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.




How to Get There:


Sources and Links:
Legends of America - Cadillac Ranch and Quirky Amarillo
The Route-66.com - Cadillac Ranch
Labels:
Location: 13651 I-40 Frontage Rd, Amarillo, TX 79124, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interstate 210 and California State Route 210 on the Foothill Freeway

By
This past December I was passing through the Los Angeles Area on a weekend I took a detour onto Interstate 210 eastbound on the Foothill Freeway to California State Route 2.  I-210 and CA 210 on the Foothill Freeway essentially serve as the closest thing to a Los Angeles bypass that the L.A. Metro Area has.


I-210/CA 210 on the Foothill Freeway is an approximately 85.31 mile highway which begins at I-5 in the northern outskirts of Los Angeles and travels east to I-10 in Redlands of San Bernardino County.  I-210 exists as the 44.9 mile segment of the Foothill Freeway between I-5 and CA 57 whereas CA 210 makes up the remaining 40.41 miles east to I-10.  I-210 originally utilized CA 57 from Glendora south on the Orange Freeway to I-10.  CA 57 south to I-10 is still FHWA recognized as part of I-210 which likely won't change until California seeks approval to add CA 210 to the Interstate System.



Part 1; the history of I-210 and CA 210

I-210 was approved as a chargeable Interstate during …
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 1; the Cabrillo Highway through Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula

By
This past January the winter weather was mild and conditions out in the Big Sur region were especially nice.  That being the case I decided on a weekend cruise northbound on California State Route 1 via the Cabrillo Highway from CA 46 near Harmony northward through Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula to CA 156 in Castroville.


CA 1 through the Big Sur region isn't uncharted territory for Gribblenation.  Back in 2017 when the Mud Creek Slide, Paul's Slide and the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge collapse occurred the topic of CA 1 in Big Sur was common on this blog site.  That being the case even though the topic of CA 1 through Big Sur has been covered extensively I never really examined much of the history of the highway in the Monterey Peninsula.  Aside from the fact that I wanted to feature CA 1 through the Monterey Peninusla I'm always game for a top level scenic highway.  To that end the photos that I took on this most recent trip to CA 1 far exceed what I was taking in 2017 and …
Post a Comment
Read more

Locans, California ghost town site

By
This February I stopped at the site of the abandoned railroad siding known as Locans in eastern Fresno County.


Locans was a railroad sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad spur line known as the Stockton & Tulare Railroad.  Locans was located on what is now Temperance Avenue just south of Bulter Avenue.  The Stockton & Tulare Railroad was completed in 1887 but it doesn't appear that Locans was one of the original sidings.  Locans doesn't appear on the 1889 George F. Cram Railroad map of California but nearby Butler does.


The first reference to Locans I can find is on the 1891 Thompson Atlas of Fresno County.  A large parcel of land next to the Stockton & Tulare Railroad can be seen east of of Butler owned by F. Locan.  Locan's land holdings surround a small siding known as Minneola which was about a half mile east of where the site of Locans would eventually be plotted.


Locan's property appears again on the Stockton & Tulare Railroad between Butler an…
Post a Comment
Read more