Sheriff Til Taylor become royalty in 1916, though he resisted mightily.

This and other fascinating details of Taylor’s life came to light recently while researching his murder in 1920. The various stories we unearthed filled a special section telling of Taylor, his murder during a jailbreak and the five outlaws who evaded capture for six days.

While combing through East Oregonian archives, I quickly became absorbed as I learned more about the sheriff. People knew him as a fearless lawman who virtually always got his man. Yet, he was also a kind, unassuming, straight-talker who never killed anyone. Taylor was also part of the group that dreamed up the Pendleton Round-Up and served as president from 1911 until his death.

Most of what we found ended up in the special section, but not all. The following story is one that didn’t make it, but begs to be told again.

In 1916, Taylor found himself solidly in the spotlight as president of the Round-Up Association, King Joy at the Portland Rose Festival and honorary admiral of the Astoria Regatta Fleet — all because of a 22-year-old beauty and her fans who pulled off a huge strategic victory.

Muriel Saling, who had reigned as Pendleton Round-Up queen in 1912, vied to become the queen of the Portland Rose Festival after it opened up selection of its queen to the entire state of Oregon and Southwest Washington. Votes could be purchased 10 for a penny, or less if purchased in big blocks. Saling, a popular Umatilla County deputy clerk with long legs, beautiful piled-up hair and a resume that included being a star basketball player at Pendleton High School and growing up on a wheat farm. She was well-loved at home, but not a favorite on the statewide stage. Strategy and stealth were needed.

Eastern Oregonians mobilized, aggressively gathering votes, but keeping them secret until the last moment. More than five million were purchased by Portland people to whom the local committee had sent money, said the East Oregonian.

“These votes were sent back here,” the story said, “and several days ago, returned with instructions to hold them until five minutes before voting closed. There were some who suspected Pendleton to be holding back a big vote but the enormous proportions of it astonished all.”

Saling garnered more than 7.4 million votes, more than twice that of the second-place candidate from Portland. The population of Oregon hovered around 700,000 in 1916.

As Rose Festival queen, Saling would choose the man who would serve as “King Joy,” who would preside with her and accompany her to parades and other formal events. She chose Sheriff Til Taylor, who already served as president of the Pendleton Round-Up Association. As described by the East Oregonian, Taylor initially turned down the honor.

“Considerable difficulty was encountered in gaining his consent to act, his natural modesty making him hesitant about accepting a position that would make him at once the representative of Pendleton, Umatilla County and the Round-Up and one of the chief figures of Portland’s annual festival. However, the committee, alive to the advertising to be secured by having the president of the Round-Up as the festival king, insisted and was backed by community sentiment so strongly that this afternoon he finally yielded to the urgent request.”

Wearing cowboy garb, Taylor presided with Saling at the festival, riding his horse in multiple parades. He assisted in the dedication of the then brand-new Columbia River Highway and stood by as Saling was crowned with Multnomah Falls as a backdrop.

At that time, Oregon’s premier festivals were the Rose Festival, the Pendleton Round-Up and the Astoria Regatta.

When Saling and her king received an invitation to rule over the Astoria Regatta Fleet in August, the trifecta was complete.