Mary Lue Thornock Birch
Mary Lue has been involved in every aspect of the Cokeville 24th of July celebrations, She remembers her mother, Emma Lue planning, cooking and making assignments for the fundraising dinner; including Mary Lue’s own assignment of helping serve. As her mother took on the dinner preparations, her father Russ was gathering stock and preparing for the rodeo.
Mary Lue grew up on the Thornock Ranch and would jump at any chance she could to be in a saddle. “Riding was part of my life,” she said. “I would ride any chance I could.”
She had a cousin that was around her age so they would ride for fun whenever they got together.
Barrel Racing was a way Mary Lue loved to show off her riding skills. “Any rodeo my dad would take me to, I would run the barrels.”
She remembers her Dad and the other rodeo organizers talking about having a queen contest for several years before they finally nodded at the idea. This would be the first queen contest she recalls them having in Cokeville.
Mary Lue was “excited, really excited” and “glad they did it before I graduated,” so she could still try out. It was in 1964 — her junior year.
Horsemanship was the main part of the competition. “The judges talked to us like a stock-show,” they didn’t have formal interviews. In order to have fair judges they found people from surrounding communities to come judge.
She recalls the queening outfits were not fancy as they are now, but she was still excited to go get some new clothes for tryouts. She laughed as she spoke of her outfit; “it was the bell bottom era.” The blue bell bottoms are what Glenn Birch, her boyfriend at the time and now husband, was impressed with the most during her queening career.
Mary Lue became the FIRST Cokeville Rodeo Queen! Her attendants were Ellen Jones and Irene Allen — though they never had crowns or sashes.
Mary Lue wanted to be a rodeo queen because; “I loved riding in the arena. I loved to ride in front of people and show what I could do on a horse. I was a typical teenager.”
Showing off her skills and the skills of others was the goal of Archie Hale — an Afton resident. He took Mary Lue, Jones, Allen and Lincoln County’s Royalty to surrounding events including Cowboy Days, the Bear Lake County Fair and Lincoln County Fair.
During the Grand Entry they were announced along with contestants, rodeo organizers. Mary Lue and her attendants presented the flag, helped chase cattle from the calf roping and wild cow riding.
We are incredibly honored to add not only this amazing woman to our Cokeville Rodeo Honorees, but this poignant milestone to the rodeo archives!
