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ORIGIN OF
THE MANGUM RATTLESNAKE DERBY
In 1930, the
population in Greer County Oklahoma peaked at 20,282 people.
Times were good and business was booming. However, a series of
events successively hit the nation that would have a lasting
impact on Greer County.
In 1929, the stock
market crashed setting in motion the Great Depression. During
this time, hundreds of thousands of Americans lost their jobs.
In contrast to the long soup lines on the coasts, the southern
plains states, including Oklahoma, were enjoying relative
prosperity. Wheat prices were high and farming in the southern
plains became a lucrative business. Also, the Great Plains was
enjoying an unusually high amount of rain fall. Farmers expanded their
operations across the southern plains to take advantage
of the high wheat prices.
By 1930, wheat
fields replaced prairie grasses. Farmers harvested more wheat
than necessary and the price tumbled by over fifty percent. Many
farmers went broke and lost their farms. They abandoned their
fields in search of a new way to live. Grain elevators were
abandoned and left for the rodents. Some farmers stuck around
and focused on raising livestock.
By 1934, the
southern plains were barren with deserted dust fields. Also, the
plentiful rains stopped coming and a terrible drought gripped
the southern plains. The drought began in 1931 and lasted most
of the thirties. Starting in 1934 and lasting through 1938 the
Dust Bowl engulfed the southern plains. The Dust Bowl was a
series of dust storms that carried Oklahoma dirt as far as New
York. Temperature would soar past 120 degrees. The southern
plains almost became inhabitable. More and more farmers migrated
far from the region in hopes of finding a new way of life. In
their absence, thousands of homesteads were surrendered to Mother
Nature. Mice became occupants of the abandoned dwellings and
gorged themselves on the grain that was left behind. The rodent
population exploded and with it, the snake population.
By the end of the
1930's, pre-Dust Bowl days were returning. Oklahomans who fled
the Dust Bowl began
to return. However, many Oklahomans would not return to the
farms they left behind. Instead, many Oklahomans would find
themselves waging war across two oceans. In 1941, Japan attacked Pearl
Harbor which caused many Americans to travel from rural towns to major cities to
assist the war effort by building
tanks and bullets. Many would not return to the farms that they
left behind.
World War II
officially ended in 1945. However, many Americans continued the
shift from rural areas to urban and suburban areas. By 1960, the
population in Greer County dropped to 8,877 people. In thirty
years, Greer County lost 57% of its population. The community of
Mangum was drying up. Businesses were closing. The town was
receding while urban centers were expanding. Local merchants
were seeking an answer to the declining customer base.
At the same time,
Mangum farmers were also looking for an answer to the out of
control rattlesnake populations. Some farmers had rattlesnakes
living under their houses. Farmers were losing livestock and
family pets to snakebites. Also, curious children fell victim to
the dangerous serpent. Farmers out of desperation began gassing
rattlesnake dens or even using dynamites on areas known to house
rattlesnakes. Several ecosystems were destroyed through the
farmers' desperate attempts to protect their family and animals.
In 1966, the local
merchants seeking to aid their shops and farmers looking for a
better alternative than destroying wildlife environments came
together to address both issues. That year, the community of
Mangum hosted the 1st annual Mangum Rattlesnake Derby. The
founding members sought to use the Derby as a way to promote
Mangum through tourism, promote local businesses, give farmers
an alternative for controlling snake populations, and to educate
the public about the misunderstood rattlesnake.
EARLY YEARS
The 1st Annual Mangum Rattlesnake
Derby was held in April of 1966. The event was small, barely
covering one side of the courthouse square. The Derby did so bad
that its very existence was in jeopardy. The Shortgrass
Rattlesnake Association lost money on the Derby. The Association
couldn't even pay on the loan that it had to take out to even
get the event off the ground. Still, the early members felt that
this was exactly what Mangum needed and decided to give it
another try.
R.O. Heatly, a founding member of
the Association, ran the local lumberyard in Mangum. He
generously donated thousands of dollars worth of materials and
thousands of hours of his time so that the Derby could be a
success. He, along with a handful of other dedicated individuals
pulled up their sleeves and gave the Derby another try the
following year. This time, after the event had ended, a sign of
success emerged. It was then realized that this could work. So,
annually the event is held and it continues to get bigger with
each passing year.
The early members continued to
change and evolve the Derby in an effort to make it more
accessible to tourists. The date in which the event would take
place has changed numerous times. Eventually, the Association
decided that the last weekend of April was the most opportune
time to put on the Rattlesnake Derby. The date was chosen due to
the fact that you have to have snakes to have a Rattlesnake
Derby. In Oklahoma, it is only legal to hunt rattlesnakes in the
months of March, April, and May. March and April are the best
months to catch rattlesnakes because they are still near their
dens. Catching them off their dens
is the easiest and most successful way to catch a rattlesnake.
Also, this date fit into the schedule of all the vendors and the
carnival.
Even with all the strives that
these early members made to make the Mangum Rattlesnake Derby a
success, it is up to the members today to continue on the
tradition. Today, the torch has been passed to the new
generation of snake wranglers. It is up to this new generation
to continue the Derby's success and to continue adapting to the
new problems that threaten the future of the Rattlesnake Derby.
THE DERBY TODAY
From its humble beginning, the
Mangum Rattlesnake Derby is a sight worth seeing. Over 30,000
people flock to the tiny, farm community of Mangum, Oklahoma,
which is home to about 2,800 people. The entire downtown area of
Mangum has to be blocked off, because over the three day
weekend, people and vendors litter the streets. During the peak
hours of the day, it is nearly impossible to even get through
the streets.
Today, the Mangum Rattlesnake
Derby has the most educational snake show of all the snake
hunts. It is also the most widely recognized. The Mangum
Rattlesnake Derby has been featured in several periodicals,
magazines, and television documentaries such as Sport's
Illustrated, Outdoor Oklahoma, USA Today, Fox News, and
countless others.
Also, with each new year, other film
crews, photographers, and journalists, come from not only the
United States, but from all over the world, including France,
Germany and Canada. On top of that, countless other people from
all fifty states and abroad flock to Mangum to partake in the
events. People from Ireland, England, France, Germany, Mexico,
Canada, Japan, and Australia make this trek on an annual basis.
The Shortgrass Rattlesnake
Association has its own building and office in downtown Mangum.
This is the central nervous system of the Rattlesnake Derby.
over one hundred vendors come every year and set up in the
streets. The Pride of Texas Carnival sits at the south end of
the festival and covers two city blocks and the roads that
separate them. With each passing year the event grows. The
Mangum Rattlesnake Derby is the most successful snake hunt in
all of Oklahoma.
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