Steve Tool/Chieftain The current arbor framework at the Chief Joseph Days rodeo grounds requires extensive labor to cover it with a tarp before use. It's due to be replaced soon by a structure that doesn't require tarping.

The Chief Joseph Days Rodeo Committee petitioned the Joseph City Council for help in applying for a Wildhorse Foundation grant in the amount of $15,000 for improvements to the rodeo grounds, in this case, an arbor for the Native American encampment.

Terry McArtor, president of the rodeo committee’s board of directors, grant writer Lynn Craig, and board member John Hillock made the presentation to the council. The council also heard the arbor project is part of a larger project to eventually turn the rodeo grounds into the centerpiece of Joseph.

The committee told the council that because the rodeo already received a Wildhorse grant for expansion of the Thunder Room at the grounds, they needed the city’s name on a separate grant application for the arbor funds. The committee assured the council it needed no financial assistance from the city’s coffers for the grant application. The council unanimously approved the use of the Joseph name as petitioner on the grant application.

McArtor later said the committee is looking at several different projects over the next couple of years, but the immediate concern is the arbor. “What we’ve had for an arbor is a tarp stretched over some poles. They go in there and have their welcome feast and that sort of stuff. It’s right there on the east end of the rodeo grounds,” McArtor said.

It normally takes 15-20 men to stretch the tarp over the poles. “What we’re looking for is to put in a permanent structure that will serve their (Native Americans’) needs during the Chief Joseph Days week,” McArtor said. He added that CJD planned to make the arbor accessible to the rest of the community to use for gatherings during the rest of the year.

McArtor said the committee already secured $20,000 in grants, and commitments from three men involved in the CJD committee to donate approximately $7,500 in equipment, labor and other amenities. “We’re just looking for another grant or two to help us with the arbor,” MacArtor said. The projected cost of the arbor is about $60,000.

The arbor project has an expected completion date of sometime this spring, well before the rodeo starts in the last week of July. “When the rodeo comes up and the Indians move their encampment in, it’ll be in place for them. That’s our goal,” MacArtor said.

MacArtor likes the idea of the mutually beneficial relationship between the City of Joseph and the rodeo. “I think the week we have the show is one of the biggest moneymaking weeks of the year for Joseph. We’re trying to build something that will support the community,” MacArtor said.

The committee is always looking for more sponsors and volunteers. Phone 541-432-1015 for further information.