his first steer in 25 seconds flat, and then, just to show that it wasn't a matter of luck, turned around and got a second brute in 22.4. The latter is just one second more than the world's record. “ Following Gardner's performance, it was announced that he had established a new record for the Cheyenne field. The figures show, however, that in 1916 Fred Lowry did the roping stunt in 24 flat, and that his mark was subsequently lowered to 21.4. That time still stands. In his second trial Thursday the Texan had the good fortune to get a steer which did not appear to be particularly anxious to get away with the result that he had his rope around the steer within 100 yards of the corral. From then on it was only a matter of a few short seconds until the animal was down and its four legs bound together as tightly as a thirsty man's hold on a bottle of wet goods in this year 1 A.P. (After Prohibition.)” In those early days, Hollywood often used traveling rodeo Cowboys for stuntmen, extras and Cowboy actors in their films. Most in the rodeo circles knew you could get some work as you traveled through California if they were shooting a western movie. Joe was no exception. He actually starred in a 1920 movie called, “Cowboy Jazz”, with other known rodeo greats such as Chester Beyers, Rose Henderson, Tommy Kirnan and Bea Kirnan. It is reported that Joe died of stomach cancer in 1921. One of the great early day “World Champion” ropers and a West Texas legend, Joseph Henry “Little Joe” Gardner was posthumously inducted into the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum’s, Rodeo Hall of Fame, in 1979. What Gardner lacked in size, he made up for in horsemanship and roping skills. Joe was also known for rarely missing with his loop. Joe Gardner breaking steer roping record, Cheyenne Frontier Days, time 23 seconds.