THE WORLD’S LARGEST TOTEM POLE: Getting Higher than High in Humboldt County

1503 City Center Rd McKinleyville, CA 95519

I've always had a special fondness in my heart for things deemed "world's largest," and who wouldn't want to see a colorful totem pole in the back of a local grocery store? Smash those two glorious concepts together, and you've got the greatest combo of things since the Fresh Prince met Jazzy Jeff: The World's Largest Totem Pole of Mckinnleyville.

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Located in the back of a the McKinnleyville Shopping center I kid you not, this unholy site of awesome is located directly behind a Safeway grocery store the world's largest totem pole certainly feels a bit random in these parts of town.

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Finely crafted out of redwood, and fairly detailed with a series of colorful faces, each flamboyant foot inches closer toward the heavens above. In fact, you could say that this is the "highest" thing in Humboldt County, which says a lot in these parts

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The top of the pole showcases a thunderbird, with a twelve foot wingspan and a badass look in her eye. Below that, lies some classic totem pole regulars such as the coyote, frog, beaver, owl, grizzly bear and this strange face that will haunt me in my sleep for the next 15 years.

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As advertised, it's pretty damn tall  160 feet to be exact— and towers over everything in the area. Look at how my minuscule my puny car pales in comparison to the epic epic-ness of the pole. 

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And if you don't believe me, there's even a "plaque of authenticity," a term I use loosely since it seems to have been made by the artist himself.

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Now what does one do when confronted with a gem of this magnitude? Well, it's simple: you stare and ponder about other tall things in life, such as the world's tallest thermometer.

HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?

IMG_9907Carved from a single redwood tree by local artists Ernest Pierson and John Nelson in 1962, the world's largest totem pole clocks in at a whopping 160 feet, and weighs close to 57,000 pounds. The pole was originally created to bring tourists to the newly opened McKinleyville Shopping Center (which explains its odd location) and was a hit right out of the gate.

However, in 1984, after 22 glorious years, the wood began to rot (due in part by the weather vs. the sapwood from the tree) and the pole was taken down for a full makeover. Two cranes lifted the pole off from its base-- which itself weighed over two tons-- and a month of re-carving and painting ensued. This resulted in a slimmer, taller and more nimble pole, and you can actually see some classic video footage of the makeover here.

While other poles have beaten it in height (a 185 footer lays claim in Victoria, British Columbia) this certainly holds the record for largest totem pole carved from a single tree, which is an impressive feat in itself.

 

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The World's Largest Totem Pole