DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Biography: Flores LaDue (Grace Maud Bensell)

A long time ago, there was a girl named Grace Maud Bensell. But most people knew her as Flores LaDue, the Queen of the Rodeo.

Flores was born in Minnesota, United States, in 1881. When she was little, she loved playing with ropes and learned how to make them dance around her. She practiced so much that she became amazing at a cowboy skill called trick roping.

As she grew up, Flores started to perform in shows. People would gather around to watch her spin her rope in the air and perform tricky catches. She was so good that she even won contests and became a world champion trick roper!

One day, she met a cowboy named Guy Weadick who loved the wild west just as much as she did. They fell in love and got married. Together, they traveled all around the world, performing in wild west shows.

But Flores and Guy had a big dream. They wanted to start a festival to celebrate the cowboy way of life. So, they moved to a place called Calgary in Canada and started the Calgary Stampede in 1912. Flores was one of the star performers and dazzled the crowd with her trick roping skills.

At the Calgary Stampede, Flores also helped to make sure that women could compete in rodeo events. She believed that girls could be just as good at cowboy skills as boys, and she proved it with her amazing rope tricks.

Flores LaDue is remembered as a wonderful performer and a strong woman who followed her dreams. She showed us that with practice and passion, you can become great at what you love to do. So, next time you try something new, remember Flores and don't give up!

Remember, just like Flores LaDue, you can do amazing things if you work hard and believe in yourself!

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