Isabella Miller (barrel racer)

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Isabella Miller
Black and white photograph of a woman in a cowboy hat and large print shirt riding a horse in a barrel racing competition.
Miller in 1969
Born
Pearl Isabella Hamilton

(1941-01-28)28 January 1941
Alberta, Canada
Died26 January 2007(2007-01-26) (aged 65)
Maricopa, Arizona
NationalityCanadian
Other namesIsabella Hamilton Miller, Isabella Miller Haraga
Occupationrancher, horse trainer, rodeo performer
Years active1957–2007
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 2002)​
Children3

Isabella Miller (28 January 1941 – 26 January 2007) was a Canadian rodeo performer, rancher and horse trainer. She was the Canadian Barrel Racing Champion in 1960 and 1969 and was a 5-time winner of the Canadian All-Around women's title. She was inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2005.

Early life[]

Pearl Isabella Hamilton was born on 28 January 1941 in Alberta, Canada to Ruth (née Johnson) and William James Hamilton.[1][2] She grew up in DeWinton, Alberta, where her parents operated a ranch.[2] Her father had been a bull riding champion in the 1920s and was a chuckwagon driver. Her grandparents manufactured Red River carts in Calgary.[3] Hamilton began learning to ride when she was 2 years old.[4]

Hamilton was one of the founders of the Canadian Girls' Barrel Racing Association, which formed in 1957 and was elected as the organization's president for 1959.[1][5] The goal of the association was to promote women's participation in rodeo and to be allowed to compete in the Calgary Stampede and other regular rodeo events.[6][7] From 1958, they won the right to participate in the Stampede.[8][9]

Competitive career[]

In 1960, Hamilton won the Canadian Barrel Racing Championship, having owned, trained, and ridden her own horse.[10][11] Around 1962, she married and began competing as Isabella Miller.[12] She won the women's All-Around title five times — in 1963, 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969.[13][14] In 1963, she was also named as Calgary's Athlete of the Year by the Calgary Sports Women's Association.[4] Despite a vehicle accident in which her horse died during the 1969 season, Miller repeated that year as Canadian barrel racing champion.[3][14][11]

Miller raised three children, Tyler, Bobbie June, and Billie Ruth Miller, as a single mother and to make ends meet, drove a school bus for 15 years.[1] As she made little money from barrel racing, she also raised horses, trained them, and worked as a stunt rider in films. She continued to compete in barrel racing events into her 60s and was often ranked among Canada's the top ten women in the sport.[9][15][16] In the early 1980s, she became president of the barrel racing association for a second term, serving from 1981 to 1986.[6][17] In 2002, she married , a former Canadian All-Around champion and steer wrestler and sculptor.[8][18] After their marriage, the couple wintered at their ranch in Arizona.[9] She was inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2005.[9][11]

Death and legacy[]

In 2007, Haraga was injured in a fall from her horse on her ranch in Maricopa, Arizona. The fall caused an aneurysm[8] and Haraga died two days later on 26 January 2007.[1][9] Her children and grandchildren have continued the tradition of competing in rodeo events.[19]

References[]

Citations[]

  1. ^ a b c d The Calgary Herald 2007, p. 20.
  2. ^ a b Western Wheel 2018.
  3. ^ a b French 1969, p. 41.
  4. ^ a b Hehr 1964, p. 26.
  5. ^ Primrose 1958, p. 46.
  6. ^ a b Priegert 1982, p. G1.
  7. ^ Kossowan 1998, p. A2.
  8. ^ a b c Cowboy Country Television 2008.
  9. ^ a b c d e Erickson 2007, p. E8.
  10. ^ The Calgary Herald 1960, p. 24.
  11. ^ a b c Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame 2005.
  12. ^ McLean 1962, p. 47.
  13. ^ The Province 1969, p. 45.
  14. ^ a b The Red Deer Advocate 1969, p. 7.
  15. ^ Kossowan 1998, pp. A1–A2.
  16. ^ Summerfield 2000, p. SE2.
  17. ^ Rule Book 2017, p. 3.
  18. ^ Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame 2013.
  19. ^ Kossowan 1998, p. A1.

Bibliography[]

  • Erickson, Dwayne (31 January 2007). "Rodeo World Loses Champion Barrel Racer". The Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. p. E8. Retrieved 14 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • French, Terry (2 October 1969). "Horse Shoe Fanfare—and Sadness". The Province. Vancouver, British Columbia. p. 41. Retrieved 14 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Hehr, Marilynn (5 May 1964). "Gail Ross Named Athlete of 1963". The Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. p. 26. Retrieved 14 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Kossowan, Brenda (31 August 1998). "Even Cowgirls Get Their Dues". Red Deer Advocate. Red Deer, Alberta. pp. A1, A2. Retrieved 14 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • McLean, Marilyn (2 June 1962). "First All-Girl Rodeo at High River". The Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. p. 47. Retrieved 14 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Priegert, Portia (10 July 1982). "Cowgirls Made History". The Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. p. G1. Retrieved 14 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Primrose, Tommy (29 November 1958). "Agricultural Alberta". The Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. p. 46. Retrieved 14 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Summerfield, Robin (6 July 2000). "Glory Days: Isabella Hamilton Miller, 1958 Stampede Princess". The Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. p. SE2. Retrieved 14 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Arnold Haraga". Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Calgary, Alberta: Canadian Rodeo Historical Association. 2013. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  • "C.G.R.A. Past Presidents" (PDF). Canadian Girls Rodeo Association. Calgary, Alberta. 2017. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  • "Girls' Champs Named". Red Deer Advocate. Red Deer, Alberta. 1 November 1969. p. 7. Retrieved 14 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Haraga — Pearl Isabella (nee Hamilton)". The Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. 4 February 2007. p. 20. Retrieved 13 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Isabelle Miller Haraga". Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Calgary, Alberta: Canadian Rodeo Historical Association. 2005. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  • "Mrs. Isabel Miller of Calgary". The Province. Vancouver, British Columbia. 27 September 1969. p. 45. Retrieved 14 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Ruth (Johnson) Hamilton (1919–2018)". Legacy.com. Okotoks, Alberta: Western Wheel. 4 October 2018. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  • "Saddle Awarded by Association". The Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. 29 October 1960. p. 24. Retrieved 14 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Season 4, Episode 11: Trailblazers, Isabella Miller-Haranga". Cowboy Country Television. Edmonton, Alberta. 2008. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
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