History of the Crown: Miss Rodeo Colorado

Seeing double? That’s because you are! Miss Rodeo Colorado has two crowns that grace their Greeley Hat Works Hats, both similar in appearance yet each tells their own story. In 1974, Janine Hiatt became the first Miss Rodeo Colorado to wear the turquoise crown. After being stolen, a new tiara was made by silversmith Gene Trujillo in South Fork, Colorado. The leaf, or feather, design contains one hundred four grams of silver and seventy-five carats of gem-quality Morencia turquoise. The traveling tiara was sponsored by Byron and Betty Jo Syring of Monte Vista. The iconic turquoise crown is still used today and is currently the oldest tiara in all of the MRA state pageants. Being that the original crown holds so much value, rarely do you see Miss Rodeo Colorado wear it. However, it is tradition that the girl wears the original crown during her official photoshoot with Skillman Photography and the Miss Rodeo America pageant to bring her good luck from start to finish.

In 2009, another turquoise tiara made its debut, with Audra Dobbs McNicholas being the first to wear the Kingsman turquoise crown. While it’s hard to distinguish between both crowns, there is a noticeable size difference between the two, the original being much smaller in scale. Still to this day, it is unsure why turquoise and the overall design of the crown were chosen to represent Colorado’s first lady of professional rodeo and agriculture. But as the crown has passed through the hands of so many, the turquoise in both crowns have changed their natural hue. All because each one of us have left our own mark, our own legacy on the crown, and there will be many more that will do the same when they place that iconic turquoise crown atop of their hats.

See more at MissRodeoAmerica.com