Jim Reinders, the creator of Alliance’s most famous attraction, Carhenge, passed away at his home in Houston, Texas on Oct. 16.
Reinders, an Alliance native, was born Sept. 20, 1927 in Alliance to Herman and Kay Tickner Reinders. He graduated from Alliance High School in 1944 and joined the U.S. Navy, where he served in the South Pacific. After being honorably discharged in 1946, Reinders enrolled at the University of Nebraska. He graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering.
Reinders worked in the oil industry for 33 years. Throughout his career, Reinders visited 30 countries and several states. From 1976 to 1981, Reinders resided in London, serving as Technical Manager Europe.
In 1987, Reinders and his family began constructing Carhenge during a family reunion to serve as a memorial to his father, who passed away in 1982. Reinders’ daughter Janice McArdle remembered the experience fondly, noting constructing it was all about having fun as a family.
Carhenge is a replica of Stonehenge, which is located approximately 80 miles south of London. Reinders told the Alliance Times-Herald in 1987 that he chose to use cars to replicate Stonehenge for a specific reason.
“Cars are more available in this area and they are shaped similar to the stones in England,” Reinders said.
Carhenge is located north of Alliance on Highway 87, where Reinders’ father farmed. The second phase of the Carhenge build was completed in 1988. Reinders told the Alliance Times-Herald at the time that he had spent approximately $10,000 on the project.
Also in 1988, Reinders told the Alliance Times-Herald he was planning to go to China to see if it would be feasible to build a replica of a portion of the Great Wall of China near Carhenge.
Since Carhenge’s creation, Reinders has appeared on TV shows and in several newspaper and magazine interviews, including People and Forbes.
McArdle said the celebration of the solar eclipse at Carhenge in 2017 was a great experience for the family. Approximately 4,000 people viewed the eclipse at Carhenge, including Governor Pete Ricketts.
“We really all enjoyed going to the solar eclipse,” said McArdle. “Carhenge was a wonderful place to watch the eclipse.”
Carhenge attracts more than 100,000 visitors each year. Reinders told the Alliance Times-Herald in June of 1987 he was surprised by the interest people showed, even then.
“I really didn’t expect this much publicity,” said Reinders. “I had a relative in North Carolina call me to tell me he saw the story and picture in a paper back there.”
Reinders donated the monument to Friends of Carhenge, which donated the site to Alliance’s citizens in 2013. Since then, the site has been maintained by the city of Alliance.
Reinders will be interred at the Nebraska Veterans Cemetery at Alliance alongside his wife, Violet Strong Reinders.