Alert Bay, British Columbia, Canada: World's Tallest Totem Pole
A totem pole specifically carved to attract tourists stands 173 feet tall, crafted by six Kwakwaka'wakw artists and erected in 1973. Totem pole purists dismiss this pole's claim to fame, as it's really two poles, one atop the other.
- Address:
- Wood St., Alert Bay, BC, Canada
- Directions:
- North end of Cormorant Island next to the Big House parking lot.
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The Story Pole was dedicated in Beacon Hill Park on July 2, 1956. Forty-five year later, extreme rot forced the pole to be taken down and restored (most poles only last 50 years). Then it was additionally cleaned and repainted in 2011. The pole stands 128 feet tall and was carved from a single cedar tree by Mungo Martin, his son David, and Henry Hunt. A bronze plaque on a rock explains the symbolism of all of the figures on the pole.
[Jane Smith, 08/24/2023]Nearby Offbeat Places
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