The Arena is a story in itself. In March 1936, the association purchased a 20 acre site in the Sam Kay Tract located one mile west of Gladewater on Highway 80. This site included a huge earthen oil pit. This pit had been used by John Gillen to store oil. Oil had gotten so cheap, that Mr. Gillen decided to dig earthen pits and store the crude oil until prices went up.

Three of these pits were dug by Lasco Pelphrey under the direction of Jack Hearrell as to slope, capacity and depth. The Rodeo Arena is one of these pits. When it was empty of oil, Mr. Pelphrey took a drag line, hauled out all of the oil soaked sand, cleaned the sides and moved in clean dirt. The sides of the arena were terraced like steps, and boards were placed on the dirt terraces for seats. This was a great safety feature as there was nothing to collapse.

Excerpts from the Gladewater History Book, 1973