Big Spur on a Pole

Canadian, Texas

Although it looks like an oversized weather vane, Canadian's spur on a pole is stationary. It was built to honor both the town -- with a history of ranching and rodeos -- and Iris and "Oofie" Abraham, two local celebrities. Oofie, according to the spur's plaque, was a "wheeler dealer" who had deep ties to Texas oil and the Texas Republican party. When he died, according to the plaque, both George Bush and George W. Bush called to pay their respects.

We asked Canadian's home town artist, Gene Cockrell, why he hadn't been commissioned to build the giant spur. He rolled his eyes. "High-price stuff," he said, hinting that the spur's backers wanted a sculptor who wasn't famous for building cement dinosaurs and naked cowgirls. "The rich people put that in."