Texas is a state located in the south-central United States. After Alaska, Texas has the second largest area with 695,621 km² and the second largest population after California.
Texas is nicknamed the ” Lone Star State ” because its flag has only one star.
On December 29, 1845, it was incorporated into the United States as the 28th state. Next to Vermont, Texas is the only state that was once its own independent republic before the United States was founded.
With its 254 counties, Texas has the most counties of any state in the USA.
Texas is considered conservative, George W. Bush and his father George Bush made a career in Texas. Texas is known for using the death penalty here. It is also considered the land of oil.
Texas is bordered by Mexico to the south, the state of New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast, and Louisiana to the east.
The most famous sights of Texas are the Guadalupe National Park and the US space headquarters in Houston. The largest art museum in the state of Texas, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, is impressive with a collection of over 56,000 objects.
Texas state motto is “friendship” which is found throughout the state.
Well known cities are Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Texas capital Austin. In the vicinity of Austin and San Antonio you will find many German immigrants. A well-known place is New Braunfels, which is famous for its annual sausage festival.
Cities and interesting places in Texas
Austin
San Antonio
Arlington
Corpus Christi
Dallas
El Paso
Fort Worth
Houston
Huntsville
National Parks in Texas
Big Bend National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Rivers in Texas
Brazos River, Canadian River, Colorado River, Neches River, Nueces River, Pecos River, Red River, Rio Grande, Sabine River, Trinity River.
Texas mountains
Guadalupe Peak, El Capitan, Emory Peak, North Franklin Mountain.
Lakes and reservoirs in Texas
Amistad Reservoir, Cedar Creek Reservoir, Falcon Reservoir, Lake of the Pines, Lake Texoma, Lake Whitney, Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Toledo Bend Reservoir.
Cadillac Ranch – A highlight along Route 66
The most photographed attraction on a Route 66 road trip through the United States is the detached Cadillac Ranch in a field by the roadside of Route 66.
Cadillac Ranch is not a ranch but a public art installation about three miles west of Amarillo, Texas. Ten Cadillacs, halfway sunk into the ground, await you here.
In 1974, artists Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez, and Doug Michels, who were part of the Ant Farm artist group, created the Cadillac artwork. Due to its close proximity to historic Route 66, it soon became a popular point of interest on the tour of Texas. The Cadillacs symbolize the freedom that the automobile brought with it and its fascination and appeal.
The cars are in view from the highway and are painted with graffiti. Visitors are encouraged to leave their own colored trail, so each Cadillac keeps changing in appearance. The cars are repainted at regular intervals. One fall the cars were seen in shades of yellow, pink and orange, once white for the filming of a TV commercial, in 2005 the cars were painted all pink as a symbol of the fight against breast cancer and the death of Doug Michels they were seen in pink, blue and black. However, sometimes they are just freshly painted to simply provide a fresh canvas for future visitors. But it usually doesn’t take long before the first graffiti appear on the cars.
Visit this unusual work of art and immortalize yourself with a tag of your own. However, in bad weather you should not forget your rubber boots or extra shoes, as the ground can be very muddy at this time.
Tip: The Cadillac Ranch in Texas also offers a wonderful view at sunset or sunrise. Due to its constant color change, it also always offers a different motif, which is why some visitors come here more often to document this.
creation of the work of art
In 1974, ten Cadillacs were buried in a corn field by members of the San Francisco artist group Ant Farm, west of Amarillo. They are lined up and at the same angle, with the front half in the ground, and are placed in chronological order from a 1949 model to a 1963 model. Corresponding to the angle of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. They are meant to represent the beginning and decline of tailfin models in the 1950s.
The Cadillac Ranch was sponsored by the helium millionaire and benefactor Stanley Marsh III, who made the property next to Interstate 40 available to the artist group. Stanley Marsh says the Cadillac Ranch symbolizes “the great escape, the freedom of choice, the ability to just run away.”
At first, the artwork was described by many visitors as strange and comical. But over time it became a real roadside attraction on Route 66. It was an absolute must to immortalize yourself here on a road trip along Route 66.
History of Cadillac Ranch
Chip Lord and Doug Michels were architects and Hudson Marquez was an art student at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. They founded Ant Farm as an alternative architecture firm to design new forms.
The idea came from a book discovered by Marquez and Chip, who lived north of San Francisco. In a bar they found a children’s book called The Look of Cars, which was about the rise and fall of a car’s tail fin. The idea came up to convert the whole thing into a work of art.
They were looking for sponsors for their project and in 1972 they found millionaire Stanley Marsh III who financed the project and provided them with a location.
Over time, other similar feats such as the Carhenge in Nebraska, which were inspired by the Cadillac Ranch, followed.
Relocation of Cadillac Ranch
The Cadillac Ranch was originally located in a cornfield very close to the city of Amarillo, but as the city continued to grow, the Cadillacs were dug up and lifted out of the ground with cranes in 1997. They were relocated about 2 miles west along Interstate 40 in a pasture. The new location also belongs to Stanley Marsh III again and can be entered at any time.
Cult of Cadillac Ranch
The Cadillac Ranch has become such a cult object that it even features in the Walt Disney and Pixar film Cars. Numerous references to locations on old Route 66 are featured in the film. In addition, the image from the movie Cars was built as the centerpiece of Auto Land at Disney California Adventure Park.
But she is also mentioned in various commercials and music videos, such as the “Cadillac Ranch” song by Bruce Springsteen. In addition, the backdrop of the Cadillacs is often used on different covers.
Directions to Cadillac Ranch
The site is located in beautiful Potter County, Texas, just off historic Route 66, which is now replaced by Interstate 40 at this point. Access is free, you just have to walk 200 meters across the field to Cadillac Ranch.
Address of the Cadillac Ranch on Route 66
Cadillac Ranch
I-40 Frontage Rd
Amarillo, TX 79124
United States
