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Giant
beasts roam the North Dakota plains... The giant beasts of North Dakota serve to create a unique "Extreme Photo Op" for tourists who wish to get off the beaten path and do something different. Though some of these giants reside out in the open, a few can prove to be quite elusive. Not to worry, RealND.com will serve as your tour guide. Although the following Virtual Tours will allow you to view these giant beasts in their natural habitat, the only "real" way to appreciate their monstrous size is to see them in person. • Salem Sue:
World's Largest Holstein Cow Salem Sue, the World's Largest Holstein Cow, looms over Interstate 94 in western North Dakota. Perched high atop a steep hill over looking the city of New Salem, Salem Sue can be seen for miles (5 miles to be exact). Erected in 1974, this monstrous cow stands as a tribute to the area's dairy farmers, their superior herds, and the production of high quality milk (and by the looks of it - giant veiny utters). • World's
Largest Buffalo This gigantic buffalo, the World's Largest, resides on top of a hill next to the city of Jamestown, North Dakota. Built on the edge of a reconstructed old west frontier village, the giant buffalo monument has been delighting motorists on I-94 since 1959 - making it the grand daddy of all colossal North Dakota outdoor animal sculptures. When visiting the World's Largest Buffalo, be sure to take in the sights at the National Buffalo Museum which is dedicated to the history of the American Bison. You will also want to see Jamestown's live buffalo herd which features "White Cloud", an extremely rare albino buffalo. Did we mention that Jamestown is known as "The Buffalo City". • World's Largest Sandhill Crane Standing guard over the Lone Steer Motel/Cafe/Lounge just outside the city of Steele, North Dakota, resides the World's Largest Sandhill Crane. Though towering at 40 feet tall and 4.5 tons, this giant crane can prove to be quite elusive to the casual observer. To view this wonderful creature in it's natural habitat take the Steele exit (exit 200), off of I-94 and turn (south) into the Lone Steer Motel...the crane is situated toward the back of the motel on the I-94 side. The World's Largest Sandhill Crane was completed in 1999. • World's Largest Catfish A giant catfish, the World's Largest Catfish to be exact, lives next to the Red River in a park in Wahpeton, North Dakota. Named "Wahpper" after the town, it measures in at 40 feet long, 12 feet in height, and a whopping 5,000 pounds. This gigantic creature was created to call attention to the awesome catfishing in the Red River - some even like to call Wahpeton the "Catfish Capital of the North". • The
Giant Pheasant Family The Giant Pheasant Family, one of the enormous scrap metal sculptures along the Enchanted Highway, is big enough to make even the most avid pheasant hunters shake in their boots. This family of giants consists of a 13,000 pound Rooster, 12,000 pound Hen, and two 5,000 pound Chicks. The Giant Pheasant Family was erected in 1996 - 1997. • Wally
the Giant Walleye The 26 foot long "Wally the Walleye" stands high atop his perch in Kenneth S. Fitzsimmons Memorial Park, located at the end of Main Street in Garrison, North Dakota. Wally is a tribute to the area's awesome walleye fishing, in fact, the city of Garrison is known as "The Walleye Capitol of the World". Wally was erected in 1980 at a cost of $10,000. • Tommy
the Giant Turtle Tommy the Giant Snowmobiling Turtle resides in the city of Bottineau, North Dakota (Tommy Turtle Park). Tommy stands (sits) 27 ft. tall atop a yellow 32 ft. long snowmobile. Why does Bottineau have a statue portraying, of all things, a giant turtle riding a huge snowmobile? It's because of Bottineau's distinction as North Dakota's "Winter Funland", providing vast opportunities for snowmobiling (over 300 miles of groomed trails), skiing, and all other sorts of winter recreation and fun. Tommy was erected in 1982 and is located at 103 S. 11th Street. • Giant
