96 Profile of a Place: “Curiosity Killed the Cadillacs”
Theresa Richey
ENG 1013.50
Dr. Jackie Hoermann-Elliott
March 6, 2022
Cover Letter
I had the hardest time coming up with a place at first, and I was thinking about doing Montgomery Plaza but struggling to find information on this place. Then I remembered seeing old photos of my family’s visit to the Cadillac Ranch, and I thought this place was perfect. I put some ideas on a few different sticky notes and finally settled on writing about the bizarreness of the Ranch. Creating an initial discussion post and a rough draft really helped me decide on the uniqueness of the Ranch. I tried to do multiple run-throughs to change sentence structure or the flow of the sentences and even rearranged the order of my paragraphs to try to keep relevant information close together. I also had to ask my parents to find photos from our trip and send them to me so I could use them in the paper.
First, I came up with a few basic ideas on sticky notes: the history, who built it, where is the Ranch, and other similar topics. Then, I turned those notes into the outline, then into the rough draft. I expanded on my ideas and tried to add words and details that show the mystery and bizarre nature of the Cadillac Ranch. I also used Google Street View a lot to help add specific details about things I couldn’t remember from when I had last been there. The parking on the side of the highway and the graffitied dumpsters were all visible to me from Google Street View.
I tried to create a balance between the genre conventions of sensory details and historical information to inform the reader as well as try to bring them to the Cadillac Ranch. I tried to write about how the Ranch’s natural curiosity draws people in. The saying “Curiosity killed the cat” was constantly playing through my head as I was writing. People are drawn to unusual things, and I tried to play off that idea. Most people only know the first part of that saying, but I really like the second half, which is “satisfaction brought it back.” I used that to prove why strange places are so enticing.
At first, I thought I was just going to be writing about history, but I found it was important to incorporate more details; it felt like telling a story rather than giving a history report. I also have never needed to incorporate an interview into a paper before. Trying to figure out what questions to ask and how to approach it was entirely new to me, but I came up with some helpful questions that were specific to my paper. Also, writing a paper that is not confined to the five-paragraph essay structure helped me explore more topics and provided a nice change of pace as opposed to the expectation to fit everything into a certain number of paragraphs.
Curiosity Killed the Cadillacs
In 1974, ten cars costing a combined total of $464,770 were planted in a field only for the amusement of a millionaire. These ten Cadillacs make up what is called the Cadillac Ranch. These various models of Cadillacs, buried in Amarillo, commissioned by Stanley Marsh 3, are still there today, standing as a site for motorists on Route 66 to stop and wonder at their presence. Stanley’s reason to have them installed was simply to boggle the minds of passersby, so now in a field we have The Cadillac Ranch. The success of the Cadillac Ranch is the result of people’s natural curiosity mixed with the chance to add to an already odd site.
Image 1: Google Street View of the Cadillac Ranch. 10 Cadillacs as well as people walking up to the cars are pictured.
Stanley Marsh 3, a wealthy man from Amarillo, Texas, wanted to have something to stir up the area and to create a new cultural buzz. He had the money to do so, but he didn’t have a good idea of what to do. Thus, he enlisted the help of three artists from San Francisco, California, who called themselves Ant Farm. The brains behind such a landmark included architects Chip Lord and Hudson Marquez and artist Doug Michels. Working hard, they came up with the idea of burying the Cadillacs. Marsh was fully on board because it had just the right bewilderment factor he was looking for (“Cadillac Ranch”).
Image 2: “All in a Row.” Six Cadillacs in a row decorated with spray paint.
The Ant Farm artists purchased all the Cadillacs from either junkyards or chose used cars, so the cars were already at the end of their lives (Weiser-Alexander par. 4). Over the years, parts of the cars were stolen and the remains were graffitied until just the painted frames of the cars were left. Stanley Marsh 3 actually liked the look of the spray paint and broken cars; it added so much to the character of this landmark that spray painting the Cadillacs became a must-do when visiting. In 1997, the cars were dug up and moved about two miles away to their final resting place (Weiser-Alexander par. 6).
