Photo by John Spenceley. In the hamlet of Fort Assiniboine, Alberta, you’ll find a roadside marvel — the World’s Largest Wagon Wheel and Pick Axe. The giant wagon wheel stands about 7 metres† (~23 ft) tall, while the accompanying pick-axe rises just over 6 metres

This pair of gargantuan sculptures looms beside the local museum, making it hard to miss when driving through the region.What makes this duo “world famous” (at least among roadside-attraction aficionados) is that they’re billed as the largest wagon wheel and pick-axe in the world — a boast made more credible by their size, their siting in the “giants” catalogue of Alberta, and the fact that they honour the region’s heritage.

The imagery evokes frontier trade routes, logging and mining tools, and the rugged pioneer era that helped shape this part of western Canada. Specifically, the location of Fort Assiniboine was once a key supply and trade node during the fur-trade era and later served as a stop on the trail during the Klondike gold-rush period.

In short: giant sculptures + local history = quirky icon worth a photo and a pit stop.