The image of the beaver is just as prominent in Canada as the maple leaf.
Along with the maple leaf, the beaver has become a popular Canadian symbol. During the 1600s and early 1700s, the demand for fur top hats was so widespread that beaver trapping grew into one of Canada's predominant industries. The beaver became a Canadian national symbol when it was commissioned by Sir Sandford Fleming for the 1851 postage stamp. Today the beaver is a prominent figure in Canadian society, featured on badges, as a mascot and on monuments.
The Beavers
The Beavers monument, also known as the beaver family statue, is located in New Brunswick, Canada, in the Garrison District of Fredericton. The monument, made of limestone, was built in 1959 by Claude Roussel, a nature sculptor and a native of Edmunston, New Brunswick. The monument was designed to be part of a water display. The monument is currently displayed in the garden of the York Sunbury Museum, and is in the collection of the Province of New Brunswick.
York Sunbury Museum
571 Queen Street
Fredericton New Brunswick
Canada E3B 5C8
506-455-6041
yorksunburymuseum.com
Giant Beaver Monument
The giant beaver monument is one of Canada's largest landmarks, and is said to be the world's biggest beaver, at 15 feet high, 28 feet long and a weight of approximately 3,000 pounds. The monument is made of steel and foam and is coated in polyurethane. The statue is located along the Alaska-Canadian Highway, in Beaverlodge, Alberta, and is a popular roadside attraction. The statue was erected in front of the city's cultural center to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the town of Beaverlodge. It includes signs with information about the town's history, the history of beavers in Canada, their habitat and their behavior.
Beaverlodge Cultural Centre
512 5th Avenue
Beaverlodge, Alberta,
Canada T0H 0C0
780-354-3600
beaverlodge.ca
Amisk the Dauphin Beaver Monument
The beaver monument in Dauphin, Manitoba, was built in 1967 by Ross Owen of Thunderbay, Ontario, to commemorate Canada's Centennial. It is located just off of Highway 5A/10A near the south end of town. The beaver is nicknamed Amisk, which means beaver in the Aboriginal language of the Cree. Amisk is 16 feet high and six feet wide and portrays a cartoon-like beaver standing on an upright stump, wearing a letterman sweater with the letter D on it, gloves and blue jeans. The beaver is also lifting his left hand and is holding a red cap. Amisk is also known as "the Beaver of Skilligalee" because skilligalee is a Scottish word for a thin oatmeal porridge, which was eaten by English prisoners and paupers. The word reflects the poor conditions that early settlers to the region had to endure.
Dauphin Beaver Monument
Highway 5A/10A
Dauphin, Manitoba
Canada R7N 1B5
bigthings.ca
Paddy the Castor Beaver Monument
The beaver monument in Castor, Alberta, was built in 1980 and depicts a five-foot-high, dark-brown beaver in front of a gnawed stump. The beaver, nicknamed Paddy, stands upright in front of a landscape mural next to the town's post office. Castor means "beaver" in French so the animal appropriately became the town's mascot.
Paddy Monument
50 Avenue
Castor, Alberta
Canada, T0C 0X0
bigthings.ca
Tags: Alberta Canada, also known, Beaver Monument, beaver monument, Beaver Monument beaver
