Ted Elder

Canadian Cowboy Country Magazine

Leslie Clayborn “Ted” Elder (October 9, 1897 – July 10, 1981) was an American-Canadian cowboy, lawman, rodeo cowboy, circus performer, world champion trick rider, Hollywood actor and stuntman, horse trainer, and inventor.

Childhood and Heritage

Ted was born in 1897 on a ranch and farmstead in Hinckley, Millard County, Utah but was raised on ranches in Idaho and Alberta, Canada. His cowboy friends called him “Ted.”

He was the third son and fourth child of 16 children of Jonathan “John” Pratt Elder and Bertha Ann Dewsnup.

Ted was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, later serving as an elder in the church's branch presidency in Jackson, Mississippi, and Lancaster, California. His church assignment of elder gave him the interesting title of Elder Ted Elder, or Elder Elder.

Ted's paternal grandfather, Clayborn Elder, a native of Tennessee, was a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River. Grandfather Clayborn and maternal great-grandparents Hiram and Elizabeth Mace were Mormon Pioneers who had lived in the Latter-day Saint town of Nauvoo, Illinois, before crossing the plains to Utah.

Ted's maternal great-grandfather, Hiram Mace, served as a judge in Fillmore, Utah and also served as mayor. His maternal great-grandfather, John Duncan Dewsnup, also a Mormon pioneer, was a policeman in England before immigrating to Utah in 1860.

Ted's great uncle William H. Pratt was a Latter-day Saint bishop in Fillmore, Utah, who performed the marriage of Ted's parents in 1892. From that union came 16 children.

Ted's interesting ancestors come from an array of European countries – England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Austria, and Poland. He descends from Indian Chief Powhatan and King Carlos I of Spain.

Ted's father, John Elder, was a rancher, farmer, well driller and harvester who bought and sold homesteads, farms, and ranches in the United States and Canada. Ted's mother, Bertha, said that the family moved 50 times.

In 1899, the family moved from Hinckley, Utah, where Ted was born, to Rexburg, Idaho, where Ted's maternal grandparents had a general store.

The family lived in town while they built a home on their farm land south of Rexburg in the Lyman, Idaho, area, moving there in 1900. In 1901, the Lyman farm was sold and the family moved back to Rexburg.

In the spring of 1902, Ted moved by train with his parents and family to the Canadian prairies and helped found the new town of Raymond, Alberta, where they built their new home.

In 1903, the Elder family filed for a homestead on a quarter section of land in the settlement of Woodpecker, Alberta, and was among the founders of that new prairie town. The town was later named Bountiful in 1908 and finally renamed Barnwell in 1911 honoring a railroad official.

In the fall of 1903, the family moved into the nearby town of Taber so Ted and his siblings could attend school. The Elders usually had two homes— one on the farm and one in town. This was common practice in Canada so the children could attend school during the winter months.

In the fall of 1905, the family moved back to Raymond where they had a 10-acre sugar beet farm some two miles outside of the town. Here, Ted and his brothers slept in the attic of the house they helped build on the farm.

The family moved back to Taber in the fall of 1906 and then to Woodpecker in 1908. While there, their house caught fire around the chimney but the house was saved. In Woodpecker, Ted's mother served as the first Relief Society president from 1908 to 1910.

Ted's mother Bertha filed for a homestead in the area of Minot, which the boys in the family took care of and where the Elders did custom plowing. It was also where one of Ted's sisters, Clara, was born. They lived in Woodpecker and Minot until 1910 when the family moved back to Raymond and then back to Taber in 1912.

Ted helped his father freight coal, hauling it from the mines five miles away by horse and wagon to sell in the nearby settlements.

Ted, with his brothers and their father, helped build the first school house in Barnwell. John Elder served as a school trustee. The school also served as a church where Ted's father would preach from time to time.

