About Alice Greenough Orr
Lived 1902 – 1995 (aged 93). Alice Greenough Orr was an American rancher, stunt performer and rodeo.
Alice Greenough Orr (March 17, 1902 – August 20, 1995) was an internationally known rodeo performer and rodeo organizer who was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, and the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame. She has been described as "hands down the first rodeo queen." Instead, she married Ray Cahill and had two children.
After her first marriage ended, she worked at a boarding house, then turned to a career in rodeo, both in competitive and exhibition events. Her interest in bronc riding began in 1929, when she and her sister, Marge Greenough Henson (1908–2004), answered an advertisement from Jack King's Wild West Show. As performers, the Greenough sisters rode saddle broncs, did trick riding and even did some bull riding. The two sisters, along with their brothers, Bill and Thurkel ("Turk"), were collectively called the "Riding Greenoughs".
In the 1940s, she paired with a long-time friend, Joe Orr (1905–1978), and they created their own show, the Greenough-Orr Rodeo, which toured the US and Canada. The couple married in 1958. Their rodeo put on the first women's barrel racing events, and Greenough Orr is credited with inventing the competition.
Greenough Orr agreed to any number of commercial endorsements, including some for cigarettes even though she did not smoke. She retired from rodeo riding in 1954 at age 52, but occasionally did movie and television work until she was 80. Her last public appearance on a horse occurred in 1992 when she rode in a parade in Red Lodge. Among her accomplishments, she was in the first group of women inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1975. She was inducted into Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1983, and the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2010. She was also listed as one of the "100 Most Influential Montanans of the [20th] Century."
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Important facts
People in Alice Greenough Orr's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Alice Greenough Orr's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Alice Greenough Orr?
Rodeo performer and organizer
When was Alice Greenough Orr born?
Alice Greenough Orr was born on 17 March 1902 in Red Lodge.
When did Alice Greenough Orr die?
Alice Greenough Orr died on 20 August 1995 in Tucson.
What was Alice Greenough Orr's occupation?
Alice Greenough Orr was a rancher, stunt performer and rodeo.
What nationality was Alice Greenough Orr?
Alice Greenough Orr was American.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Alice Greenough Orr
· DBpedia: Alice Greenough Orr
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Alice Greenough Orr. https://biography.guide/alice-greenough-orr/
MLA: "Alice Greenough Orr." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/alice-greenough-orr/.
Chicago: "Alice Greenough Orr." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/alice-greenough-orr/.
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