Right next to the Mill Pond Dam in the heart of downtown Pelican Rapids is the World’s Largest Pelican. “Pelican Pete” is 15 feet tall and stands sentinel over the Pelican River. There is a great little park area to get a photo and watch the water crash down the dam. It is said that Bemidji’s Paul Bunyan statue was the inspiration behind Pelican Pete, which was built by citizens of Pelican Rapids in 1957 for the town’s Jubilee Celebration the following year. He was built with plaster and concrete around a metal frame. In wintertime, sometimes the town dresses him up with a hat and scarf.
Additionally, found all over town are smaller, 4 foot tall pelicans decorated in different designs outside of local businesses, which were part of a community art project in 2007.
Also in town is a smaller pelican statue in front of the Pelican Hotel on the north end of town.
See how many you can count on your next trip through!
While in the area: Maplewood State Park is only about 10 miles down the road. This is a great state park with rolling bluffs, ravines, great hiking and views of area lakes. Grab a burger at the hidden gem Maple Beach Resort between Pelican and Maplewood, or head north of town and learn about the historic and mysterious “Minnesota Woman.”
This one is pretty far off the beaten path. Nodine is a tiny town home to little more than a church, a few businesses, and some homes. It’s on the extreme southeastern corner of the state, almost to Wisconsin, right on the edge of bluff country.
Along the southwestern plains of Minnesota lies another one of its many hidden gems – the Jeffers Petroglyphs. Marked by nothing but a small sign and an interpretive center, this off-the-beaten path site is home to some incredible history of Minnesota.
