I produced my first Carhenge website when I was living in Alliance, Nebraska (1992-1998). I still receive e-mail from people about the site, so I thought I would update it with some photos I took on my last trip there...and some "interesting" manipulations I did with the photos using Paint Shop Pro. I hope you enjoy.
Carhenge was built as a memorial to Jim Reinders' father who once lived on the farm where Carhenge now stands. While relatives were gathered following the death of Reinders' father in 1982, the discussion turned to a memorial and the idea of a Stonehenge replica was developed. The family agreed to gather in five years and build it. The clan, about 35 strong, gathered in June 1987 and went to work. They held the dedication on the Summer Solstice in 1987, with champagne, poetry, songs and a play written by the family.
It is truly amazing how many people actually visit Carhenge each day. The Alliance Chamber of Commerce estimates that over 80,000 people visit the site each year. In all of my travels to and from Alliance, I have NEVER driven by it and not seen a car there. Just perform a Google search for Carhenge and you will come up with more than 30,000 hits. If you have ever seen the movie, "Omaha-The Movie", you will notice Carhenge was the setting for the final scene. The movie ran on the Sundance channel. Honda Motor Company recently filmed a commercial there as well as the music group, "P.O.D." filmed part of their video there.
Carhenge is a replica of Stonehenge which is located in
England.
Stonehenge was built between 3200 and 1200 B.C. it is the most celebrated of
over 900 stone circles in Britain. Despite popular folklore it was not built by
the Druids. The major ring was raised around 2000 B.C. by Stone Age Britons.
Excavations show that it was a place of burial and religious ceremony. The
layout includes rough astronomical alignments implying veneration of the sun and
of the moon.
Viewed by the Nebraska Department of Roads as a junkyard to
be removed or screened, Carhenge was preserved by Friends of Carhenge, a local
group which now owns and maintains it. In 1989 the city of Alliance was ready to bulldoze
Carhenge, which city officials saw as a junkyard. This is when Dave Burnett and
others started Friends of Carhenge. The city council agreed to exclude Carhenge
from the city limits.
On Tuesday, May 6th, 1997, The Fox News crew was in Alliance to film a segment televised on their network. Fox decided to come to Alliance after seeing a story about the Carhenge winter solstice celebration on the cover of the New York Times.
Dave Burnett, co-founder of Friends of Carhenge, believes the Fox segment should increase the number of tourists for Carhenge. In 1996 a total of 86, 598 tourists stopped to see Carhenge.
Burnett and other Friends of Carhenge hope to build bathrooms, gift shops, a visiting center, and an amphitheater.
A Spawning Salmon was added in later years. The Salmon is made entirely of car parts. The sculpture is one of many at Carhenge. Sculptors are invited to submit designs.
This is a photo my son, Connor, took on our last trip to Alliance.
*Most of this information appeared in the "Alliance Times Herald" on May 3, and June 25 1997.
This page was last updated on 02/02/2006.
Curious visitors since November 2005