Archives West Finding Aid

Brothers J. J. Hamley and Henry Hamley founded Hamley & Co. as a leather and saddle shop in 1883. They first operated in South Dakota and Iowa before moving the business to a permanent location in Pendleton, Oregon, in 1905. After moving to Oregon, Hamley & Co. expanded beyond saddlery, offering tack, boots, clothing, blankets, and other Western-style goods. In 1910, J. J. Hamley contributed to the organizing, founding, and directing of the Pendleton Round-Up, and Hamley & Co. has remained closely involved in the annual rodeo ever since, most notably providing prize saddles to event winners. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation purchased the Hamley brand and properties in 2019.

Sources: Collection materials; "About Hamley Western Store & Saddle Shop" (originally accessed August 30, 2024; archived page accessed March 11, 2025), https://web.archive.org/web/20240804012549/https://hamley.com/western-store/

The Pendleton Round-Up has been held in Pendleton, Oregon, since 1910. It features rodeo events including bronc riding, calf and steer roping, barrel racing, and bull-riding. The Round-Up also includes a parade and, since 1916, the Happy Canyon night show, which highlights traditional Native life and culture, the arrival of Euro-American emigrants, and development after their arrival. Members of the Umatilla, Cayuse, and Walla Walla tribes (now the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation), along with Native people from other tribes throughout the Northwest, have participated in the Round-Up from the inception of the event.

Sources: "Pendleton Round-Up," by William F. Willingham, Oregon Encyclopedia, accessed August 30, 2024, https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/pendleton_round_up/