The Pelican Rapids Pelican

by Jim
(Minneapolis, MN)

There are several ways to get from the Twin Cities to one of our favorite vacation spots in Detroit Lakes, MN. The way we usually go is highway 94 until we get to the highway 59 "cut across" just north of Fergus Falls.

One reason we take this route is that our kids love to drive through the little town of Pelican Rapids (on highway 59) and stop to see "the world's largest pelican."

If you are driving down main street in Pelican Rapids, you have to look quickly between a couple of the business buildings to see the pelican. The pelican is on a platform at the base of the Mill Pond Dam at the headwaters of the Pelican River.

Once in a while, when the kids beg to do it, we drive into the little park along the river and take some time for them to play by the pelican. Once we stayed long enough to have a picnic lunch while the kids enjoyed the park.

This is just one of many small towns in Minnesota that have a roadside sculpture that helps make a name for the town.