Roadside Distractions

THE ELUSIVE JACKALOPE

Also often called the Antelobbit, this, the most amazing of all desert animals is reputed to be a cross between a Jack Rabbit and an Antelope. Rumor has it that the Jackalope sings at night in a voice that sounds almost human.

Circa  1970’s Vintage Postcard

Native to Wyoming, the unique and once extremely rare creature has increased in numbers and has migrated westward during the past ninety decades, Currently easily numbering in the millions, Jackalopes can now be found in nearly all of the western states. Seldom spotted in the wild by the droves of people seeking a glimpse of the elusive little animal with keen eyesight, acute hearing, excellent sense of smell, and an uncanny ability to evade capture in its natural environment, Jackalopes are now most frequently found in roadside tourist traps, gift shops, and mounted on the walls of roadside greasy spoons and dingy bars. The amazing exploits and creative folktales of the legendary animal, possibly only exceeded by that of Paul Bunyan, are perpetuated by scores of local museums and celebrated annually at dozens of  festivals.

Ten and twelve year old amateur taxidermists Ralph and Doug Herrick of Douglas, Wyoming stumbled upon the curious creature in 1934 when they playfully mounted the antlers from  a small deer on the head of a  jackrabbit. The unusual hybrid caught the eye of Roy Ball, owner of Hotel LaBonte, who paid the boys ten dollars for the unique mounted trophy to hang in his hotel bar. Unlike P.T. Barnum’s  historic sideshow Fiji Mermaid gaf created by attaching a monkey head to a fish body with the specific intention to dislodge coins from unsuspecting viewers, the Herrick brothers unwittingly created the most beloved and profitable taxidermy hoax ever perpetrated, by accident. The original Jackalope was stolen (or escaped?) in the late 1970’s from the Douglas bar never to be seen again, however reproductions are exceedingly plentiful as plush dolls, on T shirts, postcards and seemingly endless tchochkes. The small Wyoming town of Douglas, officialy dubbed “Jackalope City”, attracts thousands of visitors annually on the lookout for a glimpse of the elusive creature.      

-Bill  8/24