Ted Terry was born Dallas Don Edgman. He was sold to a family in Canada when he was eight years old. He took the name of the man who took him in and when Mr Terry died when Ted was 14 years old he was on his own so he made his own history.
Storytellers are frequently accused of being full of "bull" as they weave their yarns. But a listener to Ted Terry had best not accuse him of that type of fabrication because Ted's 'bull' story is the real thing.
It in 1937 when the then 29 year old Ted and two friends accepted a bet at 10 to 1 odds from a group of Ketchum, Idaho businessmen that they could not ride a bull from the quiet mountain town near Sun Valley to the bustling streets of New York City.
What began as a humorous challenge to the three who worked in Sunday rodeos to entertain the Eastern "dudes" and also perfored on radio as the Sawtooth Range Riders, western musicians and singers, ended as an event that for three years captured the interest of thousands of people along their 3,300 mile route and reaped many pages of publicity.
Ted, Harold "Red" Wood, and Victory Lusk took up that bet which was spearheaded by a local casino owner, "Slavey" Weaver, and some friends and put down $500 to seal the deal. An amused Ted remembered that one of the local fellows laughed so hard at the idea of the feat that he fell off the corral fence and swalowed his tobacco when the deal was made. His fall that August day in 1937 only intensified the trio's desire to accomplish the challenge.
The next step, now that they had commited their hard-earned $500, was to acquire a bull. This they did at the Gooding, Idaho, OK Butcher Shop for $50. The two year old Durham short horn weighed 850 pounds and was soon seen around town as the men broke him on the streets of Ketchum.
The bull "Ohadi" ( a reversal of Idaho) wasn't a very friendly for a while, but he soon calmed down and even got accustomed to the guitar music.
The expedition left Ketchum on Sep. 15, accompanied by a pack mule and Silver Bell, soon to be known as Sally, herself described later by Ted as a "17 year old flea bitten gray mare." But Sally's appearance was deceiving for she was a great performer who help finance Ted along the way.
With them the Range Riders carried a letter of introduction from Idaho governor Barzella W. Clark which asked that other states show them consideration for their efforts, an affadvit testifying to the wager, and an immunization record from a veterinarian. They also had funds supplied by residents that would get them as far as Twin Falls.

Concerned that their accomplishment might be challenged, at Wood's suggestion the men carried a book that was to become a fascinating log verifying their journey, and also recording the comments of people who witnessed the trek. The well-worn book, a proud possession in the Terry's home, has the postmarks and signatures of postmasters in each town and village they traveled through. Stars were added with colors indicating the weather conditions at each of the stops.
The log also includes testimony from law enforcement officers and others who witnessed the caravan as it slowly wound its way east, at an average of 12 miles per day. People who hosted the group on their farmlands and others who helped out also made notes. Ted made on entry regarding the misplacing of the book in Bellevue, Ohio. The book was found by a marshal who mailed it on to Suffield, where Ted retrieved it.
Ted was chosen to ride Ohadi because he was the lightest in weight, and when they left Ketchum at noon that September day to the tunes of bands and the cheers of the crowd that saw them off, they only made six miles on their start.
This is just the start of the story. Too long to go into here but he made the World's Fair in 1940.