“It will be something to gaze at and hopefully someday it will have some kind of historical value,” James Reinders told the Alliance Times-Herald in 1987 as he began constructing Carhenge after being inspired by seeing Stonehenge.
Carhenge, which was completed in 1987 was a family project organized by Reinders to serve as a memorial to his father who passed away in 1982. The replication of Stonehenge is located north of Alliance on Highway 87, where Reinders’ father used to farm.
A total of 39 vehicles were placed precisely in the same proportions as Stonehenge. Reinders told the Alliance Times-Herald the choice to use vehicles came down to cost and availability.
“Cars are more available in this area and they are shaped similar to the stones in England,” Reinders said.
Other sculptures have appeared over the years, including Dino the dinosaur, which was constructed by Merle Stone, of Hemingford, and “Spawning Salmon,” which was created by Geoff Sandhurts, of Canada.
In October of 2013, Carhenge was gifted to the city of Alliance by Friends of Carhenge, a group that worked to preserve and maintain it.
Throughout the years, Carhenge has attracted a lot of attention from the media after an article published by the Alliance Times-Herald was picked up by the Associated Press in 1987. It has drawn the interest of film and television production crews as well.
“I really didn’t expect this much publicity,” Reinders told the Alliance Times-Herald in June of 1987. “I had a relative in North Carolina call me to tell me he saw the story and picture in a paper back there.”
Carhenge has continued to attract international attention since that time drawing more than 100,000 people to Box Butte County to see Nebraska’s own unique version of Stonehenge.