Paisano Pete -- Fort Stockton TX
N 30° 53.577 W 102° 52.734
13R E 702740 N 3419665
The World's Largest Roadrunner, a perennial tourist favorite along the Old Spanish Trail in Fort Stockton since 1980, now refurbished and relandscaped to delight the next generation
Waymark Code: WMPP9X
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/30/2015
Views: 11
In 1980, Fort Stockton Gene Cummings mobilized the community to build Paisano Pete on this wasted triangle of land where three historic highways met.
So although Pete never brought smiles to the OST travelers "back in the day," he is located on the historic route of the OST through Fort Stockton, which used to be the US 290, then after 1983 was redesignated as the 1-10 Fort Stockton Business Loop, when the last part of I-10 was finished in Texas at Fort Stockton.
The first time Mama Blaster came to Fort Stockton as a child (1981), Paisano Pete was by himself in this triangular patch of land where the US 90, US 385, and the US 285 met. No mind that he was a little bare on a dusty triangle leftover scrap of land -- he was my first Big Fun Thing, and ever after, I have loved them all: The big concrete gophers near the Badlands in SD, the World's Largest Jackalope in Odessa TX, the World's Largest Killer Bee in Hidalgo TX, the Giant Milk Bottle along Route 66 in Oklahoma City, the Ginormous donut at Randy's Donuts In Inglewood CA, near LAX. There's just something about these Big Fun Things that are so tacky, and so wonderful.
From the Visit Fort Stockton website: (
visit link)
"Paisano Pete, the largest roadrunner in the world!
Paisano Pete Fort Stockton was named a True Texas Icon as “Town Mascot” in the September 2011 issue of Texas Highway’s magazine. Paisano Pete, located in the center of town on the corner of Main and Dickenson, is unarguably one of the most recognizable roadside attractions in the southwest.
Paisano Pete, was erected in 1980 and declared the largest roadrunner in the world, at 11 feet tall and 22 feet long. Since that time a larger replica of a roadrunner has been constructed of recycled materials in New Mexico.
“Pete” was the idea of Mayor Gene Cummings and has been an enduring symbol of the community since his arrival. He has recently been renovated and his vivid brown striped feathers and white belly shine brighter than ever. Poised mid-stride, seemingly ready to dart across the West Texas landscape, Pete remains one of the most photographed ”birds” in the world."