Our Mission: In accordance with the spirit upon which it was founded and its current bylaws, the Cow Palace is committed to do the following: - Present and market a variety of entertainment, including concerts, festivals, exhibitions, trade shows, sales, and various educational and sporting events that reflect the cultural diversity of the surrounding communities and proactively provide an outlet for recreation and access to information.
- Utilize, efficiently maintain and periodically improve the physical facilities of the Cow Palace in which the Grand National and its various other events are held.
- Organize and administer each year a unique event; the Grand National Rodeo, Horse & Stock Show composed of various public competitions, exhibitions and entertainment such that
(1) the event enhances interest and encourages participation in the agricultural industry, and the production of livestock, by recognizing and rewarding outstanding achievement in them, and
(2) the event attracts as many visitors as possible from throughout the State, across the nation and around the world to the Bay Area and San Francisco, the city of its historic origin in 1941. - Include in the Grand National activities to continue and encourage young people to pursue careers in the agricultural industry through programs and incentives especially tailored to their interests.
- Make certain that the Grand National grows and adapts to current ever-changing trends of the agricultural industry, encompassing cattle, swine, sheep, traditional agri-business products, the equine industry and other emerging agricultural technologies. As part of this adaptation policy, the Cow Palace will pursue making the Grand National an international event.
- Lastly, preserve the Cow Palace, and ensure its events continue to serve the needs of the Bay Area and the State. Our commitment is to retain the value of the Cow Palace as both a major income-producing asset and a source of education as it was originally conceived.
Directors & Officers:HENRY KUECHLER, MENLO PARK - President
MARA KOPP, SAN FRANCISCO - First Vice President
LOIS MURPHY, BELMONT - Second Vice President
GLENN ATKINSON, WOODSIDE RONALD CEDILLOS, SAN FRANCISCO SHERRY OLSEN, PESCADERO ANTHONY PANTALEONI, SAN FRANCISCO BARBARA WANVIG, SAN FRANCISCO PAUL WATTIS, SAN FRANCISCO JOE BARKETT - C.E.O. History:
Since opening in 1941, the Cow Palace has welcomed 50 million visitors through its doors. The Cow Palace is officially the 1-A District Agricultural Association, a State agency of the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Division of Fairs and Expositions.
The idea for what was to become the Cow Palace was born at the 1915 Pan-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. When the fair's huge livestock exposition proved to be one of its most popular attractions, local business leaders met and resolved to build a permanent structure to house a great animal livestock exposition in San Francisco.
For ten years after the Pan-Pacific Expo, the idea lay dormant. In 1925, the San Francisco Exposition Company was formed to finance the project. Nineteen firms and individuals each contributed $20,000, and the land was purchased in the Marina District, the site of the 1915 fair.
A legislative appropriation of $250,000 was passed in 1931. This appropriation was to be used in part to purchase a suitable site. However, as the depression of the 1930's worsened, resistance developed to using public funds for construction of a livestock pavilion. The economy was in a state of shock. Millions were unemployed. A local newspaper asked, "Why, when people are starving, should money be spent on a "palace for cows?" A headline writer turned the phrase around, hence the origin of the world famous name.
 Twenty years after the inception, and a change from the original site, the first spadeful of dirt was turned. Through the W.P.A. Program, the construction of the Cow Palace put to work thousands of the unemployed.
The Cow Palace was completed in 1941. The new arena boasted a concrete and steel roof that covered nearly six acres. The first event to be held in the new arena was the Western Classic Holstein Show in April, 1941. In November of that year, the first Grand National Rodeo was held, featuring a tribute to the late Will Rogers. The show was declared a smash hit.
Two short weeks after the close of the first show, Pearl Harbor was attacked. Rented by the Federal Government for $1.00 per year, for the next five years the huge structure was filled with troops embarking for combat zones in the Pacific Theatre. As World War II progressed, the pavilion was turned over to the Ordinance Department and converted into a huge repair garage.
Following the war in 1946, the facility was again readied to host the Grand National. The show was again a success, despite rain and wind storms that flattened the enormous outdoor livestock tents. This near disaster led to the construction of the permanent storm-proof pavilions that had been in the original plans.
In the spring of 1946, the Junior Grand National was established to encourage the youth of California in their livestock projects. In December of 1947, inter-collegiate basketball came to the arena, beginning the Cow Palace's nationwide reputation as a major sports arena. In 1948, the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus started its tenure as the Cow Palace's oldest continuous renter.
In 1949 legislation was passed officially opening the facility to general public use. In October of that year, the Cow Palace was host to the U.S. Heavyweight Boxing Championship. From then on, all manner of events came to the arena, such as ice shows, political conventions, Roller Derby, tennis, wrestling, professional basketball, and ice hockey.
 Other Cow Palace highlights include appearances by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Liberace, the Billy Graham Crusade (with attendance of 696,525), John F. Kennedy, Evel Knievel, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Elvis Presley. In addition to these, the Cow Palace has been the host of many successful sold-out concerts. Some of the more memorable are those by the Grateful Dead *, the Who, the Doors, Rod Stewart, Santana, ZZ Top, Yes, Paul McCartney & Wings, Neil Diamond, Elton John, U2, and Prince.
The long term tenants of the Cow Palace include the Grand National Rodeo, Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus, the San Francisco Sport & Boat Show, the Golden Gate Kennel Club Dog Show, and Disney on Ice.
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