Historical Marker
The Jackrabbit
Historical marker location:
Odessa, Texas
( Corner of W. 8th & W. Sam Houston, Odessa)
Marker installed: 1964
True plains Rabbit. Lives only in the west. Burro-like ears gave him his name. color is protective, blending with sand and dry grass. Very long legs make him a swift runner, clocked at speeds to 45 miles and hour. Object of hunts with Greyhounds.
Was prized by plains Indians for food and fur. to white man a reminder of desert-hard life. In drouth and depression, meat source for thousands.
Subject of tall tales. Actual hero of world's only Jackrabbit Rodeo, in Odessa, May 1932.
Texas is also home to the world's largest honky-tonk, Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth. The venue covers three acres and can hold up to 6,000 people.