Alva Review-Courier -

ABILENE, Kansas – This year’s Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo (Aug. 2-5) will bring some happy and some sad memories to one Dickinson County family.

Rylee Miller was born and raised around Abilene and every year from birth to 21 she never missed the Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo, according to her mother, Jill (Watt) Elwood.

“It was a part of our family ritual, like a lot of local families,” she said. Rylee’s grandfather, Roger Watt, was a big part of the rodeo committee and was president for years. Her dad is Bruce Miller, who appeared on the commemorative saddle bronc buckle one year.

Rylee was killed in an automobile accident while at college at Alva, Oklahoma, Jan. 14, 2013, at the age of 21. She loved rodeo and the western way of life. She was part of the Northwestern Oklahoma State University rodeo team at Alva and had just transferred from Ft. Hays State University her junior year.

She was dating a guy who worked for Sammy Andrews, the stock contractor for Abilene’s rodeo, where they met in 2011.

Rylee got involved in helping take care of Sammy’s stock during the rodeo seasons and warming up horses for the pickup men. She got to know many of the bulls and horses. Her favorite horse was Raisin Cain.

When Rylee died, the Andrews Rodeo Company renamed that horse, now known as Rylee’s Raisin Cain. This horse was picked to go to the National Finals Rodeo two times – once in 2014 and again in 2015.

The horse bucked at Abilene numerous times and a cowboy recently won a go-round on him at the Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Andrews and Roger Watt are close friends and Sammy leaves his stock with Watt until rodeo time in Abilene so they can get rested and have some room to exercise before the performances.

The Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo will be a bittersweet time for the family again this year, but it also reminds them of the close connection Rylee had with the rodeo and about the bucking horse named in her honor.