Roadside Landmarks and the Stories They Tell
On a recent episode of The Kev and Rev Piotr Show, Kevin and Rev. Piotr turned a casual conversation about travel into a cross-country tour of some of Canada’s most recognizable, and unusual, roadside landmarks.
It started with Rev. Piotr’s travel plans: if the stars align he’s hoping to visit Northern Alberta, where he once served as a minister. But rather than focusing on traditional destinations, the conversation shifted to the kinds of landmarks you only notice when driving through small towns, the oversized monuments that reflect local pride, history, and culture.
In Mundare, Alberta, a massive sausage stands tall, an ode to the town’s Ukrainian-Canadian heritage and the well-known Mundare Sausage made there. Drive northwest and you’ll reach Beaverlodge, where a towering beaver statue greets visitors. It’s one of the most iconic roadside attractions in the region.
In Kenora, Ontario, near Lake of the Woods, you’ll find Husky the Muskie, a giant muskellunge fish that’s become a symbol of the area’s fishing culture. And over in Dryden, Ontario, another giant moose statue, Max the Moose, adds to the list of animal-themed landmarks.
Further east, Sudbury, Ontario is home to the Big Nickel, a 30-foot replica of a 1951 Canadian nickel, built to represent the city’s mining legacy.
In Komarno, Manitoba, whose name comes from the Ukrainian word for mosquito, a giant mosquito looms large as a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the region’s notorious bug season.
Some landmarks reflect the heritage of the people who settled there. Vegreville, Alberta, for example, is famous for its enormous Ukrainian Easter egg, or pysanka. Constructed in 1975, it’s both a symbol of cultural pride and a mathematical marvel in its engineering.
Glendon, Alberta, meanwhile, has a giant pierogi statue, a nod to the Eastern European cuisine still enjoyed across the Prairies.
The town of Gladstone, Manitoba has a painted boulder with a smiling face at its entrance. The locals call it Happy Rock, a play on the town’s name. Meanwhile, here, in our very own town, we welcome drivers with a large pump jack, representing our ties to the oil industry.
Then there’s St. Paul, Alberta, which took things one step further in the 1960s by building a UFO landing pad, as part of Canada’s Centennial celebrations. And just down the road in Vulcan, Alberta, the town leans into its sci-fi namesake with a replica Starship Enterprise and a visitor centre designed for Star Trek fans.
What these monuments share is more than just size. As Piotr pointed out, they often tie directly into a town’s name, industry, or cultural background. They become symbols—not just for visitors to snap a photo with—but for the people who live there year-round.
“A picture tells a story,” Piotr said. And these landmarks do just that. They say something about where a town has come from, what it values, and who its people are.
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