Big Johnson
Prescott Valley, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Standing tall across from Fry’s in Prescott is Big John, a 22-foot fiberglass cowboy who has spent decades keeping watch over Fair Street. He was once known as Big Johnson when he stood outside Big Johnson Realty, which explains the name a little better than the cowboy does.

Big John is a classic Cowboy Muffler Man made by International Fiberglass during the 1960s. His molded hat, boots, and oversized hands were designed so businesses could give him different objects to hold. Over the years, he has become something of a giant roadside salesman who changes jobs whenever the building does.

When a gaming store occupied the property, Big John held an enormous hand of Magic: The Gathering cards. He later became the “Hardwood Flooring Expert,” trading the cards for a piece of flooring and a giant adhesive trowel. At least this cowboy is willing to learn a new trade.

Big John also stands in a hole. When Fair Street was reconstructed, the surrounding pavement was raised about a foot. Moving the giant might have cost him his protected status under newer sign rules, so workers left his original concrete mounting pad untouched and simply built the street around him.

Look familiar? No, it's not June, it's Big Johnson from Prescott Valley, AZ! This cowboy appears to be in great shape as he towers over stuff from a weekend sale.

Big Johnson Realty
Prescott, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

During the pandemic, caretakers fitted the cowboy with an enormous face mask. It probably did not offer much medical protection to a fiberglass giant, but it gave passing motorists something to smile about.

UPDATE: Big John remains standing on Fair Street in Prescott, not Prescott Valley as sometimes reported. The old Big Johnson Realty business is gone, but the restored cowboy continues promoting the property’s current hardwood-flooring business. 09-26

Big Johnson close up Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Big Johnson Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Westward Village Yuma Man 1998
Yuma, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Standing guard over the entrance to Westward Village in Yuma is Big Wes, a giant fiberglass cowboy with a rather unusual face. His body began as a standard Cowboy Muffler Man, but years of repairs and alterations left him with the slightly mismatched appearance that earned him the nickname “Mutant Muffler Man.”

Big Wes has endured plenty of desert sun along with an occasional rough encounter. College pranksters once removed his head, and years of weather left the old cowboy faded and battered.

Now this resident of Yuma, Arizona sports a smaller frame and a unique face. Don't want to call him paper mache' man so we'll just call him the Yuma Man. Mr. Yuma Man stands tall near a Target off the main drag.

Closer up of the Yuma Man
Yuma, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

A local artist repaired and repainted him around 2006, adding a deputy’s badge and a little extra personality. The result may not match the cowboy who originally left the fiberglass factory, but that only makes him more of a one-of-a-kind roadside character.

UPDATE: Big Wes remains standing at the entrance to Westward Village in Yuma, watching over the mobile-home and RV community with his cowboy hat, badge, and unforgettable face. 09-26

Picacho Peak Trading Post (Gone)
Picacho Peak, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Picacho Peak Trading Post was once a hard-to-miss stop along Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson. A 20-foot-tall fiberglass Indian Chief stood outside, raising a tomahawk and welcoming travelers beneath the shadow of Picacho Peak. 02-10

The figure was one of the giant roadside characters produced by International Fiberglass during the 1960s. With his feathered headdress and friendly expression, he made an effective roadside greeter for a trading post selling Southwestern souvenirs to passing motorists.

Everything changed on the evening of November 16, 2002, when an electrical problem started a fire inside the wooden building. The flames spread so quickly that firefighters could do little to save the trading post. Drivers along I-10 could see the blaze lighting up the desert.

Picacho Peak Trading Post (Gone)
Picacho Peak, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The fiberglass greeter melted in the intense heat, leaving behind only two charred moccasin-covered feet, bits of his lower legs, and scattered pieces of fiberglass. Not a very dignified ending for a fellow who had stood beside the highway for so many years.

UPDATE: The Picacho Peak Trading Post was never rebuilt, and little remains beyond its old foundation and portions of the roadside sign frame. The neighboring Nickerson Farms sign also survives as another lonely reminder of Exit 219’s busier roadside days. 09-26

Picacho Peak Trading Post Close up Picacho Peak, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Picacho Peak Trading Post Picacho Peak, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com