Mildred Douglas Chrisman

Mildred Douglas Chrisman (née McConnell; August 21, 1895 – January 25, 1982) was a trick rider, supporting actress, and nurse. A two-time bronco riding champion and undefeated at the time of her retirement, she was inducted into the National Rodeo Historical Society Hall of Fame in 1968 and the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 1988.

Early life Mildred McConnell was born on August 21, 1895, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Emma McConnell and Hugh Winston McConnell, a mechanical engineer and professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

Chrisman's interest in rodeos and horseback riding started at age seven after attending a Barnum & Bailey Circus show. With this training, Chrisman later dropped out of school and become a part of the Barnum & Bailey Circus and the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch. She performed with Annie Oakley in 1912.

Career

Chrisman was in Kansas City, Missouri, to attend the 1916 American Royal livestock show when she was unexpectedly given the chance to compete in the women's bronco championship. The event was almost canceled due to only two women having signed up, Mayme Stroud and Babe Willets. To prevent its cancellation, Wild West performer Lucille Mulhall offered her own horse, named White Man, to Chrisman so she can enter as the third contestant. Being her first competition, Chrisman was coached by Mulhall throughout the duration of it. She ultimately finished in second place, with Stroud placing first. Chrisman would begin to compete professionally under the name Mildred Douglas following this event. While working as a stunt double for Irene Castle in Patria,

In July 1917, Chrisman competed in her first and only relay event at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo in Wyoming. This opportunity was also unforeseen. Cowboy Charles Burton Irwin had entered two horses into the event but, following the death of his son Floyd in a roping accident, he did not want his daughter to ride them.

Chrisman retired in 1921 as an undefeated, two-time champion in bronco riding. During her career, she became acquainted with several Western stars, including Buck Jones, Yakima Canutt, Hoot Gibson, and William S. Hart.

In 1968, Chrisman was inducted into the National Rodeo Historical Society Hall of Fame. Post-retirement Mildred and Pat married in 1933. The married couple eventually settled in Lawton, Oklahoma, where they entertained children at rural schools, with Mildred performing shooting students and Pat doing rope tricks. the local humane society, the Episcopal Church,

Death Chrisman died at the age of 86 on January 25, 1982, in a hospital in Lawton after a long illness.