Pelican Pete

Pelican Rapids built its pelican in 1957 and has been photographing it ever since. Pelican Pete, dubbed the “world’s largest pelican”, went up beside the Pelican River, and MPR News said in 2023 that he had been the subject of countless vacation photos for more than 65 years.

A historical marker, transcribed in the Historical Marker Database, says he was erected at the urging of civic leader Truman Strand. Local metalworkers made scale drawings from a stuffed pelican, built a steel frame, finished it with wire netting and plaster, and painted him white with an orange bill and feet. Volunteers poured the concrete base with more than 120 bags of cement; the total bill was $1,200. The name Pete came later, from a Chamber of Commerce contest, and the city has since taken over ownership. The marker adds that some locals used to gauge the river's level by whether Pete's feet were wet or dry.