On the second day of our roadtrip (July 11, 2017) we went to Cadillac Ranch. Cadillac Ranch is on the I-40 frontage road west of Amarillo. This isn’t the original site of the Cadillac Ranch. It use to be 2-miles east of this location, but in 1997, it was relocated to it’s current location to make room for Amarillo’s growth.
Cadillac Ranch started out as a sculpture for millionaire Stanley Marsh, 3 (the 3rd). In 1973, Marsh invited a San Francisco artists’ collective called the Ant Farm to help him in the creation of a unique work of art for his sprawling ranch just west of Amarillo. The Ant Farm made a list of 10 Cadillac models that would illustrate the evolution of the tailfin from 1948 to 1964. Built along the tattered remains of historic Route 66, the cars were meant to represent the “Golden Age” of American automobiles. The Cadillac’s were laid out in a straight line facing west, and were set to the same slant as the sides of the Great Pyramids. The ‘sculpture’ was completed in the summer of 1974.
Sadly, the cars were eventually vandalized with graffiti. Over the years, people have managed to steel the doors and any other parts they could get off the cars, and they are now covered in layers and layers of paint. It would be interesting to know whether or not Stanley would have buried these cars, had he known what would eventually happen to them. It’s sad to look around at all the empty spray can laying on the ground. There’s a dumpster next to the road where people park, but people just don’t have respect for other peoples property. Still, Cadillac Ranch has become famous. It’s been mentioned in movies, and even inspired a song by Bruce Springsteen.
Videos:
Here’s some video’s for you to enjoy. The first is Charles Kuralt “On the Road” series at Cadillac Ranch, followed by Bruce Springsteen singing ‘Cadillac Ranch’ (click the videos to play):
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