Rodeo Performer and Actor. Cowboy star Roy Rogers called him "the greatest trick roper of his time". Christened Owen Harlan Mickel by his wandering preacher father, Montana was a fixture of the U. S. rodeo circuit from his teens and used his roping and riding skills as his ticket to Hollywood in the early 1930s. He had small roles in 19 films, including "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962), and did stunts in a dozen others. But he is best remembered for his annual appearances in Pasadena's Tournament of Roses Parade, beginning in 1932. Riding his pinto, Rex, and decked out in a rhinestone and sequin-studded outfit emblazoned with roses and American flags, Montana delighted fans along the parade route with his rodeo routines. His favorite trick was to lasso an unsuspecting member of the audience. In 1953 he made headlines when he lassoed President Dwight D. Eisenhower as a gag during Ike's inaugural parade in Washington. The President agreed to the stunt beforehand, but his bodyguards were not amused. "I'm lucky the Secret Service didn't ventilate me", the performer quipped. Elected to the Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1989, Montana was 83 when he rode in his 60th and final Rose Parade in 1994.
Rodeo Performer and Actor. Cowboy star Roy Rogers called him "the greatest trick roper of his time". Christened Owen Harlan Mickel by his wandering preacher father, Montana was a fixture of the U. S. rodeo circuit from his teens and used his roping and riding skills as his ticket to Hollywood in the early 1930s. He had small roles in 19 films, including "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962), and did stunts in a dozen others. But he is best remembered for his annual appearances in Pasadena's Tournament of Roses Parade, beginning in 1932. Riding his pinto, Rex, and decked out in a rhinestone and sequin-studded outfit emblazoned with roses and American flags, Montana delighted fans along the parade route with his rodeo routines. His favorite trick was to lasso an unsuspecting member of the audience. In 1953 he made headlines when he lassoed President Dwight D. Eisenhower as a gag during Ike's inaugural parade in Washington. The President agreed to the stunt beforehand, but his bodyguards were not amused. "I'm lucky the Secret Service didn't ventilate me", the performer quipped. Elected to the Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1989, Montana was 83 when he rode in his 60th and final Rose Parade in 1994.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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Cowboy
Family Members
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Edgar Owen Mickel
1867–1950
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Mary Edna Harlan Mickel
1868–1951
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Louise A. Archer Montana
1916–2005
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Glen E. Mickel
1888–1960
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Arthur Dale Mickel
1890–1966
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Carl Owen Mickel
1898–1954
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Alta Edna Mickel Winship
1900–1983
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Fern Mickel
1921–1921
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Montie Montana
1934–2013
Flowers
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See more Montana memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
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Montie Montana
Geneanet Community Trees Index
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Montie Montana
1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta
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Montie Montana
U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-2020
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Montie Montana
Web: Lucas County, Ohio, U.S., Blade Obituary Index, 1842-2014
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Montie Montana
Web: Obituary Daily Times Index, 1995-2016
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