You catch it out of the corner of your eye—a small yellow sign, a black jackrabbit and a single number: 972 miles.
Today, those little yellow mileage signs hang outside homes and businesses across the country and around the world. Each one points back to a family-run trading post near Joseph City.
For generations, travelers arriving there have been greeted by the same sight. A towering black jackrabbit beside three oversized red words: HERE IT IS.
But when the trading post’s own historic sign came crashing down, the people who had followed those markers found a reason to rally behind the landmark and the family that has quietly served the community and visitors for generations.
On Monday, July 20, a powerful monsoon storm swept through the area, bringing heavy rainfall and forceful winds. At Jack Rabbit Trading Post, the weather toppled the west-facing portion of the landmark’s historic sign.
While having dinner with family that evening, owners Tony Jaquez and his wife Cindy noticed unusual activity around the trading post through a railroad camera on the property. They drove back to investigate, and as Tony pulled into the parking lot, he immediately saw the sign lying on the ground. “It just knocked it out of me,” Tony said.
As the storm continued, Tony and others worked to brace and secure the remaining portion of the sign, hoping to keep it from meeting the same fate.
The wooden face of the fallen sign dates to 1949, though the structure supporting it has been rebuilt over the years. Despite the force of the fall, much of the original face remained intact.
Tony believes the rain that helped bring the sign down may also have helped save it. In his view, the saturated ground was soft enough to cushion the impact, preventing the wooden face from shattering when it struck the ground.
The boards are cracked and damaged, particularly along the back, but Tony plans to preserve as much of the original sign as possible. Broken pieces will be reattached, repaired and repainted so the sign retains the look generations of Route 66 travelers have come to recognize.
Within hours of the fall, the family’s daughter, Izzy, began organizing help.
At approximately 10 p.m. on Monday, she created a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $6,500. By around noon the following day, the campaign had collected more than $17,000, a day later $23,541.
The donations came not only from neighboring communities, but from across the United States and around the world. Izzy said supporters in Australia were especially well represented among the contributors. However, the fundraiser was only one part of the overwhelming response.
When the family announced plans to raise the sign on Thursday morning, approximately 10 to 15 volunteers had gathered at the trading post, including several experienced carpenters who immediately went to work helping to restore this beloved landmark. Then, by chance, another traveler walked into the story.
A woman passing through Arizona on her way home to the Midwest stopped at the trading post while the effort was underway. She explained that she had worked on signs professionally. After noticing the large wooden structure beginning to flex as it was lifted, she stepped in, directing volunteers where additional bracing was needed and helping stabilize the process. The family never learned her name, but they are immensely grateful for her time and expertise.
By Thursday—only three days after the storm—the black jackrabbit and the words HERE IT IS were standing beside Route 66 once again.
For the Jaquez family, the response meant far more than getting a landmark back on its feet. The messages, donations and offers of help showed how much Jack Rabbit Trading Post still means to Route 66 travelers and to communities throughout northern Arizona.
Above all, the family hopes this story will serve as a thank-you.
They are grateful to every person who donated, offered their labor or simply reached out with encouragement. Without that help, restoring the sign would have been far more difficult. Instead, the GoFundMe exceeded its original goal, giving the family the ability to restore the historic landmark and begin improvements that will help preserve it for years to come.
Thanks to an outpouring of support and kindness, this treasured landmark is once again ready to greet travelers along old Route 66. As they continue on their journey, Tony and Cindy still send many of them on their way with the same farewell painted beside the trading post door: Keep on hoppin’.
