#3 voyageur statue: Ely

#3 voyageur statue: Ely

Pierre is the voyageur in Ely, a chainsaw sculpture. The wood is tinted so this fringed voyageur’s shirt is multi-toned and carved to look as if it were quill- or bead-embroidered. His moccasins look as if they were decorated with leather beads. His pants are light...
#2: Crane Lake and René Bourassa's Fur Post

#2: Crane Lake and René Bourassa's Fur Post

Crane Lake, Minnesota, boasts of a historic site — René Bourassa’s Post built in 1736. So the fiberglass statue must be René, dressed in a nicely fringed long buckskin shirt with a red sash. (Yes!) Hanging from the sash is a red and green bag of “possibles,” almost...
#1 voyageur statue: Big Vic in Ranier

#1 voyageur statue: Big Vic in Ranier

In the town of Ranier, Minnesota, Big Vic holds sway. Big Vic is a 25-foot fiberglass statue and he looks ready to take on the world. He has the typical voyageur build — wide shoulders. His beard is brown, his tuque is red and his buckskins are fringed — the garb of a...

Larger than life — Minnesota statues of voyageurs

Guess what I finally found — the voyageur statue in Ely, Minnesota, plus the owner and the artist. (I’ve been trying to find it for a couple of years.) The Midwest’s massive monuments to their uniqueness are pure fun. My community has a large largemouth...

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