Welcome to Brawley, California

Brawley, the jewel of Imperial County

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(Thank You to the Brawley Chamber of Commerce and the City of Brawley for providing this information)

Community Profile

The City of Brawley was incorporated in 1908; it is a 'General Law' municipality. The City of Brawley is located in the far southeastern corner of the State of California, in the Lower Colorado Desert and ten miles south of the Salton Sea. Brawley is a 25 minute drive from Mexicali, Mexico, 125 miles east of San Diego, 88 miles south of Palm Springs and 65 miles west of Yuma, Arizona.

POPULATION:
The City has population of approximately 22,000. Brawley is a family-oriented community with good schools, and 14 parks, beautifully landscaped. Brawley has a skilled, hard-working labor force.

RECREATION:
The Colorado River is about 30 miles from Brawley. The Salton Sea and desert sand dunes are accessible in minutes. The Sea of Cortez is about three hours away. All these areas offer prime recreational opportunities, from bird-watching to fishing, hunting, boating, dune riding, and just about any other outdoor activity you could imagine.

Brawley is home of the Cattle Call Rodeo. Here are some facts about Cattle Call

About the Name ....
· The Brawley Chamber of Commerce conducted a contest to namethe rodeo and community celebration. The winner and recipient of a $25 U.S. Savings Bond was Marial (Mrs. Rex) Hudson, who submitted "Cattle Call," the name of a popular western song written by Tex Owens in 1934 and made famous by Eddy Arnold

About the Rodeo ...
· The first two rodeos - in 1957 and 1958 - were considered "amateur" affairs. The event went "pro" in 1960 when it was sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA)

About the Rodeo Committee ...
· The original Rodeo Committee was composed of Ed Rutherford, Louise Willey, Dick Smith and Al Smith.
· Real Estate Broker Al Smith, now retired, is the last surviving member of the founding committee.

About the Stock Contractor ...
· In its first years, the stock contractor for Cattle Call was a company co-owned by Pete Grubb and Ed Rutherford. After Grubb's death, Rutherford joined forces with Cotton Rosser and formed the Flying U Rodeo Company. The Flying U has been providing livestockever since.

About the Arena ...
· The Rodeo Committee leased approximately 40 acres in the New River bottom from the city of Brawley.
· The lease agreement with the city requires that the Rodeo Committee spend any money remaining after covering expenses to maintain and make improvements to the facility.
· Because of building code constraints, building a grandstand from the ground up was too expensive, so reinforced concrete stands were poured a top a huge mound of dirt - an estimated 33,000 yards -00 hauled to the site.
· The entire physical facility was built in approximately three months, using donated or volunteer labor.
· The grandstand was erected in 30 days, with a new row of concrete stands poured daily.
· The original grandstand had 2,040 seats. It has been expanded several times to its current capacity of 5,264.
· The bucking chutes were fabricated at the Orita Land & Cattle Co. feedlot and secured in place at the arena just in time for the first performance in 1958.
· Dignitary seating above the chutes was paid for with funds contributed by the Lions and Soroptomist Clubs.

For more information about the jewel of Imperial County, Brawley, California contact me at www.IVForeclosures.com