In preparation for the Route 66 Centennial next year, Marshall Noriega decided he wanted to build an eye catching display at his business, Cars of the Mother Road on Route 66 at 4th Street in Williams. He had the idea to put a very tall cowboy, a saguaro cactus, red rocks, and a road runner and Wile E. Coyote as part of the display.
As he was building the concrete over metal frame cowboy in his backyard, he had the idea to honor former Williams Mayor John W. Moore for his years of service to the City of Williams and its’ residents. The statue weighs almost 2000 pounds and is about 13 feet tall. Noriega recalls first meeting Moore over 20 years ago and being impressed with Moore’s dedication to promoting and improving Williams as a world class tourist destination.
Noriega had to rent a crane to lift the statue out of his backyard, over his house, and onto a trailer filled with mattresses and padding to cushion the statue for its 400 mile ride to Williams. Remarkably, the statue survived the potholes on Interstate 40 and made it to Williams relatively unscathed.
Murphy’s towing sent one of its large rotator tow trucks to help set the statue in place at Cars of the Mother Road. The installation went off without a hitch. The display now stands proudly on Route 66 catching the attention of locals and tourists alike.
When asked his thoughts on the statue, Moore commented that he thought it was “pretty cool”. He added “I never imagined I’d see a statue of myself standing on Route 66”. Moore said that he intends to use the Route 66 Centennial to promote Williams to people around the world.
Noriega said that he decided at the last minute to dress the statue in the style of Woody from the movie Toy Story to make it more whimsical.
A steady stream of tourists and locals stopped to take pictures and examine the display. The reactions and comments were universally positive. Virtually every local immediately recognized that the statue was meant to look like Moore, a testament to the artistic skills of Marshall Noriega.
