Village of St. Claude, Manitoba

Reason for Building:

Additional Information:

It took 574 hours to build.

"The firepot was lined with asbestos and galvanized steel sheeting. The inside has a 3" by 2½" heavy gauge steel funnel to hold tobacco. A ¼" copper pipe had been installed during construction from the bottom of the funnel to the end of the pipe stem. A ¼" plastic tube was fitted to the end of the copper wire for anyone wishing to smoke or for air to be blown in to create smoke coming out of the pipe."

Plaque reads:
"The World's Largest Smoking Pipe. Some of the first settlers arriving in this region in 1892 were from the City of St. Claude, in the province of Jura, France. The main industry of this city in France was the manufacturing of smoking pipes. This 'Pipe' was promoted and funded by the St. Claude Chamber of Commerce."

The City of St. Claude, France also has their own monument of a smoking pipe. There is also a giant gem stone beside it. Pipemaking and gemstone cutting were (and still are) important to the economy of the Jura region. Here is a photo of both monuments (photographer's husband is in the picture to give an indication of size):

Information Source: http://www.cpnet.net/~stclaude/attractions.htm , Roberston, Bud "Jurassic Prairie" Winnipeg Free Press August 30, 1994, and Patricia Denton.

Picture Sources: DMY , and Patricia Denton .