STONYFORD, Calif. — Stonyford is at the eastern edge of Colusa County. It’s cattle country, remote and fewer than 150 people live there.
One of the main attractions is the Mendocino National Forest; the other is the Stonyford Rodeo.
“I think we are the smallest town on the PRCA circuit,” said town historian Roy Stewart.
PRCA stands for the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association. They put on some of the biggest rodeos in the U.S., so it’s a big deal Stonyford is on their circuit, and this year Roy Stewart is the grand marshal.
“Pretty proud to be recognized,” said Stewart. "[Our town] is mostly ranchers and retirees like myself.”
The ranching and rodeo lifestyle of Stonyford dates back to the 1890s when the town was founded and the best person to talk about that is Joyce Bond, the town historian.
“Stonyford got its name from fording the creek with all the rocks,” said Bond.
Townsfolk forded the creek on rocks for many years. It was such a chore to get to civilization they developed what is called "the message rock."
“People would leave a note. Maybe I needed milk from town or something, and you would go by and would pick it up and bring it back,” said Bond.
Eventually the town got a bridge, which made it easier to move cattle and for spectators to get to the rodeo. The first one was in 1939.
“It was wild horses and things, and admission was $1,” said Bond.
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You can see relics of rodeos past and learn about the horsemen’s association at the Stonyford Museum. If you have time, drive down the street to the old 1896 Saint Mary of the Mountains Church. It was relocated and restored because it was in the way of a reservoir project.
“They cut it in three pieces and they hauled it by horses and wagon and put it together over here,” said Bond.
Stonyford has a small main street and one of the main attractions is the general store. Owner Trish Dearman keeps it well stocked during the rodeo. The #1 seller visitors come in to buy: her famous sub sandwiches.
“They always come in and say they waited a whole year for this. Everybody love these sandwiches,” said Dearman.
The 2023 rodeo was a wet one and mud was flying. It was especially tough for kindergartener Murphy Trahan, who won the mutton busting competition. What’s mutton busting you ask? Well rules are simple, the kid who rides a sheep the longest wins.
Mutton busting is a cute crowd pleaser unless you fall face first in the mud like Trahan did.
The mud had everyone tripping and falling, including the rodeo clown. According to Barrel racer Emma Canalia, it's not normally like that.
“No, it's usually like 90-100 degrees, and so it's kind of weird that it's raining this year,” said Canalia.
Yes, it’s remote and yes, it’s not that populated but the town of Stonyford has a certain welcoming charm and a heck of a rodeo for anyone looking to experience California’s cattle country.
“It is kind of a cow town out here,” said Roy Stewart.
MORE FUN ON HORSEBACK FROM THE BACKROADS: A city slicker's ride through Tuolumne County's cowboy country. Ride deep into the Emigrant Wilderness at Kennedy Meadows Resort.