Salem Sue the World's Largest Holstein Cow | New Salem, ND
Your weekly installment of oversized adventure
Welcome back to World’s Largest Wednesday, a weekly series where we talk about a “world’s largest” thing every Wednesday. For a full archive of World’s Largest Wednesday posts, as well as tons of other larger-than-life adventures, consider becoming a paid subscriber.
Happy New Year and welcome back to our weird little corner of the Internet! I took some time to rest, recharge, and find some new creative fuel the past week. I hope that you were able to, too.
Looking ahead into 2025, I’ve already got some big adventures planned. From road trips and writing projects to deep dives on the history of roadside attractions and helpful on-the-road resources, I’m excited to bring you along for the ride!
But, in the meantime, I’m thrilled to get this year of oversized adventure started with a big bovine that’s near and dear to my heart: Salem Sue.
Fast Facts
Built: 1974
Height: 38 feet
Length: 50 feet
Weight: 12,000 pounds
Fun Fact: Salem Sue is hollow and made entirely from fiberglass, meaning she had to be securely anchored atop her perch on School Hill.
The History of Salem Sue
Created in 1974 by the New Salem Lions Club as a moo-ving tribute1 to New Salem’s dairy industry, Salem Sue is a beacon for anyone traversing western North Dakota. Anyone who has explored North Dakota knows that the state is no stranger to unusual roadside oddities, and Salem Sue is the second oldest oversized animal2 to call the state home.
According to the City of New Salem, the project cost $40,000 and was funded by dairymen, farmers, businessmen, and area residents. The team at Sculpture Mfg. Co. in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, built and transported the huge Holstein to New Salem in three parts, assembling her on land owned by the New Salem Park District. In fact, Salem Sue was created by the same artist, Dave Oswald, who is responsible for another of North Dakota’s “world’s largest” things. Oswald also created the World’s Largest Catfish (nicknamed the “Wahpeton Wahpper”) that can be found in Wahpeton, North Dakota.
While this area is full of dairy farmers, it’s specifically Holstein cattle that have made their mark on New Salem. Local shop and creamery owner D.M. Young is credited with bringing the first Holsteins to the area more than 100 years ago, where he sold them to New Salem farmers. For decades, the cows’ milk was turned into high-quality butter processed by the New Salem Creamery (built in 1896) and Youngtown Creamery (built in 1898). While times have changed and production has scaled, the area’s Holsteins are still known for their superior stock, both nationally and globally.
In much the same way, Salem Sue stands as an exemplary standard of the Holstein breed. While some have called her stately form “disturbingly anatomically-correct,” I like to think Oswald gave her overly-veiny udders as a nod to the area’s legen-dairy3 production.
Fun Fact: The genus of the fossil plant Susiea was named after Salem Sue in 2006.
Plan Your Visit
Luckily for you, it’s pretty hard to miss Salem Sue. In fact, it’s said that on a clear day, she can be seen from up to five miles away. From I-94, take exit 127 and head south a few hundred feet. Turn right at the sign that says “Enjoy the View from Salem Sue” and follow the gravel road that winds uphill.
In addition to a visit with Salem Sue (obviously), you’ll also have a beautiful view of the North Dakota landscape with farmland stretching as far as the eye can see.
There is no admission fee to visit Salem Sue, though you will find an free-will donation container shaped like a milk can at the bottom of the hill to help the Lions Club maintain the property.
Address: Salem Sue, School Hill, I-94 Exit 127, New Salem, ND 58563
Related Links
Any true icon has at least a song or two written about her and Salem Sue is no different. In fact, it seems that everyone’s favorite bovine has inspired quite a few would-be hits.
A number of different sources reference an old tourism brochure that includes lyrics to a song called “Ballad of the Holstein," which can be sung to the tune of "Joy to the World" with the refrain:
We've got the world's largest Holstein cow, that looks across our fields.
Her presence shows that New Salem grows
With milk-producers’ yields, with milk-producers’ yields, with milk producers’ yields.
While I, regrettably, couldn’t find any recordings of “Ballad of the Holstein,” I did discover a few other gems for you:
You can listen to “The Ballad of New Salem” by Mylo Hatzenbuhler, the self-proclaimed “original rock and roll farmboy” thanks to the magics of BandCamp.
There’s also “Salem Sue, from Me to You (feat. Jeff Troxel)” by Collin Ingram, a peppy little instrumental ditty that’s streaming on Spotify.
One of my favorite roadside illustrators, Chandler O’Leary, (who sadly passed away unexpectedly in 2023) beautifully captured Salem Sue atop her perch on School Hill. If you’ve never explored her work via Drawn the Road Again, I highly recommend a scroll through her archive.
And if big cows are your thing, the folks at Roadside America never disappoint. Bookmark a complete list of big bovines with their “Cowlossus of Roads” list.
I promise I’ll try to keep my bovine-related puns to a minimum — but that one was just too good to pass up!
The first was Dakota Thunder, the World’s Largest Buffalo, in Jamestown, North Dakota, which was erected in 1959. Stay tuned for more on this unusual roadside wonder coming later this year!
Ok, I’m done now. I swear.