Big Vic, a 25-foot tall voyageur, was commissioned in the 1980s by local resident Vic Davis in protest against expansion of the boundaries of Voyageurs National Park that would see land he owned - Cranberry Island - seized by the government. After two years of arguing (and the construction of a second statue, Big Louie), he eventually settled for a price of $90,000 and Big Vic - a likeness of Davis himself - was donated to the nearby town of Ranier where it stands to this day.
If you go:
Ranier itself is a pleasant little village on the shores of Rainy Lake, with a natural sandy beach, one or two nice places to eat, and a lakeside brewpub.
Links:
![](https://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap?size=580x420&maptype=roadmap&key=AIzaSyCLozNby4OgqSrFsRvPHyyMCaIfHIq2zVM&zoom=10&markers=icon:http://www.roadtripamerica.com/mapcode/mapicons/ra-pin.png|48.609322,-93.34861)
County Road 20 and Highway 11
Ranier, Minnesota 56649 USA
visit@rainylake.org
Mailing address:
International Falls, Rainy Lake and Ranier CVB
301 2nd Avenue
International Falls, MN 56649 USA
Phone Numbers:
Convention and Visitors Bureau
+1 (800) 325-5766
+1 (800) 325-5766