Rugby, North Dakota: Prairie Village Museum: World's Tallest Salesman

Six exhibition halls and dozens of old buildings on 20 acres features an exhibit on local giant Cliff Thompson, Queen Victoria's dress, and one-time world's largest belt buckle.

Prairie Village Museum, which is made up of more than 30 buildings and home to more than 50,000 artifacts, has created a new exhibit around a ceremonial gown worn by Queen Victoria of England. Former Queen's dresser Marie Downing Williams brought the dress with her to North Dakota in 1887. It was on display in the Rolla, North Dakota, public library for 40 years before it was donated to Prairie Village Museum. The gown is in amazing condition and Marie's story is the stuff of fairy tales.

At the entrance to the Pioneer Village and Museum are two small stone pillars which contain rocks from all 50 states. They are small-scale versions of Sioux Falls, SD's Pillars of the Nation.

The museum contains a small taxidermy collection of mostly native American species. However they do have two small, one-foot long alligator-type animals posed as boxers with tiny boxing gloves.

In the old school house, a mannequin wears a suit belonging to Clifford Thompson, "The World's Tallest Man." Clifford Thompson, 1904-1955, would have been the world's tallest living man after the death of Robert Wadlow, assuming the height of 8'7" is accurate. he was born in Pierce Co. N. Dak., 1-1/2 miles from Silva, ND.