It’s always a treat to visit to Henry’s Rabbit Ranch, located on old Route 66 in Staunton, Ill.
Not only is proprieter Rich Henry an affable host, but it’s fun to pet the ever-mellow Montana, one of his 37 pet rabbits, and see the new stuff Henry has acquired or planned.
Henry’s has a well-stocked souvenir store shoehorned into his insurance and tag agency. His building is such a authentic-looking reproduction of an old Standard gas station that it fooled an EPA official, who demanded that Henry remove the nonexistent underground gas tanks.
Henry also has a couple old trucks and trailers from the defunct Campbell’s 66 Express trucking line of Springfield, Mo., complete with the Snortin’ Norton camel mascot. He also has plenty of other Route 66 memorabilia.
Henry has a new 9-foot-tall fiberglass bunny in which kids of all ages can ride in the saddle, similar to the one at the Jackrabbit Trading Post in Arizona.
Henry wrote:
Eventually it will be on a small fabricated trailer made just for it, where I can move it around on the ground here and, also, take it to Route 66 events, like Litchfield, Edwardsville, and maybe even Springfield, Illinois.
The big news is that Henry, taking a page from Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, is creating his own Rabbit Ranch. It will be made of seven Volkswagen Rabbits planted nose-down into the ground, with one emerging face-up from the ground. He hopes to have that finished by June 1.
Henry also sent a picture of the Tale of Ears, a memorial park for his departed pet bunnies.
If you’re traveling near Staunton during the daytime, I recommend a stop at Henry’s Rabbit Ranch.
Rich was a big reason we got “hooked” on 66.
We were coming back home on 66 (in 2002 and our first-ever planned trip on the Mother Road) from St. Louis and his place was the first 66 site we stopped at. Rich’s friendliness, knowledge, the rabbits, and his place in general, was what started the obsession.
We couldn’t find his place at first and stopped for directions. We were a bit confused when we were told to look for the camels. What would camels be doing in Staunton, Illinois?
Nice place & attractive. thank you.