Sometimes when conducting research, you come across something or someone so interesting that you need to know more. Of course, that explodes into a huge rabbit hole. That was the case of the below article. A research project was under way when the article below came into view. We needed to know more about this woman and what happened to her. Come to find out, she was the real deal. An OG rodeo champion, tough as nails, smart as hell, and she was just a little over five feet of pure, fiery spark plug. So, pour yourself a customary cup of tea and pull up a chair. Get comfy. Here we go…
Miss L. Trickey , The Sacramento Star (Sacramento, California), July 16, 1921
Wait. Who is this? We had never heard of her, despite spending many years around the rodeo circuit. She sounds like a tough woman, to be sure though. This is the article that turned into a large rabbit hole. Let’s learn some more about Lorena Trickey.
Lorena Mickey “Rena” Trickey was born February 14, 1893 near, what is now a ghost town, Palmer, Multnomah County, Oregon. Her parents were Edward “Ed” (1861-1938) and Lucy A. (Gould) (1867-1897) Trickey. Lucy died February 14, 1897 (Oh no, that was Rena’s fourth birthday) and is buried at the Trickey Family Cemetery near Corbett, Multnomah County, Oregon. She was 29. Ed, a French Canadian, worked as a logger for Bridal Veil Lumbering Company at the time. When the U.S. federal census was taken on June 1, 1900, the Trickey family consisted of father Edward, Rena and Rena’s brothers, Lloyd and Arthur. They were living in the Bridal Veil, Multnomah County, Oregon community (the cemetery and the post office are the only remaining elements of Bridal Veil. For obvious reasons, the post office is quite the destination to get your wedding invitations postmarked). Ed was working as a farmer by this point.
By the time the 1910 U.S. federal census rolled around, the Trickey family, consisting of Ed, Lloyd, Rena and Arthur, was still living in Bridal Veil. Ed and Lloyd were farming, Rena and Arthur were at home. New to the home was 28 year old Cora Napp, the Trickey’s housekeeper. Rena was about 17 years old at this point.
On November 9, 1911, Rena married Howard H. Udey (1884-1937) in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon. Howard held various laborer positions in the logging industry. Now, far be it from us to make any judgements of their relationship, but, on the 1920 U.S. federal census, Howard and Rena were both living in the logging community of Hurlburt, Multnomah County, Oregon, which is a now ghost town, however, they were living apart from each other, with their respective families. There isn’t really any indication as to why this is and both were listed on the census as as married. Maybe that was their thing and that was how they rolled. Also, on the 1920 census, Rena Udey is listed as a rider at the roundup. That would probably be referring to the Pendleton Roundup in Pendleton, Umatilla County, Oregon, an extremely well known rodeo. At this point, she had been working for one summer as a trick horse rider with the Clarence Adams Wild West Show (contemporary newspaper reviews of this show called it “lackluster”), before becoming involved in competitive rodeo, where her specialties were saddle bronc riding and relay racing. In the 1918 Pendleton (Oregon) Roundup, she rode under her married name: Lorena Udey. She didn’t win the that year. Kitty Canutt won. Kitty was the wife of Yakima Canutt.
Lorena Trickey Photograph, Muskogee Daily Phoenix (Muskogee, Oklahoma), November 13, 1927
But she was good. Damn good. And she proved that for her whole rodeo career. On September 20, 1919, she won her first competitive rodeo trophy at the Pendleton Roundup. She placed first in the Cowgirls’ Bucking Contest, where she rode a horse named Spider to victory.
Lorena stunt doubled for Mary Pickford in the silent film Through The Back Door in 1921. She also rode with Tom Mix in the film The Queen Of Sheba (1921), riding Roman style. Only a 17 second fragment of this film survives today and it’s not the part with Lorena, unfortunately. If you’d like to learn more about trick riding, click here. Needless to say, trick riding is a dangerous set of stunts to perform. The rider must have a well trained horse, the skills required for each stunt, be physically fit, countless hours of practice, and an unholy amount of chutzpah. It would seem that more petite folks probably have a better range of ability in this department. Take Rena, for instance. She was 5’2″ and about 90 lbs.
Even when she wasn’t competing, Lorena was known to visit county fairs and other events. She would appear, sometimes speak to crowds and sign autographs. Below is part of an advertisement for the Natrona County Fair in Casper, Wyoming, where Lorena made an appearance as a paid attraction, probably trick riding and Roman racing:
Added Attraction Advertisement, Casper Star-Tribune (Casper, Wyoming), August 31, 1921
Apparently, Lorena filed for divorce from Howard in 1921, claiming that Howard deserted her in 1917.
Trickey Asks Divorce, East Oregonian (Pendleton, Oregon), October 14, 1921
Apparently, the divorce didn’t go through for whatever reason. We will get into that in a little while.
In June 1921, Lorena traveled to New York to receive the coveted McAlpin Trophy award at Hotel McAlpin. She won the award in at the 1921 Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Laramie County, Wyoming. While in New York, she officially applied to be a registered horse jockey in the state of New York. It remains unclear whether she was ever accepted or not, but she was vocal in trying.
