The day was September 1, 1912
Fannie Sperry was invited to compete for the title of "Lady Bucking Horse Champion of the World." In Calgary, Canada...and she had every intention of winning!!!...She was just 25 years old and accompanied by her Mother Rachel to Canada. They enjoyed visiting all the exhibits on the grounds. Including the exact replicas of Old Fort Whoop-Up and the original Hudsons Bay Company trading post - a man burst out of one of the horse barns, shouting for a doctor.  But it was too late.  Cowboy Joe Lamar had just been thrown and trampled to death by a bronc with the deceptively innocuous name of Red Wing.   Though she didn't know it. Fannie would soon have her own confrontation with the murderous beast.

The male bronc riders went first, followed by exhibitions of stagecoach driving and rope tricks. Then came the finals of the women's bronc-riding competition.  Each participant drew a slip of paper from a hat to determine which animal she would ride, Fannie drew the killer horse, Red Wing.

It was quite a beginning the last day of the show, it dawned clear and sunny. More than sixty thousand people crowded into the stands and watched as the Duke of Connaught - Governal General of Canada and Uncle of the King of England - rode into the arena in an open coach pulled by two white horses.  Wearing a uniform smothered in medals and a naval officers hat crowned with a plume, he climbed into the royal box with his wife and daughter and settled down to watch the performance

A more timid soul would have cringed at the prospect of climbing onto the back of one of the most dangerous horses in the bucking string, but Fannie was delighted. If she could stick to Red Wing, surely she would deserve the championship!

Fannie waited nervously as her competitors burst from the chutes atop of a series of seething mounts.  Finally it was her turn.   The best, one of the judges announced, had been saved for last.  Fannie Sperry of Mitchell, Montana, would attempt to ride the deadly bronc. Writer Dee Marvine described what happened next:

The glistening sorrel stood taut, and a shudder rippled across his flanks as Fannie eased into the saddle.  Positioning the toes of her boots in the stirrups, she adjusted her grip on the buck rein.  The familiar feel of her own saddle provided small comfort, as she poised her body against the cantle, her legs gripping the horses's girth. 

She signaled.......and the gate opened

The ride that followed is recorded in rodeo annals as one of the best ever made by a woman - or a man.  Fannie rode the murderous horse, never losing control, never sacrificing balance and style.  When the hazer pulled her free in front of the royal box, a thundering ovation measured her triumph.  She saluted the audience with a bow and a wide sweep of her hat.

The judges' decision was quick in coming.   "The first Lady Bucking Horse Champion of the World " was none other than Fannie Sperry!! Along with the title went a check for one thousand dollars, a gold buckle, a saddle hand tooled with roses - and a reputation that would change her life. When asked by the stampede officials if she had plans to spend her winnings on anything special, Fannie told them of the railroad land near her parent's ranch and that she was "going to buy a piece of railroad land for my father." No sooner had she stated her plans than the hat was passed and her new friends at the Stampede presented Fannie with $800.00 for the land.