Ted's father was one of the directors of the new Bountiful Ditch Co. to bring irrigation to the area. He was also a member of the Taber Agricultural Society. He had one of the first Hart-Parr gasoline engine plows in the district. Ted and his father did custom plowing on farmland in the area.

In the fall of 1912, Ted and his brothers attended the Knight Academy in Raymond where they played on the school's basketball team.

In 1914, the Elder family sold out, losing all of their real estate holdings in Alberta because of hard times. They moved into Taber for awhile, until they decided to move to Oakley, Idaho. In Oakley, they bought 640 acres and homesteaded land some 7 miles up the canyon. Ted and his brother Morrell drove a wagon and team, loaded with household goods, all the way from Alberta to Oakley. By 1916, the Elder family had a home on the homestead and a 6-room house, which they built in the town of Oakley.

In 1917, the Elder family sold their real estate holdings and moved back to Raymond, Alberta, leasing 640 acres northeast of Raymond.

In the summer of 1918, during World War I, Ted and his older brother Clarence joined the Northwest Mounted Police, now called the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Their mounted police unit was assigned to the horse cavalry unit of Lord Strathcona to fight in the European war. The war was over before fulfilling that overseas assignment, as the First Canadian Cavalry Brigade. Ted and Clarence were discharged from service and active duty just after the war's ending in November of 1918.

In 1919, the family rented a home in Raymond and then bought a home there. A few weeks later in their new Raymond home, Ted's mother, Bertha, passed away on April 13 of the Spanish flu the same day she gave birth to a son, Rulon, who also died that day. Several young children were made motherless.

Following His Dream

Around 1921, Ted decided that he needed more adventure to his life. He decided to go to South America. To pay his way, he moved to Seattle, Washington, and got a job working on the boat docks. While there, he saw a poster advertising the Pendleton Roundup and its call for cowboy contestants. Ted left his job on the docks and got a job near Pendleton on a ranch.

When the 1922 Pendleton Roundup opened, Ted was there as a contestant. During the rodeo, Ted observed that trick riding performers were making more money than the cowboys in the highly competitive bronc riding event.

Ted was hired by rodeo stock contractor Charles Burton “C. B.” Irwin to work during the rodeo taking care of Irwin rodeo stock and race horses. C. B. Irwin furnished rodeo stock for the Pendleton Roundup and other rodeos.

Irwin owned a 25,000 acre ranch – the Y6 Ranch – some 40 miles northeast of Cheyenne, Wyoming, near LaGrange, nestled between Little Horse Creek and Horse Creek. A few years earlier, C. B. and his brother Frank had the Irwin Brothers Wild West Show, 1913-1917, and owned the famous bucking horses Steamboat and I Be Dam.

In 1922, while working for the Y6 Ranch, Ted started his climb to being the world's greatest trick riding champion. That year, he won third place at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo.

In 1923, he was the reserve champion trick rider at the Calgary Stampede and then won his first trick riding championship at the Denver Rodeo.

The Gunnison, Colorado news billed him as the champion trick rider of the United States having won first place in New York City in 1923.

At the Calgary Stampede that year, Hollywood movie star Mary Pickford gave the nickname of “Suicide” to Ted Elder when she saw Ted's daring Roman riding and screamed out “what's he trying to do, commit suicide?”

In 1924, rodeo promoter Tex Austin held the first rodeo in England, billed as the “first international rodeo ever planned.” It was held June 14-28 at the Wembley Park in the British Empire Exhibition Stadium. Austin's rodeos were called “the most spectacular contests ever held.”

Ted Elder was there competing among stiff competition for the World Championship Title. Ted won the reserve championship, losing out to champion Vera McGinnis. Tex Austin also held a rodeo in Dublin, Ireland, at Croke Park from August 18 to the 24th, a rodeo in Paris, and also in Brussels, Belgium.

In 1925, Ted joined the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus, touring the country. His daredevil horsemanship tricks made him the featured star, billed as “one of the most daring horsemen that ever lived.”