Lorena Trickey Photograph, The New York Tribune (New York, New York), June 25, 1922
At the Pendleton (Oregon) Roundup in 1922, Lorena was billed out of wee bitty town of Shaniko, Oregon (for all my true crime readers, Shaniko is about 8 miles from Antelope, Oregon, the scene of the Rajneesh movement takeover of the 1980s). She was recovering from a bad cold and a nasty shoulder injury. Nevertheless, she didn’t let that get in the way. Lorena’s career events won at the Pendleton Roundup by 1922 included: 43 relays, 21 Roman races, 18 bronco riding contests , and a slew of trick riding races. She was on fire. Well, she did win another relay race and collected her chrysanthemum bouquet, which was much like the one that Lorena is holding below, but with mums.
Lorena Trickey Photograph in Jockey Suit. Unknown Year.
On October 22, 1924, Lorena is listed on the ship manifest of the SS Manoa upon arrival in San Francisco, California after sailing from Honolulu, Hawaii. Interestingly, she gave her birthdate on this document as “February 4, 1900”. It is definitely her, but I wonder why she fibbed about her age? Maybe part of her marketing technique? What do you think?
SS Manoa, owned by the Matson Liner Company, she was later served for the U.S. in WWII and was later a Soviet vessel.
Cowgirl Champ in Auto Wreck, The Bend Bulletin (Bend, Oregon), December 2, 1924
In early December 1924, Lorena was slightly injured in a single car accident near Prineville, Oregon. She was riding with her registered French bulldog, Tige, who sustained numerous cuts and scratches (Tige was a gift of humorist Will Rogers). Luckily, the car, which had flipped on it’s side, was righted by passerby and Lorena and Tige were able to carry on with their day.
July 4, 1925 rolls around and Lorena is performing at the Klamath Falls (Oregon) Rodeo and she won the Women’s Relay Race, and the three distance Roman horse races offered. She was billed out of Prineville Oregon at this time.
1925 was a big year for Lorena, and she was very visible on the rodeo circuit, especially in Oregon, Idaho, and Wyoming.
Lorena Trickey, circa 1925
After fifteen years of marriage, Howard filed for divorce from Rena in 1926. On December 21, 1926, the divorce was granted and the cause was listed as desertion. It’s not really clear (except for circumstantial evidence), but, apparently, Howard hadn’t seen Rena for quite awhile. Howard was listed at this time as living in Corbett, Oregon and Rena in Prineville, Crook County, Oregon.
Multnomah County, Oregon Divorce Record for Howard Udey and Lorena Trickey
The childless divorce was finalized in Multnomah County, Oregon. Howard would remarry in 1930. Howard Udey died on May 17, 1937 in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon. He was en route to the hospital after being crushed between two logs while loading them onto railroad cars. He was 52 years old. Howard was buried on May 20, 1937 in the Udey/Maheux family plot at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Gresham, Multnomah County, Oregon.
Lorena Trickey Photograph, The New York Tribune (New York, New York), June 25, 1922
A big bump in the road for Lorena happened on September 2, 1927 in Lakeview, Lake County, Oregon and it was a big deal.
Murdered Cowboy’s Wife Is Suspect, The Klamath News (Klamath Falls, Oregon), September 4, 1927
Lorena Trickey Held By Police, La Grande Observer (La Grande, Oregon), September 5, 1927
The information that was first released, was that Lorena and her common-law husband, James (Sometimes referred to as “John”) Pratt “Slim” Harris (1896-1927) had just left a livestock stable and as they were pulling away from the building, an unknown man jumped on the running board of the car and plunged a knife into Harris’ chest, killing him. Lorena told investigators that she was unable to provide a good description of the assailant. The blame was almost immediately put on a black man who worked as a horse jockey (oh, come on people. What racist b.s.), who was jailed during the early part of the investigation.
After a few days, Lorena finally admitted to purchasing a long-blade pocket knife, which was the one used in the murder of Harris.
Wife Bought Knife, Corvallis Gazette-Times (Corvallis, Oregon), September 7, 1927
Lorena plead not guilty and the case progressed to trial. The prosecution would try to say that Lorena killed Harris because she was jealous that he might leave her for another woman. The defense said that Lorena killed Harris in an act of self defense.
Without going into a lot of details, after 30 minutes deliberating, the jury acquitted Lorena and the murder was deemed self defense, as Harris was apparently a “very mean drunk”, who during this incident threatened to strike her with a wrench and displayed other violent, threatening behavior. Lorena went back to the rodeo life soon after her acquittal. She showed up in Lakeview, Oregon the next year, as a matter of fact.
Cowgirl Acquitted…, Muskogee Daily Phoenix (Muskogee, Oklahoma), November 13, 1927
Before all this trial stuff, James Pratt Harris was laid to rest at Rowe Cemetery in Hedley, Donley County, Texas. The American Legion performed the military funeral, as Mr. Harris was veteran.
