Winlock Egg

Winlock Egg
Winlock Egg, 2007
Year1923 (1923)
Location

The Winlock Egg is a tourist attraction in Winlock, Washington, United States. The current structure, known as the "World's Largest Egg", is the fourth Winlock Egg to be constructed.

Background

Chicken farms and hatcheries became an economic staple in Winlock, Washington after its founding in the 1870s.[1] By the early 1920s, eggs produced in Winlock were being shipped to New York City and noted to be in "great demand".[2] Egg production increased by the end of 1923 after the implementation of scientific advances within the industry and the installation of a "modern-day", 40,000 capacity egg incubator.[3][4][5] The town became a central location for egg production in the region, advantaged by the railroad lines through the community. In the 1920s, Winlock was considered the second-largest egg producing town in the United States.[5] By the 1930s, or during peak years, the community was shipping approximately two million eggs and 2.5 million chicks annually across the country.[3][1]

Winlock became known as the "Egg Capital of the World"[6][a] and as the "the egg nest of the West"[7] but by the 1950s, egg farms in the town had waned.[3][8] The Winlock-based Washington Cooperative Egg & Poultry Association, formed in 1920, was shuttered in 1963.[7]

The city held its first Winlock Eggs Day festival in 1921;[b] the event became an annual festival by 1937 and features a parade, an "Egg Queen" is crowned, and attendees are offered free egg sandwiches.[3][8][c]

History

First egg, 1923

The first iteration, known as the "big white egg", was built in 1923 for a celebration of the opening of the Pacific Highway Bridge over the Columbia River between Washington and Oregon as well as to celebrate the expansion of trade between the states.[6] The egg was made of plaster over canvas, which was stretched over a wood frame and painted white.[6][10] For the event, it was mounted onto a Model T Ford as part of a parade of floats and vehicles that traveled from Olympia, Washington to Salem, Oregon on October 23, 1923.[6][d]

The idea for the egg came from John G. Lawrence, the manager of a newly formed egg and poultry co-op as a way to represent the growing industry centered in Winlock in the 1920s. Lawrence referred to Winlock as the "home of the big white egg" in reference to the large eggs produced in the region.[6] During that time, farmers in Winlock were shipping as much as a quarter million cases of eggs to market a year.[11]

First Winlock Egg, during dedication of Highway 99, 1923

The first egg weighed 2,000 lb (910 kg). It was 12 feet (3.7 m) in length and had a maximum diameter of 8 feet (2.4 m).[6] After the parade, the egg was placed on a wooden platform atop a lattice base near the train depot, and the continuance of the display has since remained a source of local pride.[6][1][e]

Second and third eggs, 1930s to 1991

After 20 years in the elements, the first egg had deteriorated and was replaced in 1944 with a plastic version made by a new company to the area, the Johnny Simpson's Plastic Company.[12][13] This version lasted until June 29, 1958, when it fell from its rotted platform and cracked.[f] A fiberglass replacement was made but not installed until 1965. Weighing in at 1,500 pounds (680 kg), the fiberglass egg was 15 feet (4.6 m) in length[6] but there were concerns that it was shaped too much like a football.[11] The community created a fenced park, Vern Zander Memorial Park, around the attraction and the egg was labeled with a sign denoting it as the world's largest egg.[6][11]

Fourth egg, 1991

Another fiberglass replacement egg, donated by Vern Zander, was installed in 1991.[10] Created by Beverly Roberts beginning in 1990,[14] the egg was constructed of four-ply fiberglass and required 7 US gallons (26 L; 5.8 imp gal) of white paint, eight cans of plastic body filler, and ten vats of plaster.[15] The new 1,200 lb (540 kg) sculpture was part of the Winlock Egg Day Parade before it was placed in Vern Zander Memorial Park on top of a 10 foot (3.0 m)-tall steel support.[6][11] The sculpture was temporarily removed from its perch for repairs and refurbishment in 2016.[16]

As part of the dedication, the Winlock Lions Club added a time capsule at the base of the sculpture. The 2 foot (0.61 m)-long, sealed black PVC pipe was intended to be opened in 2041. In December 2017, volunteer's who were decorating the town during the Christmas season noticed the protruding pipe, and believing it to be a bomb, contacted the police. Several law enforcement agencies were alerted and the capsule was cut in half during the attempt to disarm the potential explosive. A local museum owner took ownership of the remaining items in the historic cache, which included a written history of the Winlock Egg and assorted historical newspaper articles.[17]

Geography

The 1991 Winlock Egg is located in Winlock, Washington. The sculpture is placed at Vern Zander Memorial Park, situated at the intersection of Old Highway 603 and Fir Street, and off Kerron Avenue near the train tracks.[10][12]

World's Largest Egg title

The feature has been given the moniker, the "World's Largest Egg"[10] and was featured as such on an episode of Ripley's Believe It or Not!.[8][g]

Competition for the actual title includes the Vegreville egg[3][h] and an egg sculpture in Mentone, Indiana, noted to be taller by approximately 10 feet (3.0 m).[10][19] The title of the world's largest egg has also been claimed for a display in Newberry, South Carolina[20] and a 15 foot (4.6 m)-wide, 22 foot (6.7 m)-tall sculpture in Wilson, Kansas. Weighing 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg), the work is known as "the World’s Largest Hand-Made Czech Egg".[21]

