When Route 66 was the main way to road trip across the country, mysterious yellow billboards featuring a jackrabbit and a mileage number were a common sight.
These billboards led to Jack Rabbit Trading Post, a souvenir shop and roadside attraction located between Winslow and Joseph City. Whether travelers came from east or west, a final, double-sided jackrabbit billboard greeted them upon arrival: "HERE IT IS."
The "HERE IT IS" billboard, a 77-year-old icon of the Mother Road, was ripped apart in a monsoon storm on Monday, July 20.
"We had had 3 inches of rain, which we usually don’t get," Cindy Jaquez, co-owner of Jack Rabbit Trading Post, told The Arizona Republic. "The sandstorms were so strong with the wet ground, it loosened it enough to pick
(the billboard) up."
No one was hurt from the impact; the shop was closed at the time of the storm, she said.
What happened to the jackrabbit billboard on Route 66?
One side of the Jack Rabbit Trading Post's "HERE IT IS" billboard fell to the ground, while chunks broke off from the other side.
Cindy Jaquez and her husband, Tony, who co-owns the shop with her, sprung into action to rescue the billboard. She said that Tony, joined by Trent Larson of Wayside Soda Shop in Holbrook, braved rainy weather to stabilize the side that was still standing to prevent it from falling down.
"The other side was hanging on by a limb," she said. "Trying to support it so it’s still standing took us until 1 a.m. That next day, we had people show up to stabilize it, right before more storms came in."
The sign will be repaired, but it could take up to a month to secure the lumber and then paint it, Cindy Jaquez said.
Tony Jaquez usually does all the billboard maintenance, but the family received offers for help in the days after the sign was damaged, she said.
"We need to have that sign," Cindy Jaquez said. "It's what the people expect."
Is there a GoFundMe for the Jack Rabbit Trading Post?
Those offers for help have included an outpouring of donations.
Isabelle Jaquez, the owners' daughter, set up a GoFundMe page seeking donations to cover the cost of restoring the "HERE IT IS" billboard.
"My parents would never ask for help from anyone, but we knew with all the work they have put into this store and helping others, I could get the community and Route 66 support to raise some funds to fix this iconic sign," she said in a Facebook post.
More than 350 people sent donations via the GoFundMe, totaling $23,541 — almost quadruple the amount of Jaquez's stated fundraising goal of $6,500. Donations were paused as of Monday, July 27.
Any money left over after paying for the sign restoration would support Route 66 preservation and "any stores that need a push or restoration as well," Isabelle Jaquez said.
What is the Jack Rabbit Trading Post?
Jack Rabbit Trading Post first opened in 1949 in a former Santa Fe Railway building. The billboards across Route 66 leading up to the "HERE IT IS" sign at the store were the idea of the original owner, Jim Taylor, who used them to advertise the jackrabbit statue that people could ride on and take pictures in front of, according to the trading post's website.
It's been part of the Jaquez family since 1961, the year when Cindy Jaquez's grandfather, Glenn Blansett, first leased the trading post. He bought it in 1967, then sold it two years later to his son and daughter-in-law, Phil and Pat Blansett.
Tony and Cindy Jaquez have owned Jack Rabbit since 1995. The many years of family work involved to maintain the billboard explains the family wants to restore it using as much of the original materials as possible, Cindy Jaquez said.
"Those boards, my dad touched, my grandpa touched," she said. "We want to save as much of it as we can. If it will work, we will do it."
Over the years, the "HERE IT IS" sign developed a reputation as one of the most iconic Route 66 landmarks. It was referenced in the 2006 Pixar film "Cars," with a Ford Model T standing in for the jackrabbit.
Cindy Jaquez understands how meaningful the sign is to travelers and her family and is grateful for the help from the community as she and Tony Jaquez work on restoring it.
"Route 66 is a big, wonderful family and we couldn’t ask for better," she said.
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Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@usatodayco.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Monsoon destroys 77-year-old Route 66 icon. What's next for landmark
