Carhenge facts for kids
Carhenge is a really cool and unique art display located near Alliance, Nebraska, in the High Plains region of the United States. It's a copy of the famous Stonehenge in England, but with a fun twist! Instead of huge stones, Carhenge is made from old American automobiles. All the cars are painted gray to look like the ancient stones. Jim Reinders built it, and it was officially opened in June 1987. Since 2006, there's even a visitor center for people who come to see this amazing place.
How Carhenge is Built
Carhenge has 39 old cars arranged in a big circle. This circle is about 96 feet wide. Some cars stand straight up, buried 5 feet deep with their trunks pointing down. Other cars are welded on top of these standing cars to create archways, just like the real Stonehenge.
The special "heelstone" at Carhenge is a 1962 Cadillac. There's also a funny part: three foreign cars are buried there! A sign explains that they "served our purpose while Detroit slept." This is a playful joke about American cars.
Carhenge looks like Stonehenge does today, which is a bit worn down. It doesn't look like the original stone circle that was built thousands of years ago. Besides the main Carhenge circle, the area also has other amazing artworks made from cars, painted in different colors.
The Story Behind Carhenge
Jim Reinders first thought of Carhenge in 1987. He wanted to create it as a special memorial to his father. Jim had lived in England and studied how Stonehenge was built. This helped him make Carhenge the same shape, size, and proportions.
Later, more car sculptures were added to the area around Carhenge. This whole place is now known as the Car Art Reserve. Jim Reinders gave the 10-acre site to a group called the Friends of Carhenge. In 2011, they tried to sell the attraction. But in 2013, the Friends of Carhenge gave the site to the people of Alliance.
Carhenge has become quite famous! It has appeared in movies, songs, TV shows, and even commercials. There's a 2005 documentary film about it called Carhenge: Genius or Junk?. It's also mentioned in the 2007 travel book 1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die.
A very special event happened at Carhenge on August 21, 2017. A total solar eclipse passed right over Carhenge! About 4,000 people came to watch the eclipse from the site, including Nebraska's governor, Pete Ricketts. Jim Reinders said he had no idea about the eclipse when he first built Carhenge 30 years earlier.
