The Famous Wawa Goose

The Wawa Goose

The Original Goose

Constructed of chicken wire and hand-mixed plaster by Mr. Koci

My Mom took this photo of my father & brother visiting the Original Goose. 😃📸

Robert Hutchinson at the Wawa Goose 1961
Northern Lights Motel Original Wawa Goose

I found this old map a couple years ago. The goose was so new that the ground hadn’t been landscaped yet.  😲

I posted the ads on Facebook 

Wawa Goose II

1963 – Council held a design contest for Goose II 

A dutch Ironworker, Dick Vanderklift won the contest. He received $50 & his scale model still adorns council chambers. 

Dick Vanderklift, an amazing metal artist from the Netherlands physically made the goose by hand. It was constructed out of steel manufactured by the raw ore mined in Wawa.  Because of the size and weight of the Goose, he had help from his friends. It took 1600 hours to create, and is hard to even imagine how difficult it was to pound out those shapes with hammers on sand filled leather bags.. The technology was not what it is today. It was quite an incredible feat! 

When visiting, always check the sky for Sunset Photo opportunities with the Goose.

Brett Cunningham had the nicest sky ever! ❤️ 

Wawa Goose at Suset Northern Lights Motel

Dick Vanderklift’s goose held up for over 50 years. But it eventually got a bit rusty in his old age. 

Wawa Goose III

Made of stainless steel in Trenton, On., and unveiled on Canada Day 2017.

Essentially a clone of its immediate predecessor, but Goose III is perched on a  Rock Cut. 

The Wawa Goose

The Wawa Goose was featured in the Movie Snow Cake, starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Anne Moss & Alan Rickman.

Sigourney said that everyone constantly asked, “Why did they build a big Goose for your Movie?”

To everyone’s surprise, Sigourney would answer,

“We didn’t! It’s just there!” 

Hitchhiker's Hell

When the Trans Canada Highway opened in 1960, Hitchhiking across Canada was the cool thing to do! But over the years, Wawa became known to be the hardest place to be picked up in all of Canada. Referred to as “Hitchhikers Hell” as they could get stuck in Wawa for days. 😫

Urban Legends tell of a Hitchhiker that fell in love with a waitress at a Wawa Restaurant. He stayed and married her. While another claims that one Hitchhiker stayed so long he became mayor.😂

My Mother, Helen (Courneene) Hutchinson photographed this fellow just north of Sault Ste Marie ~