By Mardi Ford

Observer Staff Writer

Perhaps nothing evokes an image of the American West more than the horse.

Better yet, make that a buckin’ horse.

Then put a cowboy hangin’ on fer dear life atop that bronc and you’ve got the West, alright. And the Elgin Stampede.

"That logo’s always been our trademark," says Phyllis Bechtel, "anyway, for as long as I can remember."

Bechtel, along with husband Joe, is a veteran Stampeder.

Back in 1953, when she was still Phyllis Phippen, Bechtel was Queen of the Elgin Stampede, although she seems a bit shy about admitting it today.

Bechtel says the Stampeders, the rodeo club that sponsors the Elgin Stampede, have had plenty of good years as well as some bad. Some so tough, Bechtel says, it was hard to keep things going.

Sorting through stacks of old Stampede programs dating back to the 1940s, Bechtel locates an anonymous article written on early history of the Elgin Stampede.

In 1946, with 34 charter members, Stewart Guthery organized the Stampeder’s Riding Club whose chief purpose was "to work toward the advancement of good horsemanship, develop good horses, and supplement these aims with other worthwhile activities."

Their chief activity the Elgin Stampede. The Stampeders held their first rodeo that year in Moore’s Field, across the road from the current rodeo grounds and Stampede Hall.

Always the second full weekend in July, the Elgin Stampede is well respected throughout the West as a first-class PRCA event.

The town swells with an influx of serious cowboys looking to win some prize money, as well as the wannabe cowboys sporting new western wear for the occasion. And there are plenty of folks who just like to watch it all.

The Stampeders welcome everybody with open arms the more the merrier. Last year, the rodeo on Saturday night was a standing room only event.

"I guess we need to build more stands," Bechtel smiles.

The first round of PRCA competition takes place on Saturday evening with final competition concluding on Sunday afternoon. Along with the two-day rodeo, the Stampede features a western dance to live music in Stampede Hall on Saturday night.

Other events include sheep and calf rides for the kids, range cow milking, drill team events, a suicide race, parades and more. People come from all over the country to participate and watch.

Undeniably, it costs a lot of money to underwrite such an event, as well as maintain and expand the facilities.

For the Stampeders, that means doing a large portion of the work and raising money for what they can’t donate or do themselves.

In 1952, the Stampeders sold stock certificates to their own members to raise money to build Stampede Hall. They bought supplies and built it themselves. Over the years, they’ve upgraded and made improvements as needed and as financing allowed.

In 1951, the Stampeders put on a crab feed to raise money. Held in the Legion Hall that year, it was very successful, so they tried it again. By 1953, the new Stampede Hall was ready to host the crab feed and it has been held there ever since.

The 53rd Annual Elgin Stampede Crab Feed is this Saturday at 4 p.m. It is an event highly anticipated by a larger community than just Elgin.

Bechtel says some have even come on snowmobiles from over Tollgate to attend. In 1992, a record attendance was hit when Stampeders served 980 people at their crab feed.

"Sometimes, people start lining up at 3 p.m.," Bechtel says.

The weather can affect the turnout, but she recalls several years when Stampeders served hot coffee to plenty of people willing to wait outside to get to what awaits inside.

Fresh crab all you can eat, with "trimmin’s" some say are even better than the main event.

Odies Payne, long time Stampeder and a past president of the club, has been in charge of procuring fresh crab, brought in from the coast, for many years.

"But some," Payne says, "think the side dishes are the main thing, they’re so good."

Potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans and garlic bread all made from scratch by the loving hands of Stampeders.

"Well, we buy the beans," Payne says, "but we add bacon and onions to ’em."

Payne says the day of the crab feed, several of the women will make potato salad and coleslaw in the big kitchen at the hall.

"We buy the French bread, too," Payne says, "but we make our own garlic butter. And all the dressings for the salads and the dipping sauce for the crab."

What planning does it take to organize such a feast?

"Well, we’ve really got it down to a science," says Karen Davis, who has chaired the event for the past two years.

Davis says after 53 years, the Stampeders all know exactly what to do to prepare for the crab feed. Two months prior to the event, they start planning and organizing work crews.

"And the crews," Davis says, "already know what to do."

The biggest expense?

"The crab," Payne says, "it’s definitely the crab."

The price for the feed is not even set until the crab price is set on the coast. This year, the price is $20 for adults and $14 for children under 12.

Stampeders’ public relations spokeswoman Lara Moore said they usually send a Stampeder or two to the coast the day before the feed. The crabs have been cracked there, Moore said, and the meat temporarily canned to keep it fresh for the following day’s feed.

"That’s what makes the feed so unique," she says, "no messy shells for anyone to deal with."

Bechtel remembers when the crabs were still cracked by the Stampeders the mess it made and the time it took.

"In the early days," Bechtel says, "the guys would meet over at the slaughterhouse and crack the crabs."

She says the worst part, besides the mess, was actually serving freshly cracked crab.

"Some people complained when we got down to the smaller pieces," Bechtel recalls.

And, she says, it took longer to serve and clean up, making it more difficult to get people in and out in good time. In the mid-1960s the Stampeders moved to buying the freshly canned crab instead.

"It was a good move," she laughs. "I remember."

Little else has changed, though. The same good food, the same friendly hospitality, the same all-you-can-eat crab and hearty trimmings at a bargain price.

The Stampeders cordially invite everyone to come to dinner. And come hungry.