Jack Rabbit Trading Post – Route 66

The Jack Rabbit Trading Post stands as one of the most enduring and recognizable relics of U.S. Route 66, the storied highway that once carried generations of travelers across the American landscape and into the mythology of the open road. Established in 1949 by entrepreneur James Taylor in the high desert of eastern Arizona, the trading post emerged at a moment when automobile travel was booming and roadside

businesses flourished by appealing to curiosity, convenience, and spectacle. The site itself had already lived several lives before becoming the trading post, having served earlier as part of a Santa Fe Railroad facility and later as a

snake farm and roadside eatery, reflecting the fluid, opportunistic nature of Route 66 commerce in its formative years. What elevated the Jack Rabbit Trading Post from a simple roadside shop into a cultural icon was its remarkably effective and

imaginative advertising campaign. Taylor partnered with Wayne Troutner to create a sequence of bold roadside billboards placed for miles along Route 66, each featuring a black jackrabbit silhouette on a bright yellow background accompanied

by mileage markers counting down the distance to the store. These signs built anticipation in travelers long before their arrival and culminated in the famous final declaration, “HERE IT IS,” which became one of the most memorable slogans in American roadside history. The campaign was so successful that souvenir versions of the signs spread far

beyond Arizona, helping cement the trading post’s identity in popular culture and embedding it in the shared memory of mid-century travel. During its peak years in the 1950s and early 1960s, the trading post thrived amid a dense ecosystem of similar roadside attractions that offered everything from curios

and Native American crafts to petrified wood and novelty experiences. What set it apart, however, was its embrace of whimsy and visual appeal, most notably through the installation of a large fiberglass jackrabbit statue outside the building. Visitors were encouraged to climb aboard for photographs,

creating a participatory attraction that prefigured the modern concept of roadside photo opportunities. This blending of commerce, entertainment, and spectacle made the site a quintessential example of what would later be called roadside Americana. Like many Route 66 businesses, the Jack Rabbit Trading Post faced a severe challenge with the construction of Interstate 40, which bypassed long stretches of

the old highway and diverted traffic away from small towns and independent attractions. Countless similar establishments disappeared during this period, but the trading post survived, aided in part by the creation of a nearby interstate exit that preserved its accessibility. Ownership passed through several hands over the decades,