Canada Roadside Attractions

On June 19, 1987 the world’s largest gold pan was unveiled in Quesnel, British Columbia. The 3,000 pound big steel gold pan is 20-feet in diameter and accompanied by a giant mock gold nugget and a big shovel and pick. Across the front printed words declare the location to be “Gold Pan City.” The Canadian … Read more

A large wheelchair in Williams Lake, British Columbia in Canada celebrates Paralympian, activist, and philanthropist Rick Hansen. Rick Hansen was born on August 26, 1957 in Port Alberni, BC and grew up in Fort St. John, Abbotsford, and Williams Lake. As a teenager he was paralyzed in a car accident. In the years since he … Read more

“Heart of a Champion” — a tribute to Gerald “Gerry” James Palmantier, a Cariboo cowboy. This cowboy statue stands in Williams Lake, British Columbia. “Gerry was born and raised in the Cariboo. The grandson of Leonard Palmantier, who co-founded the Williams Lake Stampede, he grew up in the most beautiful ranch lands of the Province. … Read more

I couldn’t find much info on this little…err…big marmot statue in British Columbia. We took a quick pit stop to see him when we spotted him out the window on our drive to Hyder, Alaska. What I do know is it’s a giant marmot that seems to have stolen himself a mug of beer from … Read more

Cariboo Sam is a big gold miner statue that welcomes you to Cache Creek, British Columbia in Canada. This friendly looking wooden man is located at the junction of Hwy #97 and Trans Canada #1. The roadside attraction represents the hundreds of gold miners who forged along the Cariboo Wagon Trail to the gold fields … Read more

Canadians love their roadside attractions (I’d venture to guess they love them even more so than Americans). A few years back Canada even released a set of postage stamps commemorating some of their favorites. Amongst those honored was Mr. PG. This giant wooden man with a big log for a torso and smaller logs as … Read more