and trapper named Frederick Rawson, who for reasons unknown, went by the moniker, San Diego. Rawson was a tangible link to the frontier era, and by all accounts a colorful character. Born in about �86�, the story goes that his early childhood was spent as a captive of either the southern Cheyenne or Kiowa Indians. He came to Joseph City in about ���6 and opened a museum that housed an array of memorabilia from the territorial era as well as personal effects from his various adventures. In ����, he established San Diego’s Old Frontier Trading Post along Route 66. Local lore has it that Don Lorenzo Hubbell, owner of the historic Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado, Arizona, acquired the complex built of old telephone poles in the ��3�s. However, what is known for certain is that by the late ����s, Hawaiian band leader Ray Meany and his wife Ella Blackwell owned the trading post and that they were fiercely competitive. Today, these trading posts are almost extinct, with the Geronimo Trading Post and the Jack Rabbit Trading Post as the lone survivors. They are the last links to a way of life erased by the need for speed that led to the replacement of Route 66. Of the two, the Jack Rabbit is a true rarity. Unique to the post is signage that dates to its founding, part of a brilliant advertising campaign that gave the store an edge over competition during the heyday of Route 66, as well as international recognition today.
A Family Business The proprietors have deep roots along Route 66; for current owner Cindy Jaquez, who now runs the post with her husband Tony, the highway and trading post is a lifelong association. The Jack Rabbit has been in Cindy’s family for all but the first �� years of its existence, when it was operated by the original owner, James Taylor. Shortly after opening the trading post, Taylor realized that he needed a hook - something to make his business stand out from the crowd. Taylor approached Wayne Troutner of Winslow, Arizona, and the men put their heads together.
Covered Wagon Souvenirs February 1966.
In what proved to be a stroke of brilliance, the combined effort resulted in Taylor erecting a large billboard along the opposite side of the highway, painting it bright yellow and adding the black silhouette of a jackrabbit and bright red lettering that read: “Here It Is.” The two men joined forces and set out along Route 66 to set up signs; the yellow sign with the jack rabbit and mileage to the trading post, and Troutner’s sign for his men’s clothing store, with the silhouette of a curvaceous cowgirl and the slogan: “For Men Only, Winslow, Arizona.” Eventually the signs would be placed along U.S. 66 as far east as Illinois and as far west as California. The mileage
Postcard of Jack Rabbit Trading Post. Early 1960s. ROUTE Magazine 63