| Land of the Giants |
| WISCONSIN: MISC. GIANTS |
| Gambrinus City Brewery La Crosse, WI |
Gambrinus Heileman Headquarters La Crosse, WI |
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Gambrinus is 15' tall and stands next to the City Brewery (preveiously Heileman's Brewery). Heileman bought this concrete statue from a defunct brewery and installed him here in 1939. Gambrinus is the patron saint of beer. His real name was Jan Primus - a 13th Century knight from Brussels that invented hopped malt beer. Many European breweries feature statues of him. Across the street from this statue is a Giant Six-Pack of Beer.
The other La Crosse Gambrinus statue was created by Elmer Peterson in 1980. The cor-ten steel statue was installed in front of Heileman's corporate headquarters. I don't know if the Heileman Brewing Company is still here in some form as the building's main tenant now seems to be Business Objects. |
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More Gambrinus Statues:
Woodridge, IL Columbus, OH |
| Spartan Warrior Sparta, WI |
Ben Biken Sparta, WI |
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The Spartan Warrior and Ben Biken were both created and donated by the FAST Corporation which is the local and world famous producer of fiberglass statues. The Spartan Warrior is 14' tall and was installed on the roof of Sparta High School in 1984. [second and third photos thanks Mark Comstock]
The Ben Biken statue is 30' tall, making him the world's largest bicyclist. He was built in 1997 and installed in the middle of town. Sparta is known as the Bicycling Capital of the World. [third photo thanks Mark Comstock] |
| PioneerWestfield, WI | NorsemanWestby, WI | Donut Chef Eau Claire, WI |
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The Pioneer stands outside the Pioneer Restaurant. He was also made by the FAST Corporation and is complemented by two Giant Oxen nearby.
The Norseman was carved from a tree that was damaged in a storm. He holds a Norwegian flag. Westby is quite proud of its Scandinavian heritage. For more, see this website. The Donut Chef stands in a corner at the Quick Lube. He was originally at a donut shop in Galesburg, IL which is now closed. |
| Hamburger CharlieSeymour, WI | BellhopFennimore, WI | |||
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This 12' tall statue of Hamburger Charlie was built to honor Charlie Nagreen who invented the hamburger here in 1885. At the age of 15, Charlie was selling meatball sandwiches at the Seymour Fair. To make the meatballs more transportable, he flattened them and put them between two slices of bread. Seymour is also famous for creating the World's Largest Hamburger in 1999. For a fiberglass replica of it, see this page. For more, see this website.
This plastic guy appears to be a Bellhop and I assume was used with a motel sign originally. He is now strapped to former sign pole in front of the Three B's (Beer Bait & Bargains) store. |
| Green Bay Packer ReceiverGreen Bay, WI | Culvert ManPark Falls, WI | ||
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The fiberglass Green Bay Packer Receiver is 22' tall and stands in front of the Titletown Brewery. The number 88 on his jersey represents an anonymous player. He used to stand in front of the Hall of Fame but has been moved around town a couple times since then. For more, see this website.
This Culvert Man was built by the Koshak Construction Company in 1999. He is made of culverts (steel tubing) which the company sells. The statue is just over ten feet tall. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. There is another Culvert Man in Nodine, MN. |
| Queen of the Holy Rosary ShrineNecedah, WI | ||
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| The Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine features fourteen religious and patriotic grottos. In 1949, Mary Ann Van Hoof had a vision of the Virgin Mary. When people began making pilgramages to the site, the first shrine was built. Most of the dioramas with life-sized figures were built in the 1960s and early 1970s. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
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WI Giants Elsewhere in this Section:
Hiawatha (La Crosse) Big Cowboy (Wisconsin Dells) |
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WI Muffler Men |
Giants Main Page |
| [Main Roadside Page] |
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