Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Texas Amarillo Combine City

Combine City

These half-buried combine harvesters just off Route 66 are an homage to the Cadillac Ranch.

Amarillo, Texas

Added By
Ivan Calhoun
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Combine City has 14 “planted” combine tractors…   icalhoun / Atlas Obscura User
  notoriousFIG / Atlas Obscura User
  jessedorsey / Atlas Obscura User
2-26-21   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
2-26-21   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
2-26-21   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
2-26-21   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
2-26-21   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
2-26-21   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
2-26-21   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
2-26-21   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
2-26-21   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
2-26-21   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
  chasepopt / Atlas Obscura User
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
  Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
  tylercole / Atlas Obscura User
Combine City 2018   Keren Lynn / Atlas Obscura User
Combine City 2018   Keren Lynn / Atlas Obscura User
Combine City 2018   Keren Lynn / Atlas Obscura User
Combine City 2018   Keren Lynn / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The West Texas farmer’s wife said it as kind of a joke — when her husband Orville Ladehoff didn’t know what he was going to do with a broken-down old combine, she said “why don’t you just bury it.”

That was the spark that ignited the farmer’s crazy idea — not to bury, but to “plant” combine harvesters on his two-acre plot of land along Claude Highway just south of Amarillo. And just 14 combines later, Orville had himself a Combine City.

Ladehoff has occasionally been called a “combine junkie,” but a combine harvester is maybe the Cadillac of farm equipment — so who can blame him? They cut down, separate out, and clean up grain all at once, in one machine, no tractor necessary. Pretty slick, and pretty nice looking to boot. Maybe that’s why Ladehoff just couldn’t part with his beauties once they had outlived their usefulness. Instead, like the nearby (and more famous) Cadillac Ranch up the road in Amarillo, Ladehoff planted his outdated combines, noses in and blades up.

Unlike at the Cadillac Ranch, you can’t wander among the combines or paint them. Some simple barbed wire keeps would-be graffiti artists from tagging the old workhorses. But there they are, right along the road, easy to see. Another good reason, if you find yourself in Amarillo, to wander just a little bit off the old Route 66. 

Related Tags

Installations Farms Texas

Know Before You Go

Located near the South end of Whitaker Road, on the North side of Hwy 1151, also known as the Claude Highway.The site is on your left 2.7 miles after intersection with Osage Road.

Community Contributors

Added By

icalhoun

Edited By

Mom0ja, Thewanderingmeatball, tylercole, notoriousFIG...

  • Mom0ja
  • Thewanderingmeatball
  • tylercole
  • notoriousFIG
  • Collector of Experiences
  • Keren Lynn
  • breaingram
  • Darrell Powers
  • chasepopt
  • jessedorsey
  • lamonthelam

Published

February 19, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.combinecity.com/
  • http://www.motortexas.com/doc.aspx?id=combine-city.113
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/13360
  • https://www.farmshow.com/a_article.php?aid=20895
Combine City
E Farm to Market Rd.
Amarillo, Texas, 79118
United States
35.091805, -101.766566
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

'Ozymandias on the Plains'

Amarillo, Texas

miles away

Palo Duro Canyon

Canyon, Texas

miles away

Helium Time Columns Monument

Amarillo, Texas

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Amarillo

Amarillo

Texas

Places 5
Stories 2

Nearby Places

'Ozymandias on the Plains'

Amarillo, Texas

miles away

Palo Duro Canyon

Canyon, Texas

miles away

Helium Time Columns Monument

Amarillo, Texas

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Amarillo

Amarillo

Texas

Places 5
Stories 2

Related Stories and Lists

30 Places to Go Deep in the Art of Texas

List

By Isaac Schultz

Related Places

  • Dallas, Texas

    Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Grave

    The final resting place of a music legend.

  • Sarah Roland takes care of a herd of water buffalo.

    Saint Francisville, Louisiana

    Bayou Sarah Farms

    Louisiana's first and only water buffalo farm makes exceptional cheeses.

  • Robert E. Lee House from Evergreen Street.

    Boerne, Texas

    Robert E. Lee House

    This small, 19th-century structure is all the remains of a once lively travelers' inn that General Robert E. Lee frequented.

  • Phone box showing two sides with dioramas.

    Ormskirk, England

    The Time Tardis

    This classic red telephone box is now a community art installation celebrating local history.

  • The dance floor.

    Houston, Texas

    Radio Tave

    Tune into an alternate universe at this immersive art installation.

  • Bradenton, Florida

    Valentine House at Robinson Preserve

    This late 1800s historic home was moved by land and sea to serve its current role as a welcome center.

    Sponsored by Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
  • Altona, Manitoba

    Giant Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’

    A massive, 76-foot-high version of a Van Gogh painting in Canada’s sunflower capital.

  • Omega Mart

    Las Vegas, Nevada

    Omega Mart at Area 15

    A surreal, interdimensional shopping center and portal to another universe by Meow Wolf.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.