When Patty and I moved to Oregon in 2005 we were very interested in attending as many local events as possible. We have always heard about the wonderful Rodeo held at Pendleton, Oregon. In fact, this is one of the premier events in rodeo and all of the cowboys who are at the top of their game come here to get a buckle from this event.
We soon learned that the accomodations here in Pendleton were only available through inheritance. The first couple of years we stayed out of town in a dingy little two-bit motel. Not pleasant but a place to put our heads down if you could ignore the roaches. Patty's cousins had a room right in the middle of town that they have had for some 20 years from which we could stand on the balcony and watch the parade.
Margaret Quishenberry. We had a lot of disturbing experiences such as being cancelled out of about three hotels after having been guaranteed reservations, some as far as 50 miles away. I was desperate and called the Chamber of Commerce to ask if I could get refunds on our tickets. They suggested we contact Margaret first. She is a delightful lady who owns a 100 year old colonial rooming house right in the middle of town. We immediately struck up a friendly relationship and have stayed there every year since. Her place is just like a museum, like stepping back into history a 100 years. We just love staying there and often take friends with us as Margaret considers up special guests and makes rooms available if we need them. We hope to continue to enjoy staying with her for many years.
In 2010 we attended with our friends Doug and Iris Gordon who also stayed at Margaret's. This was a very special affair since it was the 100th anniversary of the Round Up. There were over 600 entries and prize money for practically everyone who stayed aboard. The indians have also been attending as participants since the beginning. They have pow wows, Princess ocntests and men's dancing contests in the park next to the arena. They live in teepees set up behind the arena and we are all invited to visit. In fact, there are booths of handicrafts and Patty has acquired a substnatial amount of turquoise and silver there.
