You may not expect to see a giant smoking pipe sculpture as a centerpiece between flower gardens, but that’s exactly what you’ll find in the community of St. Claude, Manitoba. The pipe is 19-feet long, 5-feet tall, and weighs just over 400 pounds. It would take a lot of tobacco to fill this pipe’s bowl.
So, why did the citizens of St. Claude decide to build a giant pipe back in 1984? Well, the first inhabitants of what’s now Saint (also St.) Claude came from St. Claude, France, in 1892. Today, St. Claude (France) is considered the global capital of pipes. Monks in the area had been creating wooden religious objects since the 7th century; they trained local craftsmen and established the first wood-turning workshop. So when tobacco was introduced to Europe after being gifted by Indigenous peoples to Christopher Columbus in 1492, the craftsmen adapted. Soon, they were creating snuff boxes and pipes from local boxwood. Around 1855, the craftsmen discovered an even better wood—briar wood. Briar pipes were highly resistant to heat and fire, producing a better smoking experience. This cemented the reputation of St. Claude for its pipe-making.
And so, St. Claude residents created the giant tobacco pipe monument to commemorate its early settlers.
