THE 38

Before there was a National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, there were 38 women who refused to be written out of history.

In 1948, 38 determined cowgirls gathered in San Angelo, Texas, to protect their place in professional rodeo. Together, they founded the Girls Rodeo Association (GRA), the nation’s first professional women’s sports organization, now known as the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA).

The 38, the inaugural exhibition in the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame’s new Collections Gallery, traces women through the open competition era when cowgirls rode rough stock, to the 1940s when cowgirls had limited opportunities, to the 1970s when The Cowgirl Hall of Fame was conceived. Featuring historic artifacts from the Museum’s collections, including objects displayed publicly for the first time, the exhibition shows how these 38 women, and their successors made a Hall of Fame inevitable.

Highlights include the 1947 Tri-State All Girl Rodeo Scrapbook, Alice Greenough Orr’s 1936 Championship Saddle, Jackie Worthington’s 1951 All-Around Championship Saddle and the exquisite Jerry Ann Taylor Medallion.

Why This Exhibition Matters

The Women’s Professional Rodeo Association is the oldest female professional sports organization in the country.

Why You Should See It

Through rarely seen artifacts and powerful stories, experience a defining chapter in women’s history and understand how 38 determined individuals changed the future of rodeo.

The 38 is more than an exhibition about sports. It’s a celebration of courage, solidarity and women who refused to be sidelined.

Thirty-eight women made history. Their legacy continues today.