‘Moo’ve along!’ Longhorn cattle help welcome Days of ’47 back to Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — If you were in downtown Salt Lake City on Monday morning you may have encountered a unique traffic jam: longhorn cattle. The cattle drive through the streets of Salt Lake City kicked off the beginning of the Days of ’47 Cowboy Games and Rodeo as they came back to Utah.

Governor Spencer Cox and his wife First Lady Abby Cox led a procession of cowboys atop a pair of horses named Sitter and Sunday and drove eight Texas longhorn cattle with 8ft horns from West High School to the Utah State Fairpark.

If we can’t move the capital to Fairview, we can always bring a little bit of Fairview to the capital. I’ve done my share of cattle drives but never imagined doing one in downtown SLC. Can’t wait to see everyone at the Days of ‘47 Rodeo this week. pic.twitter.com/nXwDpQX2GE

— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) July 19, 2021

“We’re so excited to have rodeo back in the state of Utah,” said Cox. “Last year was a rough year, as we all know, and we’re back and bigger than ever.”

Cox said he is excited for the celebration of Utah’s history and that the first cowboys that showed up appeared in 1847. 

Abby Cox said she was grateful for the opportunity to return to her roots growing up on a cattle ranch, but that this time instead of being surrounded by sagebrush they were surrounded by skyscrapers.

“I grew up in rural Utah on a 600-acre ranch just east of Mount Pleasant,” she told KSL NewsRadio. “We very seldom came into town with the horses, so it’s a really different experience.”

She said she is looking forward to events like the Days of ’47  Rodeo returning to Utah, and bringing with them a sense of community and unity.

“We feel privileged to be able to do [an event like this] again. Harkening back to our roots, [and], for me [the] sense of community that you get with events like this.

“I think we … lots of times, we see real division through social media and things like that. But when you come to an event like this, it feels like home.

“It doesn’t matter what the people around you believe or think. It’s that community feel where you come together again, which is I think, really important.”

There’s more information here about what you can expect this year at the Days of ’47 Cowboy Games and Rodeo.

Other reading:

• Days of ’47 festivities will resume this year, including parade and marathon

• Utah says “thank you” to foster families and the kids in their care

• Gov. Cox signs bills for $1 million to help adults finish college degrees

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