Texas towns are known for being the stuff of legends, and rural Luling, TX is no different. Luling was founded as a railroad town, but quickly earned a reputation as the “toughest town in Texas” thanks to the rabble-rousing of the law contemptuous cowboys who used the town as a stop along the Chisholm Trail. As the era of the cattle drives rode off into the sunset, the town settled into a sleepy hamlet of cotton farmers. King Cotton ruled Luling for many years and the population saw steady growth until 1922 when a single black geyser spewed up from the dusty ground, and forever changed the economy and landscape of Luling.
Today over 200 oil pump jacks dutifully nod their metal heads up and down across the flat lands of Luling, aptly completing the task of drawing black gold to the surface, but leaving the landscape of Luling looking a little, well, crude. The Chamber of Commerce wanted to infuse a little comedy and creativity into the otherwise mechanized structures, so the commissioned a local artist to create plyboard characters to playfully ride the perpetual motion machines.
Maps of the pimped out pump jacks are available from the Chamber of Commerce and make a fun scavenger hunt for adults and kids alike. Although the pump jacks can easily be viewed by car, do the art and industry justice and stop for a few minutes and enjoy the show. See if you can catch the “scent of money,” while you are stopped and don’t forget to grab a few pictures. You know the drill.
~This post is a part of Budget Travelers Sandbox and R We There Yet Mom?~
haha, love the whale! too funny!
What a great idea! So much more interesting to look at than those ugly pump jacks. The teeter-totter one is especially cute 🙂
That butterfly is awesome!
I look forward to your "only in Texas" posts for these offbeat attractions. These are cool and what a great way to liven them up. Gotta love the butterfly and the kids on the see-saw.
Oh Texas. My boyfriend is from there and he tells me it is like a different country in itself. I might go there in August and know I'll be surprised with what I see haha =P
What a clever way to pretty up the oil pumps! The little boy and girl on the teeter-totter are too cute!!
Makes something unattractive far more interesting!!! Someone out there has a good imagination.
This type of quirky roadside attraction is part of what makes travel worthwhile.
These are great! What an awesome way to make ugly, cute!
Love this artistic idea for the pumps. Luling must have been pretty wild to be the "toughest town in Texas" at one time. Cool pics.
There ought to be a federal law requiring the "artification" of oil pumping rigs!
What a great idea. I have seen the normal ones, this is so much better!! Really cute.
Very clever cover-up 🙂
I love it! That is just the type of roadside attraction that my family would have loved to have seen on our trip to Texas! Maybe next time… 🙂
Love it! I may have to do a BBQ and Oil Pumps road trip.
Nice way to brighten up the area and add some life to the machines.
I always appreciate any town that doesn't take itself too seriously. All of these are very cute!