Pine City Voyageur statue

Pine City, Minnesota, United States

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Public art

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Current

Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded as still being here.

Francois is a chainsaw-carved redwood voyageur in Voyageur Park on the Snake River, Pine City, Minnesota. The City says Dennis Roghair carved the 35-foot statue from a 42-foot redwood log, and completed it on 3 November 1992.

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PLAN YOUR VISIT

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Pine City Voyageur statue

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Site-level location · 45.8306° N, 92.9718° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

Pine City's voyageur began as a giant redwood log that, according to KSTP, was brought from California to be a tourist draw. According to KSTP, the owner of the Anoka Hotel had a giant redwood log brought to Minnesota in the 1930s as an attraction, and it was donated to Pine City in the early 1990s.

The City says the idea of a large statue came from a resident, who approached sculptor Dennis Roghair to tie it in with the nearby Snake River Fur Post, a Minnesota Historical Society site. Roghair carved it using only measurement tools and a chainsaw. The City budgeted $15,000 and the community raised the remaining costs of about $26,000, including $4,000 for a field-stone base. The statue was completed on 3 November 1992. KSTP reported the carving took about three months.

Sizes differ between accounts. The City says the log was 42 feet tall and the finished statue stands 35 feet; KSTP described a 45-foot, 40-ton log. The City gives the official name as Francois and notes that the statue has also been called Pierre. KSTP says it pays tribute to French and Native American fur traders and is known as the largest redwood sculpture in Minnesota.

The statue is the focal point of Voyageur Park, at 700 1st Avenue NW, where the City lists a gazebo, a picnic shelter, a fishing dock, walking paths and a disc golf course. A September 2025 Only In Your State article carried by AOL called it a symbol of the town. The park is described as fully accessible.

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PRACTICAL

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WHAT TO EXPECT

The 35-foot redwood voyageur stands in Voyageur Park beside the Snake River. The City lists paths, a gazebo and picnic shelter, a fishing dock, a nature pond, a playground and a disc golf course. Outdoor restrooms are listed; the park is described as fully accessible.

ACCESS

Voyageur Park, 700 1st Avenue NW, Pine City, Minnesota, on the bank of the Snake River. A City-run public park; the City describes it as fully accessible to persons with disabilities.

COMMUNITY

Visitor Log

WHAT'S NEXT

Find another Big Thing nearby

A roughly 22-foot-tall Dala horse in Mora, Minnesota, a replica of the Swedish carved wooden horse, built in the early 1970s by volunteers led by the Mora Jaycees. It honours the town's sister city, Mora, Sweden, and weighs about 3,000 pounds, according to the town's marker and KSTP.

Roadside giants

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26 km away

TRANSPARENCY

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