Duford honored on behalf of Les Baldwin at NRA Rodeo

A couple of years ago Jim Duford took a trip to the Oklahoma City National Cowboys Hall Of Fame and was astonished when he realized the majority of the Cowboys immortalized in the Hall of Fame were contestants at Les Baldwin’s National Rodeo Association Rodeo years ago.

That is when Duford began to do his homework in hopes of getting his uncle, the person that raised him when he arrived in Polson in 1945 from Milwaukee as an asthmatic that was struggling to live in the smog-filled air of Wisconsin, some recognition. He contacted the Montana Cowboys Hall of Fame.

“I thought I better start doing something to see if I could get him fully recognized for all that he did in building the Fairgrounds,” Duford said. “I started to getting in contact with the Montana Hall Of Fame and started working with executive director Christy Stensland a couple of years ago.”

Baldwin’s wife owned the Hut Cafe on Main Street around the time the Kerr (SKQ) Dam was being constructed.

Duford, who is a native of Milwaukee, Wisc., was on oxygen in the hospital and was sent out to Polson. They threw all of his belongings in a paper bag, took him to the barber to get a haircut and sent him on a flight to Missoula.

Duford was basically raised by Baldwin, who got him the proper medicine to reduce his asthma attacks. Eventually he overcame them.

According to Duford, he was dying when he was 10 years old. Now he is 84 and credits Baldwin with improving the quality of his life.

This, aside from Baldwin’s illustrious history, is why he hopes to keep Les Baldwin’s name and legacy alive. He has even donated some of Baldwin’s things to various local museums.

NRA promoter and head of the Polson Fairground UnaRose Graham acknowledged Baldwin’s accomplishments.

The roots of the Polson rodeo began with Baldwin’s vision in 1938. By 1940, Baldwin had raised enough money to start the first-ever rodeo called the “Polson Roundup” that was part of the RCA circuit that included the Cheyenne Frontier Days, the Calgary Stampede, and Pendleton Roundup. Baldwin would later be enshrined into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame for his efforts.

“People on the rodeo circuit, who would come to Polson traveling in between Calgary and Cheyenne, would stop in Polson in the 40s and 50s,” said Una Rose Graham, secretary of the Polson Fairgrounds Inc. “They later picked up the PCRA Rodeo and the RCA Rodeo Cowboys Association, which was a big rodeo back then. A lot of the best ones that were competing in other rodeos would stop in Polson and compete also.”

Graham said she felt it was appropriate to honor Duford and his uncle for their contributions to the rodeo

“We wanted to honor Jim Duford for his Uncle Les’s determination and care for the facility,” Graham said. “He was able to get all of that built here and on that property to be able to use as rodeo grounds, grand stands, and a half-mile race track. He was the backbone of getting the whole project done in the late 30s and early 40s. He really cared about this property and facility and wanted the rodeo to be a permanent event in Polson. That was made possible last year by Jim Duford when he wrote an application to get his Uncle inducted into the Cowboy Hall Of Fame and was nominated to be inducted in 2016.”

Duford, who was paraded out in a four-wheeler at the NRA Rodeo, was formally recognized and on behalf of his uncle, waived to the estimated crowd of about 3,000 in attendance.

“When the announcer said he was out there looking down, I figured he was in heaven smiling,” Duford said. “People didn’t appreciate or even know what he had done out there. I used to ride out and help him take out water shrubs on the fence line. He did things like plant them until they started growing. When they gave out the info about him. Les Baldwin was looking down and was probably really proud and happy that he was recognized for his accomplishments 70 years later.”

The grandstands at the Polson Fairgrounds have also immortalized Les Baldwin as his name is painted on the grandstand honoring all of the hard work, dedication, and committment he had towards bringing and keeping the NRA Rodeo in Polson.

Now his name will be associated with the rodeo and Polson and in the rodeo business.