Lorena Trickey on Theater Bill, The Eugene Guard (Eugene, Oregon), December 28, 1927
Lorena did a little public speaking, as well. Apparently before this particular speaking engagement, a delegation of “club women” tried to put the kibosh on the show. They were upset that Lorena, who they thought was an “undignified” lady, was to speak to others in a public venue. I believe that we would call those types of folks “pearl clutchers” today. But, never fear, the mayor of Portland, Oregon, George L. Baker (That guy is another story all together. Wow), struck down the group by saying, “We’re getting away from democracy when we come in here and attempt to rejudge people already tried by the courts. There is no law to prevent her appearance because she is not a criminal now.” Well said.
Marriage Record of Lorena Trickey and Magnus Peterson
On August 22, 1928, Lorena married Magnus Frederick “Pete” Peterson in Bend, Deschutes County, Oregon. The wedding was attended by a few selected friends, sans cowboy attire, who met at the Justice of the Peace’s office to witness the marriage. Afterward, Magnus and Lorena took off in their automobile to honeymoon in parts unknown, however some thought they were headed for Montana, where Lorena had several rodeos to compete in.
Lorena Trickey, A Noted Cowgirl, Weds, The Western Nebraska Observer (Kimball, Nebraska), August 30, 1928
Magnus was born April 7, 1889 (Various documents give other years of birth, such as 1890 and 1891) at Crab Creek, Lincoln County, Washington (Near Sprague, Lincoln County, Washington). It appears that he was the son of Norwegian immigrants, Jacob Martin (1850-1942) and Millie Marie (Mikkelsdatter) Peterson (1860-1929). Magnus grew up in the Whatcom County, Washington area, namely Fairhaven and Bellingham. Jacob Peterson worked as a farmer.
Magnus was a farmer, rancher, and livestock salesman in the Crook County, Oregon area. He had also been married once before his marriage to Lorena. He was a man of about six feet tall and 180 lbs. Tall and strong.
Acquitted of Murder, Cowgirl Will Join Rodeo, The Bradshaw Monitor (Bradshaw, Nebraska), September 6, 1928
Lorena participated in the rodeo in Lakeview, Oregon and at the Klamath County Fair in September 1928. She did pretty well, as usual. She would revisit Klamath County Fair again in September of 1929.
On February 24, 1929, Lorena raced in an all-female jockeyed horse race in Tijuana, Mexico. She rode Adolphus, owned by Stuart Polk. The results appear to be lost in time though. One can imagine that she did well though.
It appears, Lorena continued to rodeo for a couple more years, still winning high honors and top cash prizes. Injuries had wracked her body and she was beginning to slow down. So what did she do? She retired while she was still on top! That’s the way to do it.
Lorena Trickey Photograph, The Buffalo Commercial (Buffalo, New York), June 21, 1922
Lorena Trickey’s early career was a fast and incredible ride. She accomplished so much: three McAlpin Trophys, three time winner of the Denver Post Ladies’ relay race, countless other regular season rodeo championships, and the biggest and best, undefeated Cowgirl Champion of the World for TEN years straight! That is amazing!
After she retired after the 1929 rodeo season, Lorena and Magnus moved to Tonopah, Nye County, Nevada, where they were engaged in the mining industry. Magnus also kept raising livestock. This is something he was always very good at and it made him quite wealthy. Lorena attended and graduated from the Nevada Mining and Engineering School. She had a keen interest in mining and was able to learn to, as the locals later said of her, be the best. Typical Lorena, one might say. They mined several locations around the Tonopah area for the next 30 years with great success in finding veins of silver, Mercury (quicksilver), magnesium, among other things.
Lorena made her last rodeo at the Pendleton Roundup in 1959. It was a command performance by the “old-time” rodeo greats.
All-Time Woman’s Rodeo Champ Dies, The Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California), November 15, 1961
Lorena Mickey (Trickey) Peterson died following emergency surgery on November 15, 1961 at Nye General Hospital in Tonopah at the age of 68. She was having surgery on a perforated gastric ulcer. Her death certificate also states that she had been suffering from cancer of the descending colon for about two years prior.
She was buried with Roman Catholic rites on November 18, 1961 in New Tonopah Cemetery in Tonopah.
Lorena’s gravestone. Courtesy of Carol Frey, FindAGrave.
Magnus was buried next to her upon his death on February 8, 1968.
Magnus and Lorena (Trickey) Peterson, date unknown. From Magnus Peterson’s book, Reel History & Hysterical Events of Nevada
Lorena was inducted into National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s National Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2000. Check out her Hall of Fame entry here.
Lorena overcame many tough obstacles during her life. She was a true cowgirl: tough, smart, and talented.
Oh yeah, here’s one more photograph of Lorena:
Lorena Trickey Photograph, unknown date
Special thanks to Carol Frey, FindAGrave volunteer for the use of Lorena’s grave photograph.
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June 21, 2023
CMS Research & Genealogy 