Arthur "Hippy" Burmeister was born in 1894. He was born in Evanston, Illinois but moved west with his family. In 1910, he went to work riding a buffalo for C.B. Irwins's Wild West and Frontier Shows in Cheyenne, Wyoming. There are several references to Hippy in Anna Lee Waldo's book PRAIRIE about C.B. Irwin. From Cheyenne he moved with his parents to Denver and then Los Angeles where he rodeod some and worked in westerns as a stunt man, extra, wrangler, etc., with Tom Tyler, Tom Mix, William S. Hart, Hoot Gibson and Will Rogers. He entered the Army in 1917 and spent that part of his career in Fort Lewis, Washington breaking horses for the Cavalry Remount Service. He said that because every day was a rodeo for two years in the Army he finally learned to ride a bucking horse pretty good. When he was mustered out of the Army in 1919 he started rodeoing seriously. His last official win was in Victorville, CA in 1925 when he won the Fred McDougal Post 256 American Legion Sweepstake Bronco Riding Trophy. He continued with the movies until about 1928 and then moved to Modoc County, CA to be a rancher.
Hippy's accomplishments were many. Besides his rodeo and movie career he was a successful rancher and was awarded the Livestock Man of the Year Award for Modoc County in 1957. He was a promoter of rodeos in his community for many years, a member of the Board of Directors of the Bureau of Land Management, Northern California Distrist , an Elks Club Member, a member of the Alturas Grange, Past Master of the Masonic Lodge, Modoc Sheriffs Posse member. He served several terms appointed by the governor on the Modoc County Fair Board and later served as Fair Board Manager until mandatory retirement at age 70. Hippy was always a community booster for the Modoc County Historical Society. He never quit working for the betterment of his community or the promotion of the history of old-time rodeo.
Hippy died in Alturas on January 18, 1985.
The above was extracted from a letter by his daughter June Graham.
Contributor:West Gresham (50182831)
*father was Joachim Burmeister, whom his mother married on 3 Jan 1886 in Cook County, Illinois
Arthur "Hippy" Burmeister was born in 1894. He was born in Evanston, Illinois but moved west with his family. In 1910, he went to work riding a buffalo for C.B. Irwins's Wild West and Frontier Shows in Cheyenne, Wyoming. There are several references to Hippy in Anna Lee Waldo's book PRAIRIE about C.B. Irwin. From Cheyenne he moved with his parents to Denver and then Los Angeles where he rodeod some and worked in westerns as a stunt man, extra, wrangler, etc., with Tom Tyler, Tom Mix, William S. Hart, Hoot Gibson and Will Rogers. He entered the Army in 1917 and spent that part of his career in Fort Lewis, Washington breaking horses for the Cavalry Remount Service. He said that because every day was a rodeo for two years in the Army he finally learned to ride a bucking horse pretty good. When he was mustered out of the Army in 1919 he started rodeoing seriously. His last official win was in Victorville, CA in 1925 when he won the Fred McDougal Post 256 American Legion Sweepstake Bronco Riding Trophy. He continued with the movies until about 1928 and then moved to Modoc County, CA to be a rancher.
Hippy's accomplishments were many. Besides his rodeo and movie career he was a successful rancher and was awarded the Livestock Man of the Year Award for Modoc County in 1957. He was a promoter of rodeos in his community for many years, a member of the Board of Directors of the Bureau of Land Management, Northern California Distrist , an Elks Club Member, a member of the Alturas Grange, Past Master of the Masonic Lodge, Modoc Sheriffs Posse member. He served several terms appointed by the governor on the Modoc County Fair Board and later served as Fair Board Manager until mandatory retirement at age 70. Hippy was always a community booster for the Modoc County Historical Society. He never quit working for the betterment of his community or the promotion of the history of old-time rodeo.
Hippy died in Alturas on January 18, 1985.
The above was extracted from a letter by his daughter June Graham.
Contributor:West Gresham (50182831)
*father was Joachim Burmeister, whom his mother married on 3 Jan 1886 in Cook County, Illinois
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