A former Miss Rodeo Canada is heading back to the community where it all started six decades ago — kicking off a series of events that including her looking in the eyes of a Hollywood legend.
“1959 was my big year,” said Okotoks resident Phyllis (nee Backs) Dahl, who grew up in Millarville. “In July, I was Miss Frontier of High River, and then I was Miss Rodeo Canada and then I was a runner-up to Miss Rodeo of America.”
Dahl is being celebrated at the Guy Weadick Pro Rodeo this weekend in High River on the anniversary of her winning Miss Frontier. She will be joined by the present Miss Rodeo Canada, Jaden Holle, who grew up in High River.
Dahl got off to a surprising start in High River a few years before becoming Miss Frontier.
“I was about 14 and all of the neighbouring ranch kids would gather at somebody’s ranch and we would ride steers,” she said with a smile. “And I was the only girl. The High River rodeo was coming up and the boys were entering the steer riding. ‘They told me ‘Phil, you should come and enter that.’
“I said ‘I can’t because I’m not a boy.’”
She entered as Phil, put her hair under her hat and won the darn thing.
“The next year, when the program came out it said ‘Boys steer riding — absolutely no girls allowed,’’’ she said with a laugh.
She was far from done with High River.
She won Miss Frontier in 1959, shortly after turning the required 18 years of age.
“You are judged on horsemanship, personality and general knowledge,” she said.
Miss Rodeo Canada was held in the fall at the old Stampede Corral.
When she was announced as winner, she knew how much support she got from High River.
“They had me race around the arena and the announcer said: ‘Anyone from High River here? Please stand up,” Dahl recalled. “Half the gall-darn crowd was from High River.”
Dahl was selected to represent Canada at Miss Rodeo of America in Las Vegas.
There was one problem — while not scared to ride a steer, she was a small-town Millarville girl.
“I was a naïve country kid,” she said. “When I won and had to go to the States, I was scared to death. I had never been on a plane, a boat, the farthest I have ever been from home was Lethbridge.
“I was scared.”
She was able to convince the Calgary Stampede to, rather than send a chaperone and an expensive plane flight, to instead send her down with mom and dad, Hans and Merle who had just bought a brand new vehicle.
“They had never been on a holiday,” said Dahl. “We went for three weeks and saw all the sights. Salt Lake City, saw the biggest organ in the world. To see eight lanes of traffic, we couldn’t believe it… and then we hit Las Vegas…”
During a promotional event in Vegas, she ran into a Rowdy character, who would later find fame in High River as well.
“Clint Eastwood was out visiting us girls and he was the best looking son of a gun,” said of the Hollywood legend, who was starring as Rowdy Yates in Rawhide at the time.
However, the Millarville girl was decked out in hot western gear in the baking Vegas sun.
“I was getting woozy and then I fainted just after this picture was taken (see accompanying photo),” she said with a smile. “When I woke up, he had his handkerchief and he was dabbing my face.
“I woke up and all I could see was Clint Eastwood… That was a highlight for sure.”
The actor also found fortune in High River.
Eastwood would work on the Academy Award winning Unforgiven at High River’s Wales Theatre about 33 years later.
Dahl went onto a successful real estate in the Calgary and Foothills area. She returned to rodeo, competing in the senior pro rodeo circuit, winning Canadian championships in the 1990s.
Now she has come full-circle returning to High River as a former Miss Rodeo Canada.
“They are going to introduce me, with Jaden, saying: ‘Here is our queen from 60 years ago,”’ she said. “I’m honoured.”
The Guy Weadick Days Pro Rodeo runs June 22 at 2 p.m. with the June 23 performance going at 1 p.m. at the High River Rodeo Grounds. For ticket information go to highriverag.com
