Bizarre, True Events That Happened at the Iconic Cadillac Ranch of Amarillo, Texas

Cadillac Ranch. The iconic, absurd Route 66 landmark that's recognized internationally

If you had told the original settlers of Amarillo, Texas that their itty bitty outpost on the windswept prairie would soon become known for a bunch of non-functioning jalopys lined up neatly and buried nose-down in the dirt.....you'd get labeled a loon.

But here we are. Amarillo, Texas....home of the Cadillac Ranch. This long-standing public art installation has seen its fair share of travelling tourists wielding spray paint over the decades. But if one were to look at the long lifetime of the Cadillac Ranch, there are several remarkable milestones and bizarre events that stand out.

Cadillac On Fire

On September 8, 2019, a mysterious arsonist visited the Ranch in the dead of the night and set one of the ten Cadillacs on fire using an accelerant. The vintage vehicle set ablaze was the oldest car of the bunch--it survived and remained structurally sound.

The motive for setting the blaze remains unknown, along with the identity of the arsonist.

Go West, Cadillac Ranch

Imagine going to all the trouble of burying 10 massive Cadillacs in the middle of nowhere and declaring it a Cadillac Ranch for all to come see. What happens when the City catches up with the Cadillac Ranch?

Well. They move it. Yes. Move it two miles West.

That's exactly what they did in 1997. When the city limits reached the original location of Cadillac Ranch, the artists that be figured it was worth the trouble to dig the cars up and haul them two miles down the way.

The magazine Texas Monthly did a fantastic write up on the entire ordeal, replete with some phenomenal photos.

Rhianna Visits Cadillac Ranch

In August 2020, Cadillac Ranch was paid a visit by an internationally acclaimed superstar: Rhianna. ANd not only did Ri-Ri strike a pose next to a Caddy, she left a incendiary political message for then-president Donald Trump.

That was a spicy move to make in the Bible Belt. Rawr.

The fallout from Ri-Ri's fly-by-night visit was nothing short of a riot. There were those who called for the superstar's arrest for the "vandalization" of a public art installation. There were also raucous cheers of support from those who shared the political affiliations of the pop star.

It took forever for Amarillo to settle down from that. Hard to top that one, I must say.