In 1926, he told John Ringling of Barnum and Bailey Circus that he wanted to go back to Madison Square Garden in New York City to try for the World Trick Riding Championship. Ringling was enthusiastic with that idea and offered Ted use of the horse he had been using for trick riding in the circus.

Mr. Ringling, the head of the “Greatest Show on Earth,” sent Ted's horse by train in a special baggage car to New York City. Upon the horse's arrival in New York and for more publicity, the trick riding horse was met by an ornate circus wagon pulled by six matching gray horses, placed inside the wagon, and pulled through the streets of New York in a one-wagon parade as if he were the “king” of horses.

That year of 1926, Ted Elder, then living in Denver, Colorado, fulfilled his dream and was crowned the Trick Riding Champion of the World in New York City. (loc.gov)

Winner of many rodeo contests, Ted won that same world title over a seven year period.

His seven-year World Champion title held from 1926 to 1932, was never duplicated.

That same year of 1926, Ted performed his jumping act in Central Park, Washington, D.C.

In 1927, Ted joined the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show of Ponca, Oklahoma, and toured with them, where he perfected his two-horse and one-horse Roman running jumps over a convertible automobile.

At the 1928 Chicago rodeo, Ted thrilled the crowds with his Roman running jump.

In 1929, the New York press called Ted Elder fearless and daring, who performed “the most sensational riding stunts and the biggest show of its kind in the world.”The Glen Falls newspaper called Ted Elder “the wonder cowboy stunt rider, the fearless chap.”

Another paper called Ted a “world famous cowboy stunt rider of the 101 Ranch Wild West” and “the thrill of thrills” who is a member of the Congress of Rough Riders of the World. The 1929 Roanoke Rapids, NC news noted that Suicide Elder “takes his life in his hands when he goes through the stunts that have made him famous, one of which, riding under his horse instead of over him.”

In 1930, Ted was living in Ft. Worth, Texas training his performance horses, a matched pair of which were of the Irish Hunter breed. He perfected his daring and dangerous trick riding stunt which is still known today as the Suicide Drag and still very popular among the most skilled trick riders. And he was still touring with the 101 Ranch Wild West Show.

The May 13, 1931, issue of the "Chillicothe Constitution Tribune" of Chillicothe, Missouri, declared "Suicide" Ted Elder had presented one of the super thrills of the 20th century, standing on the backs of two horses while they jump over an automobile.

The year of 1932 was the last year that Ted won the world championship in New York City. It was the coming end of trick riding as a competitive rodeo event at most rodeos. Trick riding became solely a specialty act where a trick riding performer was on contract and paid a set fee by the rodeo producer for his performance.

In 1932, Ted toured with the 101 Ranch Wild West Show, performing in Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, and France. Upon his return, he joined the Cole Brothers Circus and then the Clyde Beatty Circus.

In June of 1934, Ted was part of the troupe of some two hundred cowboys and cowgirls who were contestants at Tex Austin's second World Champion Rodeo held in London, England at the White City Stadium from June 9 to July 6. Because Ted's Irish Hunter horses were placed in quarantine, Ted was forced to train two newly acquired British horses for his famous Roman running jumps in just two week's time.

Ted Elder performed again before Royalty, first in 1924 and then 1934, including the Royal King and Queen of England, performing his daredevil stunts of trick riding and the Roman running jump over an automobile.

By 1934, Ted Elder had settled in the state of Mississippi, owning a log cabin in the area of Deerhaven near the town of Raymond in Hinds County where he had a tractor and equipment side business.

In 1936, Ted married Pearl McDonald, a trick and fancy rider and a trick roper. She was called the “Queen of the Fancy Trick Riders.”

After their marriage, both Ted and Pearl performed trick riding at the Columbia Rodeo in Columbia Mississippi. They taught the Columbia rodeo producers, Earl and Weldon Bascom how to trick ride.

They also taught “Texas” Rose Bascom, Weldon's wife, how to trick ride and trick rope. She went on to make a name in Hollywood on stage, movies and television as the “world's greatest female trick roper," touring the world with the Bob Hope entertainment troupe.

