"Big Bull" is the unofficial name of the 88-foot metal cowboy-shaped sign that graces the entrance to Amarillo's Big Texan Steak Ranch. Bull began his tenure at the eatery during the golden days of Route 66. For more than forty years, he has greeted visitors to the Texas Panhandle like no other ambassador could.
In the spring of 2002, Big Bull was removed from his post at the direction of Big Texan Steak Ranch owner, Bobby Lee. The gigantic cowpoke was disassembled piecemeal with the help of a crane. Parts of Big Bull were carefully cleaned of four decades of rust and repainted in their original colors.
Today, Big Bull is back at his post—a source of pride for Amarillo, the Big Texan Steak Ranch and the Old Route 66 Association of Texas. Says the Director of Human Resources at the Ranch, "When I take new employees on a tour of Big Texan facilities, I always take time to point out Big Bull towering over the property. 'That is the Big Texan's best employee,' I tell them. 'He always has a smile on his face.'"
Photo courtesy Bobby Lee, Big Texan Steak Ranch, Amarillo, Texas.