Dala Horse This Swedish Giant Dala Horse resides at the Scandinavian Heritage Park in Minot, North Dakota. We found Minot's Scandinavian Heritage Park to be an extremely beautiful park: with it's waterfalls, running stream, foot bridges, replica Gol Stave Church, old Swedish buildings, statues, and last, but not least, the Giant Dala Horse. Though we were not able to get any measurements on this gigantic creature, it is truly huge...we guesstimate it to be at least 21 feet tall if not taller. The Giant Dala Horse is located at 1020 South Broadway - west side of U.S. Highway 83. • Giant
Golf Zombie OK, technically the Giant Golf Zombie is not a "beast", but then again he is not quite human...he looks to be something out of George Romero's classic 1968 horror film "Night of the Living Dead". Rumored to be named "Big Gene", this giant stands at the entrance to the Garrison City Golf Course. Why do we call this Giant Golfer a zombie...well one look at it's face should answer any and all questions. Though the zombie's body seems to be in particularly good condition, for some reason it's head and face appears to have been allowed to be ravaged by the weather/time leaving it looking truly hideous. On a breezy day, the zombie's giant golf club sways ever so slightly, creating a truly creepy effect. We here at RealND.com do not know why the zombie's head hasn't been repaired, but we for one, hope it never gets repaired as this is what gives this creature it's unique mystique. • The
Giant Deer Family The Giant Deer Family, another one of the enormous and fantastic scrap metal sculptures of North Dakota's Enchanted Highway, measures 75 feet high and 50 feet long (Buck dimensions). This sculpture portrays a male "buck" deer leaping over a fence with a female "doe" deer following behind...a scene played out on the North Dakota plains countless times. The flowing lines and the simplicity of this sculpture makes it very pleasing to the eye and, thus, it makes a fantastic photograph. Erected in 2002. • Giant
Grasshoppers These Giant Grasshoppers, yet another humungous beast along North Dakota's Enchanted Highway, stand as a reminder of the hardships that farmers have overcome making their living off the land. It's lucky that the farmers never had these particular "hoppers" to contend with. The biggest of the grasshoppers, measuring 40 feet tall and 60 feet long, claims to be the Largest Grasshopper in the World. This humongous hopper is accompanied by a smaller grasshopper measuring 12 feet in height and 24 feet long. There are also a couple smaller grasshoppers for the kids to sit on and pose for photos. This sculpture was erected in 1999. • Giant
Geese in Flight The truly gigantic "Geese in Flight" scrap metal sculpture casts it's shadow over I-94 at exit 72, the starting point of North Dakota's Enchanted Highway. This sculpture features 10 geese flying in front of the sun. The largest of the geese is 19 feet in length with a 30 foot wing span. The sculpture, as a whole, is truly enormous: 110 ft. in height, 154 ft. in length, and a whopping 78.8 tons. In fact, the "Geese in Flight" sculpture is in the Guinness World Book of Records as the "World's Largest Scrap Metal Sculpture". • Rusty
the Giant Turtle This steel 2 ton giant turtle, named "Rusty" for its rust colored exterior, stands as a tribute to Turtle Lake's annual "Turtle Days" and World renowned Turtle Races. Rusty is located on the south edge of the city. For some reason, this region of North Dakota (and into Canada) really loves their turtles, as more giant turtles can be found in this region then anywhere else. • The
Giant Wheel Turtle The giant "Wheel Turtle" of Dunseith, North Dakota is truly unique. Rumored to hold the title as the "World's Largest Turtle", it is composed of over 2,000 steel wheel rims stacked on top of each other. The turtle's head and neck are built on a pivot that allows visitors to pull down on it making it's huge head bobble up and down...almost bringing it to life. It is "at your own risk" if you decide to climb to the top of this beast...best not try it on a rainy day, those metal wheel rims can get real slippery. The Giant Wheel Turtle was erected in 1982 and is located at the Junction of N.D. Highway 3, N.D. Highway 5, and U.S. Highway 28.
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