The Crown

To understand the history of the Miss Rodeo Minnesota crown, you must know the history of the man it was dedicated to.

The inside of the Miss Rodeo Minnesota crown has an engraving that reads “In Memory of Don Peterson” — a man that helped shape rodeo in Minnesota into what it is today.

Don Peterson was a businessman from Buffalo, Minnesota. Don was a huge advocate for rodeo in the state and was very involved in the community. He founded The Buffalo PRCA Championship Rodeo in 1955, which is Minnesota’s oldest continuous rodeo sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. He was heavily involved in the creation of the Miss Rodeo Minnesota Association, serving as the national director for several queens as well as serving on the Miss Rodeo Executive Board for four years and serving as the 2nd Vice President for two of those years.

He was rarely seen without wearing a round top “Hoss Hat” and he was known for being a great guy with a big heart. He was a community-minded servant that was also involved in the building of the hockey arena in Buffalo (which is now dedicated in his honor as well) and he ran The Peterson Chapel, which is still operating today!

The Miss Rodeo Minnesota crown has been handed down from queen to queen since it was generously donated by Cindy Hagen in the 1980s in Don’s honor. Maren Steinke, Miss Rodeo Minnesota 1987, was the first to wear the crown. Cindy Hagen was Miss Rodeo Minnesota in 1974 and was one of the first in our program’s history. With the leadership of Don Peterson, Cindy finished Runner-Up at Miss Rodeo America when she competed. It’s an incredibly special and beautiful piece of Minnesota history, and it’s an honor to have a crown dedicated to such a great man.

– Samantha Sansevere (Miss Rodeo Minnesota 2020-2021)