traveled the circuit from New York to Los
Angeles, hitting all points in between.
They also relocated their home operation
to a ranch near Winslow, Arizona.
During the last half of the 1930s, there
were great changes in rodeo. The Wild
West shows had pretty well phased out by
then (and with it the exhibitions such as
Fox performed). Also, the new Cowboy
Turtles Association (CTA) was born in
1936, and they soon became the primary
sanctioning board for professional
cowboys. The new association however,
did not allow women performers to enter
rodeos. As a result, the Women’s Rodeo
Association was formed thereafter.
Whether it was the changes, or just her
age (approaching forty by now) Fox
Hastings retired from rodeo towards the
end of the ‘30s. She and Chuck settled in
and became full-time Arizona ranchers.
During the 1940s, Fox became plagued
with health problems. Several reports
have been given as to what it was, but
the most popular theory is tuberculosis.
Reports say that Chuck stood faithfully by
his wife during this difficult time, often
nursing her himself.
Tragically, on July 30, 1948, Chuck
Wilson died in Winslow of a heart attack,
leaving behind a sickly widow. Two weeks
later, at the Adams Hotel in Phoenix, Fox
took her own life. The coroner’s report
states she died of self-inflicted gunshot
AZintheSaddle.com
wounds to the abdomen and head. She
left a note, saying, “I don’t want to live
without my husband.”
In 1987, Eloise Fox Hastings Wilson was
inducted into the National Cowboy and
Western Heritage Museum Rodeo Hall
of Fame in Oklahoma City. It was noted
her career had included steer wrestling,
saddle bronc riding, and rodeo trick
riding. On October 26, 2011, Fox was also
inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall
of Fame at Fort Worth.
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