The World’s Biggest Weather Vane Is Right Here In Abilene
Do you know the eight flat steel buffalo that fly high above Frontier Texas? They are the best-kept secret in the world. Why? With each of the buffalo at 8 feet tall, 12 feet long, and weighing 1,000 pounds, together this work of art is over 250 feet long making it the biggest working weather vane on the planet.
The buffalo were designed and built right here in Abilene by a company known as Rentech Boilers. The Rentech team not only designed but installed the buffalo.
When you see all eight buffalo facing one direction (just like real live buffalo) they are facing into the wind. Why flying buffalo you may ask? Because, in real life, buffalo face into storms when bad weather comes around. Horses, cattle, sheep, and goats naturally face away from storms and try to get away from adverse weather conditions.
The reason these herd animals run into storms is because their biological makeup equips them to thrive in winter storms and summer heat. A bison will turn into a snowstorm and continue running into the storm, because they instinctively know that doing so will get them out of the storm quicker.
The other buffalo sculptures at Frontier Texas were sculpted by artist TD Kelsey. The huge sculpture outside is known as “Testing the Texas Wind”. The sculpture inside is titled “Crossing Cat Claw Creek”.
Each one of the riders depicts a different ethnicity. The other cool part is that inside each one of those animals is a bronze heart.
LOOK: The World's Biggest Weather Vane Is In Abilene
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