The Leaning Tower of Texas!
This water tower, slanted at an uncomfortable angle off the old Route 66, was an ingenious marketing ploy. “During the early and mid 20th century, passersby on the Mother Road were intrigued by the severe tilt of this tower, asking themselves what on earth could have caused it. A crashing plane? An earthquake? A giant tornado?” None of the above! A man named Britten thought up an idea to attract customers to his new truck stop. He had a water tower from another town towed to Groom, Texas. He then had it bulldozed and positioned so that it was at a severe tilt. People came from near and far to see the strange leaning tower and to ask what caused it to be at such a tilt. I asked myself the same question, thinking maybe unstable ground just caused it to lean. Britten’s stunt was very successful, and drew a multitude of sightseers. “Unfortunately, after many years of success, Britten’s truck stop burned down in a devastating fire, closing down all sales. Despite this unfortunate event, the leaning water tower is still one of the most photographed oddities on the way out west.” My photo doesn’t really show the extent of the tilt from this angle, but it was the best I could manage from the car!
The Leaning Tower of Texas!
This water tower, slanted at an uncomfortable angle off the old Route 66, was an ingenious marketing ploy. “During the early and mid 20th century, passersby on the Mother Road were intrigued by the severe tilt of this tower, asking themselves what on earth could have caused it. A crashing plane? An earthquake? A giant tornado?” None of the above! A man named Britten thought up an idea to attract customers to his new truck stop. He had a water tower from another town towed to Groom, Texas. He then had it bulldozed and positioned so that it was at a severe tilt. People came from near and far to see the strange leaning tower and to ask what caused it to be at such a tilt. I asked myself the same question, thinking maybe unstable ground just caused it to lean. Britten’s stunt was very successful, and drew a multitude of sightseers. “Unfortunately, after many years of success, Britten’s truck stop burned down in a devastating fire, closing down all sales. Despite this unfortunate event, the leaning water tower is still one of the most photographed oddities on the way out west.” My photo doesn’t really show the extent of the tilt from this angle, but it was the best I could manage from the car!