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Highway 60 and 15th
Street – you can’t miss it.
This relic from the golden age of oversized
and anatomically incorrect barkers was built in 1959. The sculptor is unknown
and it’s possible he requested anonymity.
The mustachioed (nearly) 50-foot cowboy with the friendly slouch and a belt buckle the size of a television screen
once lured customers to the trading post that occupied the building beneath him.
Although his duties officially ended when TxDoT rerouted traffic through an underpass,
forcing the business to close, Mr. Randall remained loyal to his hometown, refusing
offers from Las Vegas and various businesses alongside Route
66.
While the big sandblasted cowboy has been repainted at least once
since his installation, his current condition makes the description of “weathered”
an understatement. Big Tex Randall might be considered for adoption by a paint
company wanting to prove its product’s durability. |
Big
Tex overlooking the underpass
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, December 2008 | |
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