Hotcakes to High Stakes: The Chuckwagon Story

This year the Calgary Stampede celebrates the 100th anniversary of chuckwagon racing! This is the full story of the open range cowboys home away from home, their mobile kitchen, the chuckwagon. In 1923 the last of the old chuckwagons left the range to rumble around the Calgary Stampede racetrack for the first Rangeland Derby, the world famous chuckwagon race! Originally driven by actual range cowboys accompanied by outriders from the same ranch or group of ranches, the races now feature professional drivers and outriders. These men and women now ride and drive sleek Thoroughbred racehorses instead of the ranch ponies used in the first 1923 races. But the tradition that started 100 years ago still exists in the nightly races and the pancake breakfasts each morning during Calgary's ten day extravaganza: The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth!