Town of Wawa, Ontario

Goose Designer: Unknown

When Built: I believe that it was originally built in 1960. It was abandoned until fairly recently. Dimensions: Height: 27 Feet (8.2 Metres) Length: 23 Feet (7.0 Metres) Weight: 150,000 pounds Construction Materials: Plaster over a chicken wire frame? Location: It was located in front of the Wawa Motel until recently. It is now located on the main road into Wawa.

If any one has any additional information on the Wawa Geese, please send me an e-mail.

Reason for Building:

This is one of three geese statues in Wawa. The first goose was built in 1960 as the last link of the Trans Canada Highway, linking Wawa to Sault Ste. Marie and Western Canada was by-passing the downtown core of Wawa. This was a way to get people to stop.

Additional Information:

Wawa is Ojibway for "Wild Goose".

I believe this is the second goose that was built for Wawa. When it was replaced with the current main statue in 1963 (because plaster over a chicken wire frame proved to be difficult to withstand Wawa's extreme weather conditions) it was placed at a place called "Fort Friendly", a tourist attraction that never opened because the builder died before it was completed. Fort Friendly was just east of Wawa. I am not sure when it was "rescued" and placed in its current location.

Apparently this goose can "talk". The sign says: "Press the button, to hear what the goose has to say". It tells its own history as well as its name. That is the photographer's wife, Leea, and their children Jamie-Lee, Jesse, Brandon and Kyle in the second photo.

Below is a picture of it in its original location taken from a postcard supplied to me by Robert Tubbs :

There are at least two other geese in Wawa. The "main" one was built in 1963, the other may actually be the first:

Information Sources: Cara Gray and David Verbiwski

Pictures Sources: Irene Marushko and Steve Robinson