In 1937, Ted fractured his leg when one of his horses stumbled, throwing Ted into a wooden fence. As he still had contract acts of his Roman jumping horses for rodeos produced by the Colburn and Sorenson's Flying U Rodeos, Ted hired rodeo trick rider Weldon Bascom to act as his substitute.

In 1938, a troupe of Canadian and U.S. cowboys went to Australia for the championship rodeo, the Royal Easter Show, held April 9-23. Ted and Pearl were part of the troupe. Ted did not take his regular horses to Australia but performed the horse jumping act there with a new Australian horse which he trained in five weeks. Ted and Pearl stayed in Australia after the Royal Show for the remainder of the rodeo season, performing at various buck jumping contests and rodeos.

Another popular act was his “dying cowboy and his faithful horse.” Following the script, Ted and his horse were lost in the outback and were dying of thirst, but were loyal to the end, dying together.

Another unusual but entertaining act Ted picked up in Australia was the boxing kangaroo named “Pete.” Pete and Ted boxed across Australia and the United States. New York pubs were the best places to see Kangaroo Pete knock someone out of the arena.

Back in the United States, Ted also continued his stunts and Roman running jump act at rodeos and fairs, and called “America's Supreme Wild West Show.”

In 1949, Ted and his wife Pearl were semi-retired with one of his show horses, Patty. They moved to a 440-acre spread two miles east of Orange Grove, Mississippi, some ten miles north of Pascagoula, Mississippi, where they built a home and guest house with lumber cut from logs on the ranch. He also sold lumber from his place.

In November of 1949, Ted performed his trick riding and his horse drama “The Last Long Trail” in Pascagoula during the dedication ceremonies of a fountain in the city park which Pearl had designed.

By the mid 1950s, Ted was in California working in the Hollywood movie industry as a horse trainer for the movie stars and as a background actor. He worked for "The Gene Autry Show" for TV which was weekly with 91 episodes from 1950 to 1956. He was also involved with the popular “The Adventures of Champion” from 1955 to 1956. Ted personally trained Gene Autry's horse Champion with 38 new tricks.

Ted was hired in the late 1950s as a film extra and as a stuntman in the 1959 Hollywood movie Ben Hur, using his skills in the Roman standing races and the chariot races.

Ted lived in Quartz Hill, California, after retiring from rodeo and Hollywood. He had an alfalfa ranch in Lancaster, California, and raised pigeons.

Ted Elder made an international name for himself being inducted into the Canadian Trick Riding Hall of Fame.

Ted passed away in Lancaster, California in 1983.

Inventor

Ted was an inventor like his father, who had invented and marketed some farming equipment.

Irrigating the Lancaster ranch led to Ted's invention of Rain-for-Rent. His Rain-for-Rent company made the first pivot sprinkler systems used on ranches and farms. Ted fixed couplers and wheels to aluminum irrigation pipe and connected the piping to a central water supply in the middle of the field. Mounted on wheels and driven by a motor, the irrigation pipes walk or pivot in circles creating “crop circles.”

Marriages

Ted married three times. He had children only with his first wife, rodeo performer Maud Sholz. They married August 23, 1922 in Loveland, Colorado. Ted was 24 years old. Twin sons, born in 1926, came from that union - Leslie James Elder and Kenneth John Elder. The marriage ended in divorce.

Ted married his second wife, Pearl McDonald, March 6, 1936, in Florida. She was a rodeo performer, a trick and fancy rider and a trick roper. Pearl helped Hollywood movie star Texas Rose Bascom become a world class trick and fancy roper. Pearl was also an artist, a graduate of the fine art school in Kansas City, Missouri. She was not only a talented sculptor and muralist, but a poet and writer as well.

After Pearl passed away in 1963, Ted married Mildred Page on February 10, 1965, in Los Angeles.

* Written by John Bascom