Book on Canada's Rodeo Queen released for International Women's Day

A children’s book about Canada’s little-known rodeo queen is being released today, to mark International Women’s Day.

Author Ayesha Clough says "Howdy, I'm Flores LaDue was about a woman who did it all.

"Totally a woman ahead of her time and very small but mighty. She was less than five feet tall but there she was roping five horses with one throw and doing all these scary stunts and helping to create the Calgary Stampede which is a national historic event in Canada and is something that we celebrate 110 years after she and Guy (Weadick) founded it," she says.

Clough explained that LaDue didn't have the happiest upbringing, coming from Minnesota, raised by a very strict father, her mother passed away when she was young and she ran away to become a trick roper.

"Much against the wishes of her father she set out to join the Cummins Wild West Show and then the 101 Wild West Show and she was so committed to her craft, she just practiced and practiced and practiced until she got to the point where no other cowgirl could come close to her when it came to her roping skills," said Clough.

It was at one of those shows where she met Guy Weadick, who was instrumental to the start of the Calgary Stampede in 1912.

Flores LaDue and Guy Weadick settled in the Longview area.

Clough is also asking students to send in letters calling for LaDue to be inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.

"We're getting kids, we're leading the charge with a school letter writing campaign, we want to harness the power of kids to write hundreds and hundreds of letters hopefully that their teachers will gather up and send to us and then I want to take them over in October to the two sports halls and present them formally with an application for Flores to be inducted and I'm hoping they won't be able to say 'no' to the kids," Clough says.

To get involved go to redbarnbooks.ca, go to the Teaching Guide section and print off the Howdy Books Activity Kit.

Clough says you only need to send in the letter template and there's an envelope there kids can use or teachers can send it in, whichever way is easiest.