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Reluctant Medium Virtual “Treasure Hunt” Tour, Week Two

Jackalope: Not just shopping, it’s a party!

Courtesy Jackalope

Jackalope is one of the many delights of Santa Fe. The slogan “everything under the sun” is not an exaggeration. It may begin with pottery and blankets, but it doesn’t stop there. Treasures from New Mexico, Central and South America,  Asia, Africa, Europe and everyplace in between, make Jackalope a destination. Even the non-shopper can dig in here and max out the old credit card.

It was here that our intrepid reporter, Rachel Blackstone, found another clue to the mayor’s disappearance. The mayor just happens to be her brother. As you may remember, Rachel attempted to return her dead father and blundered, allowing a ghastly spirit to slip through the open threshold. Since then, it’s been one thing after another.

So climb aboard our shuttle and will make the short drive southwest of downtown to Jackalope. Even the City Different has a motel row and Cerrillos Road happens to be that street in Santa Fe. Despite the motels and tourist traps, there are some good places to eat along the way. Two places Rachel enjoys are The Pantry (the green chile is hot and delicious) and Tortilla Flats.

While we’re making the drive, let me just tell you about the creature, the jackalope. It is the result of the rare mating of a female antelope and a male jackrabbit. I know, I know, difficult to believe, but just go with it. If you’re still with us, then try this on for size: they only mate during lightning strikes. That could explain the scarcity of the animal: a rabbit with antlers! Okay, moving along.

Jackalope, is the brainchild of Charles “Darby” McQuade, who was born into


a family of 15 children in West Virginia. He was an entrepreneur before the term became a part of the vernacular and preached about at business conferences. Resourceful even as a child, McQuade sold cucumbers and worms for fishermen. After getting his business degree he moved to New York City, but it wasn’t his thing. He bought a motorcycle and a pair of cowboy boots and saw Europe. Eventually, he returned to the States and by 1976, he was a Santa Fean. He originally sold pottery and other items from Mexico at the downtown Plaza out of his truck.

Well, from humble beginnings…. Now, Jackalope has grown into a village of shops. Where else can you get an egg salad sandwich, a Guatemalan coin purse and watch prairie dogs play? And you wouldn’t be the only one; Jackalope is the 5th biggest draw to visitors coming to Santa Fe.

Courtesy Jackalope

And speaking of the prairie dogs, they have their own union and are bargaining for a flat screen TV and a hot tub. That’s right. How cute would that be; prairie dogs in a hot tub? Next, it will be margaritas! But we mustn’t forget the little guys played a role in a key scene when Rachel was searching for her brother.

Allow a half-day at least for a visit to McQuade’s “little” Mercado (market). There is truly something for everyone at Jackalope. As our Reluctant Medium knows, it’s where you buy pottery, but there’s also a colossal inventory of rugs, blankets, handcrafted international folk art, tasty treats from the Southwest, Christmas ornaments, handmade furniture, nursery plants—I’m running out of breath—and roasted chiles in season. In addition to the prairie dogs, are animals which sometimes submit to petting and are always fun to watch.

Jackalope is a colorful merging of crafts, arts and fun. Enjoy yourself and watch that credit card limit.

For more information, go to

— G G Collins

Copyscape Do Not Copy

Another chance to practice those psychic skills:

This week we have another Santa Fe ghost story.  In 1898 a rancher built a house at what is now 122 Grant Avenue, a few blocks from the Plaza. Seven years later a young family moved in. Their son was sickly and required a wheelchair to move about. Unhappy, he was known to beat the walls of his upstairs bedroom to get his mother’s attention. Despite her constant ministrations, the lad died and his parents moved on. When the house was vacant, the neighbors reported seeing lights in the boy’s former bedroom.

In l981 the property was bought and renovated. It became the Grant Corner Inn, a bed and breakfast which hosted such notables as Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan (in better days), and illustrator Garth Williams. It had a knockout breakfast which was open to the public. But the problems did not abate. In Antonio Garcez’s book Adobe Angels: Ghosts of Santa Fe and Taos, he related the experiences of the former caretaker. He told of hearing loud noises, sudden dips in the air temperature that could kill indoor plants and the stench of rancid meat.

Several years ago, the Andrew Smith Gallery bought the property and moved into the house. No further reports of disturbances have been disclosed. Perhaps the boy is now at peace.

Using your psychic skills, what kind of tree was cut down in front of the house at 122 Grant Avenue?

(a)    Piñon

(b)   Aspen

(c)    Weeping Willow

For the answer, check back next Sunday.

Answer to last week’s psychic question:  La Llorona. Did you get it right?

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