Lake City, Minnesota: Statue: Inventor of Waterskis
Life-size bronze statue was dedicated on July 2, 2022, the 100th anniversary of Ralph Samuelson's invention. His waterskis are huge, like boards he tore off the side of a barn.
- Address:
- Park St., Lake City, MN
- Directions:
- On the lake shore. From US-61/63 downtown turn east (no stoplight) onto Walnut St. Drive three blocks. Turn left onto Park St. You'll see the statue ahead on the right.
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Original Water Skier Statue
A bronze statue of Ralph Samuelson is in his hometown of Lake City, Minnesota. The statue is near the corner of Park Street and East Chestnut Street, on the shore of Lake Pepin, where Samuelson created water skiing.
When we visited in June 2023 there was no marker by the statue. A local said that there was a historical marker in a different part of town.
[Kelli Shrivastava, 06/17/2023]Lake City is the birthplace of waterskiing. The town has a life-size bronze statue of Ralph Samuelson and the water skis that he invented to ski on scenic Lake Pepin.
[Gina Lynch, 10/01/2022]Nearby Offbeat Places
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The statue was dedicated on July 2, 2022. Samuelson's waterskis are huge, and look like boards he tore off the side of a barn.