The Jack Rabbit Trading Post near Joseph City, Arizona, will host a special birthday bash from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 6 to mark the Route 66 business’ 70th anniversary.
The event will include food vendors, a bake sale, giveaways, children’s activities and a grand prize for anyone who finds the painted rabbit rock on the premises. Co-owners Tony and Cindy Jaquez said they’ll have other surprises that day.
The Jack Rabbit also will give away 10 of its iconic yellow mileage signs during the festivities.
The old Route 66 business, off Exit 269 of Interstate 40, has several claims to fame — the “Here It Is!” billboard with a jackrabbit image that inspired many imitators, including the creators of the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs for the 2006 Disney-Pixar animated film “Cars.” The Jack Rabbit’s giant fiberglass rabbit also has become a popular photo-op for travelers.
James Taylor built the Jack Rabbit Trading Post along U.S. 66 in 1949. Legends of America has this history behind the business:
In the beginning, Taylor bought an asphalt-shingled shack that had formerly been used as a snake farm and then he turned out all the snakes, much to the alarm of several area residents. Soon, he began to revamp the building, with dancing chiefs painted on the front, 30 twelve inch jack rabbits hopping along the roofline, and a large rabbit painted on one side of the building. He then installed a three-foot high, composition jackrabbit with yellow eyes, just inside the door to welcome the many tourists stopping by. Many an old time traveler can tell a story of having their picture taken atop this rabbit when they were a child. Inside, the counters and shelves were lined with pieces of petrified wood, turquoise jewelry, and Indian souvenirs.
But owning a Trading Post in those days just wasn’t enough. Dotting the highway, they were a dime a dozen and competing with the nearby Geronimo Trading Post, with its visual pulling power of large decorative teepees, Taylor had to do something more.
And, something more he did! Joining forces with Wayne Troutner, owner of the For Men Only Store in Winslow, the pair traveled Route 66 to Springfield, Missouri plastering billboards all along the way. Hopping rabbits paired up with a dancing cowgirl for more than 1,000 miles, enticing travelers to stop at the Jackrabbit and the Men’s Only Store in Winslow. After all those miles, travelers couldn’t miss the huge yellow sign that simply said “Here It Is” paired with its famous jackrabbit icon.
Glen Blansett bought the business in 1967 and passed it on to his son and daughter-in-law. They eventually sold it to their daughter and son-in-law, the Jaquezes.
(Image of the fiberglass jackrabbit at Jack Rabbit Trading Post near Joseph City, Arizona, by Charlie Reece via Flickr)
I hope they put out a donation box to raise funds to refinish the bunny. I’d contribute. I imagine they’d need at least $1k-$2k to do it correctly with Imron HG.