Nebraska’s Big Rodeo Grounds

The Garfield County Frontier Fairgrounds at Burwell is a 40-acre site that has been in continuous use for the same purpose since 1922, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 as a historic district of thirteen contributing buildings and seven other structures. Beyond the arena and the 1922 entrance gate it retains more than two dozen original structures, including animal barns, exhibit buildings and support facilities. It hosts Nebraska’s Big Rodeo in late July and the Garfield County Fair alongside it, with a three-quarter-mile track, the original wood-covered grandstands, shuttle service and an event hall. Burwell calls itself the outdoor rodeo capital of Nebraska. A town of about 1,200 draws ten to twelve thousand spectators a year. Phone 308-346-5010.