The Jackrabbit
Odessa, Ector County, Texas
Marker Inscription
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.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
With its burro-like ears and sand-colored coat, the jackrabbit was long a fixture of West Texas life, prized by Plains Indians for food and fur and, to settlers, a symbol of the hard desert country. In drought and Depression its meat fed thousands, and it starred in countless tall tales. In May 1932 Odessa staged what it billed as the world's only Jackrabbit Rodeo.
Why it matters
This offbeat marker preserves the folk culture of the West Texas plains, where survival, humor, and local pride gathered around an unlikely regional emblem.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
Odessa sits on the high, dry plains of West Texas, a land of wide skies, mesquite, sand, and short grass. For a long time it was sparsely settled ranch country, and life here depended on enduring heat, wind, and long stretches without rain.
By 1932, when the town staged its famous Jackrabbit Rodeo, the Great Depression had settled over the nation. On the southern plains, hard times were made harder by drought and the dust storms that would soon define the decade. Families stretched every resource they had, and food that could be caught on the open range mattered.
It was also a period of change for the region. Oil discoveries in the Permian Basin during the 1920s were beginning to transform towns like Odessa, though the full boom was still ahead. The jackrabbit, a constant of the old plains, was a familiar companion through all of it.
People & events
The real hero of this marker is not a person at all but an animal. The jackrabbit got its name from its enormous ears, which reminded people of a donkey's, or jackass's. Its sandy coloring helps it disappear against dry grass and soil, and its long legs make it a remarkable runner, with the marker noting speeds of up to 45 miles an hour. Strictly speaking, it is a hare rather than a true rabbit.
For the Plains Indians, the jackrabbit was a source of food and fur. For later settlers, it became a symbol of how tough desert life could be. In times of drought and economic depression, the marker tells us, its meat fed thousands. People hunted it with greyhounds, and it hopped its way into countless tall tales, the kind of exaggerated frontier humor that turned hardship into a good story.
In May 1932, Odessa held what it called the world's only Jackrabbit Rodeo. Details of exactly how the event unfolded are best left to local accounts, but the spirit of it is clear: in the middle of a grim year, a West Texas town found a way to laugh, draw a crowd, and celebrate the scrappy animal that shared its landscape.
Its place in the American story
This marker captures something that official histories often miss: the folk culture of ordinary people. The American West was built not only on cattle drives and railroads but also on humor, local pride, and the stories people told to get through hard times.
The jackrabbit's place in Depression-era life connects Odessa to the broader story of the southern plains in the 1930s, when drought and economic collapse pushed many families to the edge. Living off the land, even in small ways, was part of how people survived that decade.
The tall tale itself is a classic American art form, and the jackrabbit was one of its favorite characters. By honoring an animal that was at once a pest, a meal, and a punchline, Odessa preserved a slice of frontier identity that is uniquely its own.
If you visit
This is one of the more delightfully offbeat stops in Texas, and it is perfect for families. Odessa has embraced the jackrabbit as a local emblem, and the town is known for a large jackrabbit statue that makes a classic photo stop. Bring the camera.
As you drive in and out of town, look at the land around you. The flat, open plains, sandy soil, and sparse grass are exactly the habitat the marker describes, and if you are lucky, especially around dawn or dusk, you may spot a real jackrabbit bounding away with those famous ears up.
Odessa makes a natural stop on a West Texas road trip through the Permian Basin. Combine it with nearby museums and sites that tell the story of ranching and oil, and you will get a fuller picture of how this tough, beautiful country shaped the people who stayed.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related events
- · Jackrabbit Rodeo (1932)
Themes & tags
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