The Grays Harbor Mounted Posse’s legacy of rodeo and community service

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, March 17, 2026

The 30th Annual Grays Harbor Mounted Posse Indoor Pro Rodeo will be held March 20-22

It’s that time of the year when cowboys, cowgirls and rodeo enthusiasts come to the Elma fairgrounds for the Grays Harbor Mounted Posse Indoor Pro Rodeo that is scheduled to run from Friday evening, March 20, through Sunday afternoon, March 22. Over course of these three days in the Mike Murphy Pavilion & Centerville Western Stores Indoor Arena, spectators can watch the entrants participate in events that include calf roping, bull dogging and barrel racing.

This year’s rodeo is a milestone — this is the 30th year the Grays Harbor Mounted Posse had organized this event. And even more significant — last year marked 75 years since the organization’s formation in 1950.

As can be expected, over the course of 75 years, the purpose and name of the Grays Harbor Mounted Posse has changed

“We were considered the Grays Harbor Mounted Sheriff Posse,” said Sam Martin, a lifetime member of the mounted posse.

Which meant that members could be called upon to assist the sheriff in chases or patrol. Larry Raynes, another lifetime member, figures around the late ’80s the group became the Grays Harbor Mounted Posse.

“We didn’t want to go through the mandatory training to keep the accreditation, because it’s a liability to have people out there carrying a badge around,” said Martin.

The group still assisted with search and rescue and in floods, but now as volunteers. Eventually, the members focused solely on the rodeo and raising funds to support the youth in the community.

In the ’40s and ’50s, rodeos had been held at the fairgrounds. Posse member and fair board member Bob Balderston proposed restarting the rodeo.

“The fair used to get money from Longacres [a racetrack in Renton that closed in 1992],” Raynes said. “When Longacres shut down, he came up with the idea for the fairgrounds to put on the rodeo to replace that money.”

The fair organized the rodeo for a couple years, with posse members assisting, but then “they gave it to us to take over, and we’ve basically put the rodeo on since then,” Martin said.

The Grays Harbor Mounted Posse Indoor Pro rodeo is a sanctioned event of the Northwest Pro Rodeo Association that draws entrants from Oregon, Washington, and “we even have had contestants from Canada, Montana,” said Bill Pace.

As with any large-scale event, the posse members credit the sponsors and the city of Elma for providing the financial support needed to hold the indoor pro rodeo.

“It’s just something that the community enjoys; it’s obvious from the success of the rodeo, and we enjoy putting on for the community,” said Pace. “But it’s not a cheap endeavor. It’s very expensive.”

“You got to pay the stock contractor, you got to pay the fairgrounds,” Raynes chimed in.

And “you have to pay the participants,” added Pace.

“We couldn’t do it without the sponsors, that’s the biggest thing,” said Raynes. “We can’t do it without the sponsors.”

And as for all the work involved to host the rodeo, it’s worth it because “rodeo is just fun to watch,” said Marv Cole.

“It’s an athletic sport, and people don’t think of that,” Raynes said.

However, the legacy of the Grays Harbor Mounted Posse in eastern Grays Harbor County predates hosting the rodeo.

“This is before our time but [posse members] did a lot of the dirt work so they could build that pavilion,” Raynes said, adding that they, along with other volunteers, were involved in building the horse track.

There is also the Lundgren Horse Barn that the posse built in the ’70s. Now members raise money for college scholarships and solicit donations for local food banks.

They are always looking to recruit new members, and they hold monthly meetings at the fairgrounds.

Although Martin moved to Yakima in 2017, he still makes the drive to attend the monthly meetings because of the camaraderie and to ensure the Grays Harbor Mounted Posse remains running smoothly.

“It’s the service to the people,” said Martin. “We lived here and enjoyed it and we’re giving back or paying forward.”

To which Raynes said, “To me, it’s just a community.”

Grays Harbor Mounted Posse Rodeo will be held this weekend on March 20–22, and tickets are limited. Visit the Grays Harbor Mounted Posse’s Facebook page to see ticket availability – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063553421216.