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All Canada Ontario Wawa Wawa Goose
AO Edited

Wawa Goose

This giant roadside goose has been hailing travelers into a small Ontario town for over 50 years.

Wawa, Ontario

Added By
Robert Shell
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  Brian Smith/CC BY 2.0
  Brian Smith/CC BY 2.0
  Kevin M Klerks/CC BY 2.0
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  Kevin M Klerks/CC BY 2.0
Wawa Goose   p199/CC BY-SA 3.0
Why the Goose is there.   Prairiehammer / Atlas Obscura User
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About

This giant metal goose has been drawing in motorists from the nearby highway for over 50 years, and the giant fowl's popularity doesn't appear to be flying the coop anytime soon.

When the Trans-Canada Highway was finally completed in 1960 and linked up to Highway 101, the locals in nearby Wawa township noticed one problem with what should have been a boon to local traffic: everyone was just driving by. The problem was that the new road pretty much avoided the prime downtown sector. The solution they came up with was to build something that would call drivers in to visit the town. That something became the Wawa Goose. 

One of the local businessmen came up with the idea of creating a giant Canada goose statue to call to travelers the first Wawa Goose was erected. Unfortunately, the original plaster goose did not stand up to local weather and quickly deteriorated, leading to the creation of the current goose in 1963. This new monument was made of steel, not just to make it more durable, but also to represent Wawa's iron industry. This 28-foot-tall bird is the same fowl that stands today, although a bit the worse for wear.

Nowadays, while the Wawa goose still stands as one of the major roadside attractions in Ontario, it could use a birdbath. Parts of its wings have fallen off from neglect, and the statue is structurally unsound. Engineers who have looked at the statue think it may need to be replaced entirely. But until that day comes, the Wawa Goose remains.   

Related Tags

Birds Giant Roadside Attractions Animals Sculptures

Community Contributors

Added By

robertshell22

Edited By

Carrion, Prairiehammer, sam8steen, EricGrundhauser...

  • Carrion
  • Prairiehammer
  • sam8steen
  • EricGrundhauser
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

November 19, 2015

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Sources
  • http://www.wawa.cc/living-in-wawa/about-wawa/our-famous-canada-goose/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wawa,_Ontario
Wawa Goose
26 Mission Rd
Wawa, Ontario, P0S 1K0
Canada
47.976702, -84.783167
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Agawa Canyon Wilderness Park

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

miles away

Agawa Rock

Agawa Bay, Ontario

miles away

Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

Paradise, Michigan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ontario

Ontario

Canada

Places 178
Stories 13

Nearby Places

Agawa Canyon Wilderness Park

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

miles away

Agawa Rock

Agawa Bay, Ontario

miles away

Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

Paradise, Michigan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ontario

Ontario

Canada

Places 178
Stories 13

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