Decorations

The Winlock Egg is usually painted eggshell white.[6] The third egg was painted gold in celebration of Winlock's 50th Egg Day festival in 1986; per reports, the new color did not distance the sculpture from its football-shaped appearance.[12]

In the 21st century, the egg has been painted to reflect certain interests or events, such as an American flag after the September 11 attacks and the Seattle Seahawks logo in the 2010s.[6][11] In celebration of the United States Semiquincentennial, the feature was painted to reflect the anniversary.[10]

Notes

  1. ↑ The city of Petaluma, California also laid claim to being the egg capital of the world during the time.[6]
  2. ↑ The first year of the Eggs Day festival is sometimes reported to have taken place in 1923, depending on the source. See sources throughout the article for the discrepancy.
  3. ↑ The Winlock Eggs Day festival was first known as, "Poultry and Egg Day", and began as a celebration of a completed road between Winlock and Toledo.[9][6]
  4. ↑ A sign on the truck hauling the first egg during the 1923 parade stated, "Winlock, home of the white leghorn".[6]
  5. ↑ Sourcing mentions the first canvas egg was replaced by a tin model. Photographs of the tin egg exist but whether or not it was a different sculpture for a separate purpose has not been determined.[1][6][12]
  6. ↑ The loss of the 1930s egg was also claimed to have been the act of vandalism by "rotten kids" who may have tied a rope to the egg and pulled it down.[12]
  7. ↑ Although sourcing mentions that the Winlock Egg was covered during an episode of the Ripley's Believe It or Not! television series in 1989, the show is noted to have ended in 1986. Whether the year is listed incorrectly, or perhaps relates to a rerun, is not know per sources.[8][16]
  8. ↑ The Vegreville egg is listed to be more than twice the length, and over four times the weight, of the Winlock egg.[18]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Baskas, Harriet (2004). Washington Curiosities : Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff (1st ed.). Guilford, Connecticut: Globe Pequot. p. 216. ISBN 0-7627-2276-2. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Notes and Comment on The Old Home Town". The Seattle Star. January 30, 1922. p. 5. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Baskas, Harriet (2010). Washington icons : 50 classic views of the Evergreen State. Guilford, Connecticut: Globe Pequot. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-7627-4968-3. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Washington State Brief News Items". Vashon Island News-Record. December 14, 1923. p. 10. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Matthews, Todd (June 17, 2020). "Egg Farming in Washington". HistoryLink. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Banel, Feliks (October 29, 2021). "All Over The Map: A half-dozen half-baked facts about the iconic giant Winlock Egg". KIRO-FM News Radio (Seattle); MyNorthwest.com. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Adams, Wanda A. (June 18, 1986). "An Empty Nest - But Eggs Are Still No. 1 In The Town Of Winlock". The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. C1. NewsBank 0EB0484484E73365. Retrieved August 26, 2026 – via NewsBank.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Schwartz, Eric (June 25, 2005). "Winlock's Egg Day is rich in history". The Chronicle. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  9. ↑ Roland, Mitchell (June 12, 2024). "Winlock Egg Days Festival gets cracking Friday through Sunday". The Chronicle. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Chronicle staff (June 15, 2026). "Winlock's 'World's Largest Egg' sports new patriotic paint job for upcoming America250 and Egg Days". The Chronicle. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Rita Cipalla (August 9, 2021). "Winlock - Thumbnail History". HistoryLink. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Bannan, Rick (June 21, 2012). "Museum Tells the Story of the Winlock Egg". The Chronicle. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  13. ↑ Jones, Pat (June 23, 2004). "Egg Days, as good as they're cracked up to be". The Chronicle. pp. C1, C3. Retrieved August 26, 2026.
  14. ↑ George Ostertag; Rhonda Ostertag (2008). Our Washington. Voyageur Press. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-7603-2920-7. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  15. ↑ Panteleeff, Judy (June 29, 1996). "These locations will really thrill the relatives". The Chronicle. p. C1. Retrieved August 26, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Nailon, Jordan (March 3, 2016). "World's Largest Egg Getting a Makeover in Winlock". The Chronicle. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  17. ↑ Johnson, Natalie (December 13, 2017). "Time Capsule That Caused Bomb Scare Contains Written History of Winlock Egg". The Chronicle. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  18. ↑ Allen, Chester (April 4, 2004). "It's no yolk: Alberta town's egg is bigger than Winlock's". The Olympian. NewsBank 101D1001EECA4BB9. Retrieved August 6, 2026 – via NewsBank.
  19. ↑ Beckwith, Paul (December 23, 2016). "Indiana home to the world's largest egg". The Advance Leader. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  20. ↑ Heyamoto (November 12, 2002). "Go with the flow - Small cities in search of a big attraction have tried it all - except for a 60-foot lava lamp". The Seattle Times. p. E1. NewsBank 0F74D0FBA258865A. Retrieved August 26, 2026 – via NewsBank.
  21. ↑ Tanner, Beccy (July 21, 2016). "Among Kansas roadside attractions, this one's unbeatable". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved August 26, 2026.
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