Russell Thornock
Russell Thornock developed a love for rodeo as a young man growing up on a ranch north of Randolph, Utah. He loved horses and working with other animals. When he was young, he even tried his hand at riding bucking horses.
In 1957, he moved his young family from Randolph to a ranch ten miles south of Cokeville. He raised cattle, hay, and kids. He also had several fine quarter horses. He loved training his horses to work the cattle.
He became involved in the Cokeville 24th of July celebration soon after he moved here and provided cattle and horses for the rodeo for many years, even using some of his quarter horse brood mares. I remember one year when he even took some of his saddle horses to the rodeo for bucking. I thought that was crazy, but he said, “Don’t worry they’ll buck.” They turned out to be some of the best bucking horses they’ve had. Many of his calves were brought in for roping, cows for the wild cow milking contest, and bigger calves for the young kids to ride.
There were years when he announced the rodeo. He worked at the chutes, helping cowboys get on their horses and opening the gates. He loved working with people and serving our community.
I can’t tell you how many years he was involved with the rodeo, but I know it was many. He and his good friends Roland Johns, Virgil Bailey, and Stan Nate, and others worked hard for many years to make our Cokeville Rodeo successful.
He retired from rodeo when the church stopped sponsoring it, and the local rodeo club was formed.
*Story contributed by Mary Lue Birch, Russell’s daughter
As we have gathered more and more stories for our Cokeville Rodeo Honorees, we’ve learned how “far” back Cokeville’s Rodeo history went. As soon as we tapped into that original history, Russell’s name was mentioned countless times. We are so grateful to Mary Lue Birch for sharing his story with us, as it is incredibly important. I imagine there are so many community members that remember Russell and his contributions to the rodeo, and we would love for you to share those stories in the comments below.
Without a doubt, we would not have the Cokeville Rodeo today without so many years of service rendered by Russell and his counselors. I’ve been told that they served together in the rodeo for at least 15 years.
Wow. What a legacy.
To the posterity of our dear Cokeville community member, Russell Thornock…we thank you for sharing him with us, and We Remember and honor his service to the Cokeville Rodeo.