The informal name for the Frisco logo is a "coonskin". Legend has it some railroad official saw the skin of a raccoon nailed up on the wall of a depot, and the shape of the poor critter's hide all splayed out on the wall inspired the design of the Frisco logo. There is a description of this on page 12 of Joe Collias' book Frisco Power. Ken
The coon skin refers to the shape of the Frisco Herald. If I can remember the story correctly, it goes like this. The President of the line was riding through Neosho, Mo and saw that the there were coon skins (Raccoon hides) being tanned on the side of the station. He called out the station master for doing this and demanded that they be removed. The station master insisted that he needed to do it to raise extra money for his family, and that his income was not enough. So instead of giving him a raise, the President ended up buy one the skins. On his way back to St. Louis he drew the name Frisco on the back of the hide, and the Frisco Symbol we all know and love was born. There is a photo floating around out there of the original hide.
To be honest, I had never heard of the 'coonskin' until I came across this forum. I don't know very much on the history of the line. I would agree with the below statement. I bought a belt buckle with the coonskin at the Ft. Worth trainshow.
Yep good logo. You have to rotate it 90 degrees to kind of see the racoon pelt being stretched out to dry but it's there. If Joe Collias sez it, I believe it. John your job now is to pass this story on to new Frisco modelers and so the legacy continues. . . . . Frisco Faster Freight! Rick
Not only did Joe Collias say it, but the story comes down from "official Frisco sources" in the form a history that the Frisco published circa 1962-63. The compiler of the Coonskin Story was Eula Mae Stratton who was a typist/reporter for the Frisco Magazine. She worked out of the General Offices in Springfield. A search of her name in the Springfield-Greene Cnty FEM digital collection returned 7 pages of "hits". It appears that she worked for the Frisco at least from the early 20's through the mid 30's. She is pictured in the May 1929 issue.
Outstanding! I have never seen this article before. Karl you are definitely the Emperor of the North (all the other directions too). You must have a special building to house all the archives you have been sharing with us. Many thanks and keep it coming. Frisco Faster Freight! Rick
Here is another source for the story of the "Coonskin". Also tells how the name "FRISCO" originated. http://condrenrails.com/Frisco/Frisco-Museum-All-Aboards/AA1986.8.v1.3.pdf
OK! I thought it was called the Frisco b/c people commonly call San Francisco "Frisco." I didn't know that it was from bits and pieces of the railroad's name; good article. Long live the coonskin |-|.
"Frisco" is just a lazy, shorthand way of saying the whole corporate name of the railroad OR the city! I think the version in the article was thought up afterward--sort of like making up a slogan with the call letters of a radio station. Tom
Either shortly before or shortly after the demise of the Frisco a limited edition numbered china plate was offered by I believe the RR and advertised in All Aboard. It told the story on the plate that was in the link on Mike Condren's site. The plate has been available over the years on Ebay and at first garnered some fairly big bucks. Recent offerings seem to have not been as successful. It's really a nice item. Bob Hoover FriscoFriend
