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Williams in Coconino County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
 

Caboose Jake 017

 
 
Caboose Jake 017 Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Jason Voigt, March 2, 2022
1. Caboose Jake 017 Marker
Inscription.

Manufacture Date: 1911
Manufacturer: Ray Consolidated Copper Company • Ray, AZ
Original Owner: Ray & Gila Valley Railroad as R&GV 017 • Kelvin, AZ
2nd Owner: Kennecott Copper Corporation as KCC 017 • Hayden, AZ
3rd Owner: Copper Basin Railway as CBRY 017 • Hayden, AZ
4th Owner: Lowell S. "Jake" Jacobson as JAKE 017 • Hayden, AZ
Current Owner: Arizona State Railroad Museum Foundation • Williams, AZ

Built by the Ray Consolidated Copper Company for freight and ore service on the Ray & Gila Valley Railroad at their mines and smelters with a connection to the Southern Pacific and later Union Pacific railroads. It later served with the Kennecott Copper Corporation until they sold the R&GV to the Copper Basin Railway. No. 017 continued to serve with the CBRY until declared surplus at which time Jake Jacobson secured the caboose for his personal use. He passed it on to the Arizona State Railroad Museum Foundation in operating condition in 2016. Keeping a 105-year old railcar in serviceable condition confirmed Jake's dedication to the history and legacy of Arizona's railroads.

Lowell S. "Jake" Jacobson began his 61-year railroad career with the Union Pacific where he worked for twenty-nine years. He then moved on to the Copper Basin Railway where he served another 32 years as President
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and Chief Operating Officer.

Jake's dedication to railroad safety was legendary not only in Arizona but nationally. He was named Railway Age's Railroader of the Year in 1994, and a Great Railroader of the Century in 1999. After achieving a perfect safety record for the CBRY in 1993, Jake realized that there was no award to recognize the safety records of smaller railroads. He then prevailed upon the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association to create such an award. In 1999 their Safety Committee adopted the Jake Awards to recognize and reward the high safety standards of the small railroad industry. Jake retired in 2020 and passed away in 2021. But his legacy continues to live on.
 
Erected by Arizona State Railroad Museum.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & CommerceRailroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1911.
 
Location. 35° 15.101′ N, 112° 11.388′ W. Marker is in Williams, Arizona, in Coconino County. It can be reached from Fray Marcus Drive west of North Grand Canyon Boulevard. Marker is on the grounds of the Grand Canyon Railway Depot, which is an Amtrak station. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 233 N Grand Canyon Blvd, Williams AZ 86046, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Flagstaff & High Country and in Hopi. It is also in the American Southwest, in the Mountain West, in Colorado Plateau, and at the Four Corners. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance
Caboose Jake 017 Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Jason Voigt, March 2, 2022
2. Caboose Jake 017 Marker
Marker (and caboose) are located outside the Williams Depot Station.
of this marker: Welcome to Williams (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Santa Fe Railway Freight Depot (about 300 feet away); Red Cross Garage (about 400 feet away); The Cabinet Saloon (about 500 feet away); Tetzlaff Building (about 500 feet away); Last Town Bypassed By I-40 (about 500 feet away); Rounseville Drugstore (about 500 feet away); Pollock Building (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Williams.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on March 9, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 8, 2022, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 383 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on March 8, 2022, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.
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Jun. 3, 2026