The Legacy of Lane Frost and Red Rock

John Growney, the man responsible for the bull’s upbringing and someone who was also very close to Frost, said to this day, the story of the two has “probably been the greatest marketing in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) ever.”

“All these kids, they know Red Rock. They don’t all know he’s from Red Bluff, but they know who he is, and they know the story of Lane,” Growney said as he explained the significance of Lane and Red Rock gets brought up almost daily.

It was said at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo sometime in the early ‘90s that ‘Red Rock put Red Bluff on the map,’ and that’s what people like Growney and others embedded into the cowboy culture are aiming to do.

Soon, a lifesize monument of the iconic match will proudly sit outside the Red Bluff Round-Up Museum, located in far Northern California in the small rodeo community of Tehama County.

Trede has dedicated just under 50 years to the rodeo association in Red Bluff. He was alive to know Lane and Red Rock and has witnessed was been nothing short of a legacy they left behind.

“You got to see Red Rock in action?”

“Oh yes, many, many times. John Growney and Don Kisch are some of my closest friends. The funny thing about it is we watched him buck all those years and he was pretty awesome obviously, but all of a sudden he retires as unridden and his persona just exploded. I can’t tell you why it happened that way.”

Some of the theories, if you ask today’s rodeo cowboys, are that Frost and the famous bucking bull are still watching over them and that the cowboy is somewhat of a guardian angel while they ride.

Whatever the reason, Trede says the bull did not get so many accolades when he was actually in the rodeo business. It was once he was brought out of retirement for the ‘Challenge of the Champions.’

The ‘Challenge of the Champions’ was an idea brought on by stock contractor John Growney, whose ranch is also located in Red Bluff. It’s what allowed Frost to face the undefeatable bucking bull.

Designed by renowned artist Jim Stuckenberg, the monument plans to memorialize the iconic Western showdown with a larger-than-life bronze statue of Frost atop the mighty Red Rock.

The $300,000 project was established by the Red Bluff Rotary, which has been selling sponsorships through gold-plated bricks that will line the base of the monument, as well as a limited amount of bronze replicas that can be purchased for $4,000.

Project Champion and Rotarian President Vicki Stroud said the project is roughly $70,000 away from coming to life. With emotionally fond memories of the bull, the thought of bringing this dream to fruition is bittersweet for Stroud.

Red Rock is also buried in the town of Red Bluff, which was important to those who knew him, including stock contractor Don Kish, who was Growney’s partner in the days of Red Rock.

Kish said there are a lot of mysteries in the world that cannot be answered, and the nature of this bull is one of them. He says with history being replaced or taken down in many parts of the country, he just hopes people will care. In the Western world, he knows ‘we do.’

To be a part of the history being made in Red Bluff, Calif., contact the Red Bluff Round-Up Museum Office at (530) 527-1000 or visit their website to learn more about when the project will be complete.