The Jackalope - Fort Worth, TX
N 32° 43.778 W 097° 24.761
14S E 648739 N 3622428
The Jackalope watches over RLB Sales And Leasing, 5925 Camp Bowie Blvd, Ft. Worth, TX.
Waymark Code: WMPQN0
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/08/2015
Views: 5
Created in the 1980s by Nancy Lamb for Jackalope Pottery, The Jackalope was constructed of wire and fiberglass, standing about eight feet tall. It moved around 2000 when the shop closed, and now stands atop a used car dealership, RLB Sales and Leasing.
A combination of "jackrabbit" and "antelope", the jackalope is descended from neither rabbit nor antelope, and many representations utilize deer antlers. Jackrabbits are hares, and what is often called an "antelope" in jackalope territory is actually a pronghorn. While there are references to horned rabbits dating to the Middle Ages, the North American jackalope has its roots in Wyoming in the 1930s, after Douglas Herrick and his brother went rabbit hunting. They were taxidermists, and upon returning to their store, they tossed their trophies on the counter. Placed next to a set of deer antlers, inspiration struck Mr. Herrick, and an industry was born. This by no means invalidates earlier tales of the jackalope, which actually may have been sightings of rabbits infected by the Shope papilloma virus. The virus causes tumors on the rabbit's head -- sometimes in the mouth, leading to starvation -- and could easily be mistaken for horns.
Time Period: Modern
Approximate Date of Epic Period: 1930s and beyond
Epic Type: Mythical
Exhibit Type: Figure, Statue, 3D Art
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