Henry’s Rabbit Ranch in Staunton, Illinois, which faced a shaky future after the death of its owner and creator last year, is set to close any day now.
The imminent closure of the quirky complex on Route 66 was confirmed by Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway director Casey Claypool.
“… When a site like the Rabbit Ranch closes — when it doesn’t get the chance to carry on into the next 100 years — we lose more than a building or a roadside attraction,” she wrote. “We lose a piece of the heartbeat of Route 66. We lose stories. We lose laughter. We lose that rare authenticity that can’t be rebuilt with bricks or bought with money.
“Each time a landmark closes its doors without a next chapter, we chip away at the living history of the road. And the ripple effects are real. Communities lose visitors. Small businesses feel it. The road loses its magic, one stop at a time.”
Claypool thanked Rich Henry for creating his Rabbit Ranch more than 30 years ago and his support of the byway.
“Your legacy will always be part of Route 66. And we will do our best to carry the torch forward,” she wrote.
Bob Caldieraro, who knew Henry for decades, described the operations of Henry’s Rabbit Ranch as day to day. What will happen to the complex and its substantial collection of memorabilia remained unclear.
Caldieraro and Henry’s sister, Michelle, decided to reopen Henry’s Rabbit Ranch about two weeks after his death at age 77 in August and had hoped to keep it running through Route 66’s centennial in 2026.
Rich Henry founded his place after a trip on Route 66 in 1993 and noticed the lack of visitor centers for such travelers.
Henry’s Rabbit Ranch, which doubled as a tag agency, insurance office and souvenir shop for years, was so named because Henry kept pet rabbits — sometimes by the dozens — on the premises.
He trained one or two so tourists could pet them or get their souvenirs or passports “stamped” by the animal chewing a hole in the edge of the paper.
Henry also kept a few Volkswagen Rabbit cars around, along with a fiberglass giant rabbit — similar to one at Jackrabbit Trading Post in Arizona — that tourists could ride it for a photo op.
Henry kept a couple of Campbell 66 Express truck trailers on the premises after the trucking firm, based in Springfield, Missouri, closed in 1986. Henry once was a truck driver.
Henry’s Rabbit Ranch was inducted into the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame in 2012.
(Image of Henry’s Rabbit Ranch in Staunton, Illinois, by Nicholas Kaeser via Flickr)