Cattlemen's Days, the rodeo Gunnison has run since 1900

Before Gunnison was a college town or a fishing town, it was cattle country, and once a year it still acts like it. Cattlemen’s Days began as something practical: in the late 1800s, ranchers had a lull between spring calving and summer haying, so they gathered to test who could ride and rope best. The event carries the tagline “Rodeo Since 1900,” and the local tourism office calls it Colorado’s oldest rodeo, marking 126 years in 2026. (The organizers describe it as the longest continuous rodeo in Colorado and fourth-longest in the nation, so it is worth taking the broader “oldest in the U.S.” claims with a grain of salt.)

What makes it worth a July stop is how working it still feels. Alongside the PRCA bull riding and barrel racing, you will find a ranch rodeo where crews from real outfits compete at everyday chores, plus 4-H livestock shows, a cattle drive, and cowboy poetry. It all happens at the Fred R. Field Western Heritage Center and Fairgrounds on South Spruce Street.

For 2026 dates, the schedule, and tickets, check the official source at cattlemensdays.com.