OGDEN — To research the history of horsemen and their influence on society, one doesn’t have to do much more than watch the Weber County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse.
Known for its performances and support of the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo, the posse is celebrating its 70-year anniversary.
But even when it was organized in 1942, the posse had a flavor of the past.
“The romantic heritage of the old posse has been revived in the thudding strum of hooves, in the high pitched ‘yipee’ of today’s horsemen who have banded together in common interest and placed themselves at the disposal of their local sheriff,” reads a notation in one of the posse’s earliest yearbooks. “Throughout the Modern West, the spirit of the Old West is renascent when the posse rides!”
But the posse has been much more than a showcase group.
In 70 years, the group of men — and now women — has provided a great range of volunteer efforts from search and rescue to helping to train the bison at Antelope Island to stay away from horses.
“The posse is an amazing group of volunteers,” said former Weber County Sheriff Brad Slater. “They provide a great connection to our Western heritage, build goodwill and serve others in our community without expectation.”
Slater said he had great appreciation for the posse members, who were a highlight of his career.
“Whether a parade, a call-out or the annual social, I was able to rub shoulders with some of the best people on the planet,” he said.
Quietly, posse members have helped park cars during the Weber County Fair. On horseback, they are easy to see and speed the process of organizing the vehicles.
But quiet is not how Billy Poulter, the oldest living member of the posse, would describe his memories over the years.
Poulter, 87, is the man the posse used to pretend to hang in the park.
Nowadays, they hold shootouts and stagecoach robberies to sell rodeo tickets.
Poulter has a lively description of the posse’s finish in a number of Pony Express races over the years.
“We beat them all to hell,” he said of the other competitors.
In 1976, the posse challenged the California Equestrian Society. While the posse raced from Sacramento, Calif., to Salt Lake City, the California group raced from Salt Lake City to Sacramento.
The Weber County group won the race by 14 hours, some recall.
One year, Poulter said, the posse members decided to ride their mounts all the way to a Wyoming rodeo in which they were to perform. It took just more than a week of camping out — which didn’t include bathing — to reach their destination.
“We looked like a bunch of you-know-what,” Poulter said of the posse members as they rode into town. “We went out there and put on a show. They didn’t think it was the same guys that had come in the day before.”
In 2007, Bonnie Armstrong joined the ranks of posse members who performed in the rodeo. Bonnie is the wife of Robert Armstrong, who, at 29, is the group’s youngest-ever captain.
Before Bonnie started to perform, the posse traditionally had a women’s auxiliary to support the men, and the two performed separate functions.
“It was a big deal that women couldn’t ride,” Bonnie said.
But joining the group was natural to her.
“They welcomed me in like one of the guys,” she said.
“There is a lot of camaraderie,” said Mike Marriott, who serves as secretary of the group. “I’ve been in there since 1995. It must be pretty fun.”
And all this history is documented on the walls of the Weber County Posse house, located at 812 Highway 89 in Ogden.
Adorning the walls are years of history books, trophies and photos of dozens of captains in their best dress.
Area residents who have had anything to do with the posse over the years are invited to participate from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday in a reunion at the posse house.
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