Image 3: “Adventure Day.” Theresa Richey poses next to Cadillacs at the Ranch.
Harvey Richey, a visitor to the Cadillac Ranch shared his story of that day. He said that in 2007, his family took a trip to the Ranch on their way to visit some relatives. When asked what he remembered from that day, he said, “I remember it being warm, and it was in the middle of maybe a cotton field, surrounded by nothing, and it was extremely windy.” It was an exciting adventure for him because there is no other place like this Ranch, and he was experiencing it with his family. Harvey remarked that it truly was a unique place, and that’s why so many people are attracted to the Cadillac Ranch. His fondest memory from the trip was finding a paint chip. “We could see all the layers of paint, and you never realize how thick the paint is until it chipped away. We probably looked at that chip for at least ten minutes.” he said. “Undoubtedly, we would go back to see all the paint that had been added since we went last and then add more because that’s what you do when you visit.”
Image 4: “Showing the Layers.” A paint chip from a Cadillac shows the layers of spray paint.
If you want to experience The Cadillac Ranch, drive along Route 66, take exit 60, and travel along Interstate Highway 40 for a little over a mile. Look for the other cars parking along the side of the highway because there is no designated parking. Just don’t go much further than the graffitied dumpsters because you will have just passed the gate (GoogleMaps). To get to the Cadillacs, you’ll need to pass through a gate, and depending on the time of the year, either a lush green field or withering plants will be on either side of the dusty path. Once in front of the cars, you will notice that the original paint of turquoise, banana yellow, and gold has been replaced with years of spray paint. You’ll find initials and names and drawings of all kinds from people leaving their mark on this strange place on the side of the highway. Spray paint fills the air, and if you don’t bring a can people are usually willing to share, just as someone did for me and my family years ago. The ability to add to this piece of art requires people to stop by when passing through.
Image 5: “Highway and Spray Cans.” Spray paint cans and Route 66 can be seen behind the car.
The Cadillac Ranch is on a major highway, and it’s one of the fastest ways through the Texas Panhandle, so it’s no surprise there is a lot of tourism. For being in the middle of nowhere in a random field, it receives an abundance of foot traffic. It’s an appealing stop as it’s a place to not only stretch your legs but experience and add to a one-of-a-kind locale. It’s not a national park or protected by anything, so it’s hard to track the exact number of people that visit, but layers of paint show its popularity. It’s free to enter and explore, and the uniqueness of getting to spray paint the cars really entices people. It’s fun to search for what details have been left behind by others as well as leave something for the next person to see. The Ranch is a strange sight in itself, but when people get to add to it, it makes it even more intriguing.
Image 6: “Merging into one.” From this angle, the Cadillacs are disappearing into one.
Visitors’ natural curiosity has caused many great and interesting occurrences to happen in this world, one of those being the creation of the Cadillac Ranch. No one in the ‘70s would think to bury ten Cadillacs other than a millionaire with a passion for confusing the public accompanied by a group of artists who want to display their art style. The irony of expensive cars being used for nothing more than rusting in the ground and as a canvas for thousands of people is satisfying to so many, especially Stanley Marsh 3. As bizarre as the concept is, it has a magnetic pull that keeps people fascinated and makes them want to be a part of this forever-changing art installation. Something like this landmark is rarely built, so visit if you get the chance. The satisfaction keeps ‘em coming back.
Works Cited
Lord, Chip. “Work.” Chip Lord, http://chiplord.net/work#/antfarm/.
Map showing location of “Cadillac Ranch,” GoogleMaps, google.com/map/cadillacranch. Accessed 25 Feb 2022.
Kirby, Doug et al. “Cadillac Ranch.” RoadsideAmerica.com, 1996-2022, https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2220.
Richey, Harvey. “Cadillac Ranch Interview.” 3 Mar. 2022.
Richey, Harvey. Cadillac Ranch Photos, Amarillo, TX, 1 Oct. 2007.
Weiser-Alexander, Kathy. “The Cadillac Ranch & Quirky Amarillo, Texas.” Legends of America, November 2021, https://www.legendsofamerica.com/tx-cadillacranch/.