Carhenge

Photo: B. Perry

N 42 8.359  W 102 51.479

There are many weird attractions alongside the roadways of America.  Giant fruit, concrete dinosaurs, muffler men, bizarre museums, the world’s largest ball of twine, … you name it – it’s out there.  My favorite roadside attraction can be found in Western Nebraska.  Turn off I-80 in the Nebraska’s panhandle, drive north through seemingly endless cornfields, and there it is, all by itself, miles from anywhere.    The mind is fooled for a moment.  Did I take the Salisbury Plain exit by accident?  It looks like Stonehenge, England’s ancient circle of stone slabs that druids used to predict astronomical events.  But it’s not.  It’s Carhenge.

Carhenge is an accurate replica of Stonehenge made entirely of vintage cars painted gray.  It’s located a few miles north of tiny Alliance, Nebraska (pop. 8,002) on Highway 87.  Carhenge was conceived and erected by Jim Reinders.  In 1982, after the death of Jim’s father, Herman Reinders, the family got together to discuss possible memorials.  Jim suggested a replica of Stonehenge, which he had studied while living in England.  Five years later, in the summer of 1987, 35 members of the family gathered again and erected Carhenge on land where their father had once lived.  They dedicated Carhenge on the summer solstice with champagne, songs, and poetry.

Gerald Thurman

Carhenge consists of thirty-eight automobiles in the same configuration as the stones of Stonehenge.  The cars were selected to have approximately the same dimensions as the originals.  Some stand upright in a circle 96 feet in diameter with their trunks buried in the ground.  Others rest on top of the uprights, welded in place.   The heel stone, the slaughter stone, and the station stones are cleverly represented in their respective positions.  All are painted a uniform gray, tires and all.  Like Stonehenge, the surrounding plain is so flat and empty that the sky feels enormous.   Unlike Stonehenge, you can wander around inside the circle of Carhenge and look for that one-of-a-kind photo with the sun backlighting the stones, uh, cars.

Soon after it was up, some local residents wanted it down.  Responding to the small vocal opposition, the city council ordered the work dismantled.  Sherry Garett quickly visited Councilman Paul Phaneuf to see what could be done.  A public meeting at the site drew an enormous response and demonstrated wide-spread support for it.  With a small zoning change, the field became a ‘tourist attraction’ and Carhenge was saved.  The Friends of Carhenge, a non-profit organization, was formed in 1989 to care for the site and promote Carhenge as a tourist attraction. 

Spawning Salmon and Dino       Photo: Gerald Thurman

Additional works of art have been erected over the years in what is now known as the Car Art Reserve.  All are made from parts of old cars.  ‘Spawning Salmon’, by Canadian artist Geoff Sandhurst, is made from five truck frames.  ‘The Fourd Seasons’ represents the four stages of wheat growth with stacked Fords.  ‘Carnastoga’ is a station wagon tricked out with wagon wheels and two yoked engines.  ‘Dino’ is a very strange dinosaur, indeed.

 My son and I drove a few hours from South Dakota to see it in the fall of 2005.  We arrived just before sunset and had the site to ourselves.  As the shadows lengthened, it evoked a strange combination of awesomeness, surrealism, and whimsy.  You have to admire the distinctly American spirit that would come up with and actually build something that silly and that inspired.   

Question of the Day:  What other Stonehenge replicas can be found around America?