June 10th, 2025

Queen of the Arena: Celebrating 70 Years of Rodeo Royalty

Fashion and hairstyles come and go, but we still crown a rodeo Queen. Check out the Queens of today and decades past, from the groovy 1960s, disco ‘70s, over-the-top ’80s—all the way to this year’s royalty, 2025!

A black-and-white newspaper page from The Midvale Sentinel dated June 25, 1965, featuring a group photo of 16 women in dresses, posing outside, with articles and headlines surrounding the image.

Newspaper Copy:

These girls are all candidates for queen of the West Jordan celebration on July 5.

A newspaper clipping shows photos of three young women—Jeanne Rocks (in a cowboy hat), Laura Miller, and Cherie Sadler—who were finalists in the selection for West Jordan Rodeo Queen. Text about the event is printed above and below.

Newspaper Copy:

Selected to be the West Jordan Rodeo Queen this year is Jeanne Rocks. Her attendants are Cherie Sadler and Laura Miller. The girls were selected at a contest held June 20 at the West Jordan arena. The girls will preside over events at the July 4 Rodeo. The Rodeo Queen contest is sponsored by the Jordan Valley Riding Club and the West Jordan Lions Club.

Three young women in formal dresses pose with bouquets and trophies. The center woman wears a crown and sash, smiling, with one woman on each side of her. The image is part of a newspaper page with text below and beside it.

Newspaper Copy:

Saturday night judges in West Jordan selected Ruth Ann Lehmitz, center, as the the City’s Queen. As the queen she will reign over the July Fourth celebration and will be the city’s entrant in the 1984 Miss Utah Pageant. Selected as her first attendant is Julie Frost, right, while Terri Rae Shaw, left, is second attendant.

Three women in western outfits, sashes, and cowboy hats sit on the open tailgate of a vintage Dodge truck outdoors, smiling and holding hands with a barn and trees in the background.

West Jordan Names 70th Western Stampede Royalty
Miriam Brophy takes the crown as Queen, with Sarah Sirrine named 1st Attendant and Alexis Walker as 2nd Attendant. The trio will represent West Jordan throughout the rodeo season as the city celebrates 70 years of Western Stampede.