Big Things
Roadside Landmarks of the Great Plains
Big things, roadside titans of all kinds (often billed as "the world's largest") are landmarks for travelers not only of America but also of many other lands (including Australia, which coined the simple phrase, "big things," to categorize them). This website of the Center for Heritage Renewal, North Dakota State University, documents and celebrates the big things of our region, the Great Plains--a region that has its full share, perhaps more than its share, of such marvelous monstrosities. Research conducted by students in HIST 431: The North American Plains provides the documentation presented here. (Research just beginning; at present the table below is a list of suggested topics for student research.)
| Big Thing | Location | Notes |
|---|
| World's Largest Prairie Chicken | Rothsay MN | |
|---|
| Earl Bunyan | New Town ND | Paul Bunyan's brother, the cowboy. Legend on base says, "Dreamed up by Fred and Berd LaRocque, 1958." |
|---|
| World's Largest Buffalo | Jamestown ND | |
|---|
| Salem Sue | New Salem ND | |
|---|
| Tommy the Turtle | Bottineay ND | |
|---|
| World's Largest Pheasant | Huron SD | |
|---|
| W'eel Turtle | Dunseith ND | |
|---|
| Black Viking | Fort Ransom ND | |
|---|
| World's Largest Catfish | Wahpeton ND | |
|---|
| World's Largest Catfish (another one) | Gimli MB | |
|---|
| World's Largest Sandhill Crane | Steele ND | Alongside the Lone Steer Motel |
|---|
| Wally the Walleye | Garrison ND | |
|---|
| Big Gene | Garrison ND | Ungainly golfer at entrance to the city golf course |
|---|
| Sharptail Grouse | Ashern MB | |
|---|
| Tommy the Turtle (another one) | Bossevain MB | |
|---|
| Indian Head | Indian Head SK | |
|---|
| World's Largest Fire Hydrant | Elm Creek MB | |
|---|
| Sara the Camel | Glenboro MB | |
|---|
| World's Largest Moose | Moose Jaw SK | |
|---|
Director's Essay
Center for Heritage Renewal
|