Happy Rock is a roadside attraction in

Gladstone, Manitoba Gladstone is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of WestLake – Gladstone within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held town status prior to January 1, 2015. It is located on the Yellowhead Highway at the intersection with ...

, Canada. It is on the northeast side of

Highway 16 Route 16, or Highway 16, can refer to: International * Asian Highway 16 * European route E16 * European route E016 Australia - Thompsons Road (Victoria) - South Australia Canada ;Parts of the Trans-Canada Highway: * Yellowhead ...

. The large statue also serves as the visitor information centre for the town.

History

In the late 1970s, the provincial government met with local community representatives to try to find a method of increasing tourism in Gladstone. Since Gladstone was also referred to as "Happy Rock," they decided that it would be a good idea to create something that would symbolize this. In 1984, the local

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

held a logo contest for the design of a mascot that would represent Happy Rock. The winning entry, submitted by Jerry Wickstead, depicted a literal black and white Happy Rock with a towel in its left hand while its right hand was waving. By 1988, the Chamber decided to pursue a construction of this figure as a statue and visitor information centre. Fundraising for this project was held between 1991 and 1993. Volunteers held two bingo events, the Chamber held two banquet dinners, and the committee held three cash prize draws. The Community Places Grant Program also provided funding of up to 25% of the total project cost. The F.A.S.T. Corporation from Sparta, Wisconsin, was chosen to manufacture the design of Happy Rock from the blueprints prepared by architects from Winnipeg, who decided to create Happy Rock out of fibreglass. The construction took around four months to complete and was finished in 1993. The cost of the project was nearly $92,000. When Happy Rock was finished, its total height was 36 feet (11 metres) and weighed around 3,000 pounds (approximately 1400 kilograms). On July 1, 1993, Happy Rock was officially opened. It is now the symbol of the rural community and an integral part of the tourism in Gladstone. Happy Rock was depicted on a Canada Post stamp released on July 5, 2010.

References

{{reflist Tourist attractions in Manitoba Roadside attractions in Canada Buildings and structures completed in 1993 Monuments and memorials in Manitoba Parkland Region, Manitoba Buildings and structures in Westman Region, Manitoba