Pelican Pete celebrates the city of Pelican Rapids, MN. And, yes, there are pelicans this far north! Pete "came to life" in 1957. The city's reason to build it? They celebrated the city's 75th anniversary along with the State of Minnesota's centennial.
Pete adds another attraction to the area, which includes 1048 lakes in Ottertail County, with many lakes within 20+ miles of Pelican Rapids. Maplewood State Park, to the east, is another attraction.
In 2023, Pete was moved to the other side of the river when the dam was removed and replaced with rock rapids. Of course, Pete received a good cleaning and now appears "like new" in his new location.
