Skip to main content

Cadillac Ranch

Image
By

Perhaps one of the more visually interesting sights along the highways of North America is the Cadillac Ranch, which can be seen off of Interstate 40 and old US 66, just west of Amarillo, Texas. Cadillac Ranch wasn't a stopover for travelers of the US 66 of yore, as it was an art and sculpture installation that was erected in 1973 and 1974.

Texas millionaire Stanley Marsh, 3 was the mastermind behind Cadillac Ranch. In 1973, Marsh invited an artist group from San Francisco called the Ant Farm to help him in the creation of a unique work of art for his sprawling ranch just west of Amarillo.

Ant Farm acquired ten used Cadillacs, ranging from 1948 to 1963. Erected along historic US Route 66, the cars were purchased from junk yards, and averaged about $200. The cars were then buried nose down, facing west along the old highway. In 1974, Cadillac Ranch was completed and visitors began to arrive from all over. Curiosity seekers and passers-by were leaving their mark on the graffiti-covered cars. In 1997, the Cadillac Ranch was moved about two miles to the west, in order to have a little more breathing room from Amarillo. Other than that, Cadillac Ranch has remained the same since the beginning.





Site Navigation:
Labels:
Location: 13651 I-40 Frontage Rd, Amarillo, TX 79124, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bleriot Ferry - Alberta

By
  Alberta operates six ferries scattered throughout the province. Roughly twenty to twenty-five kilometers up the Red Deer River from the town of Drumheller is one of the most scenic ferry crossings in all of Wild Rose Country, the Bleriot Ferry. Using the North Dinosaur Trail (Alberta Highway 838, or AB 838), the Bleriot Ferry provides a scenic river cruise of sorts in the Canadian Badlands. The Bleriot Ferry started operating in 1913 as the Munson Ferry when a few bridges crossed the Red Deer River. The ferry was started by Andre Bleriot, the brother of famed early aviator Louis Bleriot, who became famous for being the first person to fly over the English Channel. At the time, the Alberta provincial government commissioned local residents to run the ferries. There were several ferries along the Red Deer River, and not only did they serve as vital transportation links, but they also served as local social hubs, since everyone had to take the ferries to go places. Over time, as the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

By
In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...
4 comments
Read more

I-73/I-74 and NC Future Interstates Year in Review 2024

By
Welcome to another annual review of progress in constructing North Carolina's New and Future Interstate routes. While 2024 was not too exciting, with no new segments of major routes opening, there was 1 new interstate signing, another proposed new interstate route, and the near opening of a new segment for 2 routes. As tradition, I will start off with a review of what happened with I-73 and I-74 and then move on to the major news of the year about the other new and future routes. Work continued on the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass through the year. The last few months have been hoping for news of its opening before 2025, without luck. Signs of its near completion included the placement of new signs, many with interstate shields uncovered, along the Bypass and intersecting roadways. For example, these went up along US 74 East: Overhead signage at Business 74 exit which contains the future ramp to I-73 North/I-74 West. Signage was also updated heading west on US 74 approaching the unop...
Post a Comment
Read more