The 2001 Pioneer Award Recipent is Wade Page

The first recipient is Wade Page who owned and operated Circle S Ranch on north Lexington Avenue in what is now Arden Hills, Minnesota. He operated Circle S until 1958. He provided horses and riding instructors for several camps including Camps Tanadoona and Ojiketa (St. Paul/Minneapolis Campfire Girl Camps) and the Council Camp in Aitkin, Minnesota. Through those camps and Circle S Ranch, thousands of young people learned to ride and also learned Page's philosophy of safe and humane handling of horses. He often said, "A good rider can have a good ride on a poor horse."

Page was a lifelong horseman. His early experience had been with dray teams in Mankato, Minnesota. He was an excellent trainer and rider as well. Perhaps his most enduring accomplishment was the encouragement and help he gave to children and young adults who knew him. He provided many with a lifetime interest in horses a nd a solid foundation to fully appreciate and enjoy the horse. That legacy lives on with the third generation in many of those families.

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