Elsie the Cow
Elsie, MI Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Elsie proudly calls itself "Michigan's Dairy Capital," so it's only fitting that Elsie the Cow greets visitors right in the middle of town. Standing outside the Village Hall, this oversized bovine has become one of the community's best-known landmarks. 10-08
The statue celebrates the area's long dairy farming tradition and serves as the unofficial mascot of the annual Elsie Dairy Festival. Every summer, the town comes together to celebrate its agricultural roots with parades, races, and plenty of dairy-themed fun.
The giant cow has become a popular meeting place and photo stop over the years. It's the kind of roadside attraction that gives a small town a little extra personality and lets visitors know they're somewhere proud of their farming heritage.
While the statue may be the first thing many visitors notice, it also reflects the importance of dairy farming throughout the surrounding countryside. Drive a few miles outside of town and you'll quickly find yourself surrounded by working farms that have helped shape the area's identity for generations.
Elsie the Cow
Elsie, MI Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Despite the name, the town wasn't named after the famous Borden mascot. Elsie actually takes its name from Elsie Amelia Tillotson, the first child born to the area's early settlers, decades before Borden introduced its well-known advertising cow. It's a bit of local history that surprises a lot of first-time visitors.
UPDATE: Elsie the Cow is still standing outside the Village Hall and continues to welcome visitors to Michigan's Dairy Capital. If you're passing through town, it's a fun stop that's hard to miss. 07-26
Abe on Carriage
Lincoln, IL Photo courtesy Chibbqking
Here's an Abe Lincoln ready for a very big road trip. The World's Largest Railsplitter Covered Wagon in Lincoln, Illinois, measures 40 feet long and 25 feet tall. An oversized Abe sits up front reading a book marked “LAW,” apparently leaving the driving to someone else. 05-09
David Bentley built the oak-and-steel wagon in 2001 while recovering from illness. Originally displayed at his home in Pawnee, it moved to Lincoln in 2007. Wisconsin's FAST Corporation supplied the fiberglass president, giving the record-setting wagon a fitting passenger in a town named for Lincoln before he became president.
UPDATE: The wagon relocated downtown in 2026 to Lincoln's Welcome Park near Pekin and North Kickapoo streets. After years outside a motel, Big Abe has a new place to catch up on his reading. 10-26
Mr. Happy Burger (Gone)
Logansport, IN Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The Western edge of Logansport is where you will find Mr. Happy Burger. It appeared to be closed on this Sunday afternoon. The giant bull with the chef hat was at the side of the place. See more photos of Mr. Happy Burger here. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 10-10
The local business began in 1961, adding this west-side location in 1972. Its oversized bull arrived in the late 1970s, joining another at the east-side restaurant. Both wore bibs, but the west-side figure's chef's hat and protruding tongue gave him a look of his own.
UPDATE: The west-side restaurant has been replaced by a Japanese restaurant, and its bull has disappeared. The east-side figure had better luck: it was saved and relocated to Bullshippers Café in Logansport. Fortunately, at least one of the familiar pair remains in town. 07-26
Abe on Carriage
