This may surprise you, given my strong ties to and affinity for big city (Chicago) living. My roots are solidly Midwestern, and one of my relatives (Jimmy Kaaro of Lewiston) was inducted posthumously into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2011. Jimmy was a famed circus performer and trick roper in his day. My Aunt Nan shared this photo with me, which I love.
Jimmy was adopted by my grandmother’s Aunt Ellen and her husband in Lewiston, Montana in 1917. When Jimmy was in the ninth grade, he quit school to break horses for $2.50 a head. When he was 16, he rode his first bucking horse at a rodeo. I mean, my goodness. I understand that he performed in circuses, rodeos, fairs, and even the Johnny Carson Tonight Show. My Aunt Nan has fond memories of her Uncle Jimmy. He would spin his rope and lasso her and her siblings at family get togethers in Lewiston.
Jimmy continued to perform as a trick roper well into his 60s. Exactly one day after retiring from the Montana State Labor Department, he performed at the Sheriff & Peace Officers Association Convention in Hamilton, Montana, where he accidentally fell off his horse and later died from his injuries.
To learn about Jimmy, head on over here. Here’s to a great life lived.
must love biscuits 