Rodeo has always been a part of Checotah's history. This area is home to many champion cowboys and cowgirls, some of which always return to compete in Old Settler's Day events, including the annual Checotah Round-up Club rodeo.
Long before white settlers came to this area, members of the Creek and Cherokee tribes were ranchers whose way of life required the western skills of rodeo. One outgrowth of this heritage is a club to which the traditional skills of the range are learned and execution of the timed events are perfect ... sometimes for pay, sometimes for fun, always for excitement.
Almost 60 years ago, a nucleus of two dozen dedicated cowboys and girls formed the McIntosh County Roundup Club that was reorganized as the Checotah Roundup Club in the late 1940s. It now owns a new arena east of Checotah where regular ropings are held Monday, Thursday and Saturday during the spring and fall seasons.
Since 1953, each June a three-night sanctioned rodeo is held, and it is now a highlight of each Old Settlers Day celebration. Participants are often members of PRCA and NRA, in addition to the Seven-State Regional Rodeo Association.