The Gladewater Museum is proud to have partnered with the Gladewater Round-Up Rodeo Association to purchase an adjoining building to serve as The Gladewater Museum Rodeo Annex.  This building, which has undergone slight remodeling, is located at 112 W. Pacific and is historically known to Gladewater residents as the former Men's Business Club & Coffee Shop aka The Pool Hall & Club Coffee Shop.  The annex will house rodeo memoriabilia from past years to present with most of the exhibits donated by former rodeo directors and/or their families.  Stop by and visit the Rodeo Annex during opening hours of the museum (Friday & Saturday, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM or by appointment by calling the museum number listed in the Contact Us menu section.

The Gladewater Round-Up Rodeo was founded in 1937 by local businessman J. N. “Jack” Yates, a Sioux Indian from North Dakota who had moved to Gladewater during the oil boom. Yates, a veteran of World War I, organized the first rodeo ever to be held in France as entertainment for the soldiers, and according to historical documents, he sought to recreate the event in Gladewater.

Yates owned and operated J. N. “Jack” Yates Pipe and Supply Company, and recruited citizens to donate either funds or supplies to construct a rodeo arena. The structure was originally built from lumber, but the rodeo was such a success that it was reconstructed out of steel two years later.

Excerpts from the Gladewater History Book, 1973:

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.

The following article is from the Gladewater Mirror dated June 10, 1951:

Erection of the present rodeo arena, use for the Gladewater Round-Up rodeo, was in 1946, and was largely the work of H.B. Walker, vice president of the Galvez Oil company and vice president of the Round-Up association.

Following the principles of the Round-Up association's "non-profit" plan, the men who built the arena used low-cost materials, scrap and salvage from the oilfields surrounding Gladewater.

The arena, a complete bowl, has steel stands, steel pens and chutes and concession stands.  Built in the sunken area of an old salt water disposal pit, the arena is one of the only completely stee-constructed stands in East Texas area.

Walker spent much of his time at the bowl, overseeing the work which used drill-stem, sucker rods and large quantities of tank steel in the construction work.

Such men as Walker, who devote their time to worthwhile community projects without thought of compensation, are entirely responsible for the success of Gladewater's community organization, the Gladewater Round-Up Rodeo.

Walker has spent much of his time in the Glade area, although Galvez Oil company's home office was in Tulsa. In 1949 the firm moved their entire office operation to Gladewater, taking offices in the First State Bank building.  A large measure of the credit for moving this company's offices here can be given to Walker.

After the 2002 Rodeo, the old all-steel arena was dismantled and a new stadium was built just west of the original location.  This newest stadium, which opened for rodeo activities on June 3, 2003, seats nearly 5000 and is made from aluminum.  All seats have chair backs, which makes the seating more comfortable for attendees.