What is new for Northwoods Drifter in 2026
A massive metal beast is taking shape in a Mondovi garage, and it’s got Rhinelander written all over it. Metal artist Don Gaber has been transforming century-old logging tools into an 8-foot Iron Hodag sculpture since February, piecing together donated axe heads, crosscut saws, and paper mill relics into the Northwoods’ most iconic creature.
The project isn’t just about creating another roadside attraction. It’s about giving new life to artifacts that helped build this region — tools that cleared forests, fed families, and shaped communities from the 1880s through the 1920s.
“I almost feel guilty cutting them,” Gaber admits about the antique implements. But instead of gathering dust in forgotten corners, these pieces of history will stand downtown for everyone to see.
The artifacts flowing into Gaber’s workshop tell the story of Rhinelander’s backbone industry. Donated by community members through local schools and direct outreach, the collection includes crosscut saws from 19th-century timber crews, vintage license plates, metal advertising signs, and machinery parts from the logging era.
Each piece carries weight beyond its metal. Those axes felled the massive white pines that made Wisconsin a lumber powerhouse. Those saws bit through timber that built cities across the Midwest.
Now they’re being bent, shaped, and welded into something that honors their past while serving the present. The sculpture immortalizes tools that might otherwise end up in landfills or antique shops, giving them a permanent home where thousands of visitors will encounter them each year.
“They can actually see them on something downtown instead of just having them in a garage somewhere where they would probably never use them.”
Rhinelander has loved its Hodag since lumberjack Gene Shepard cooked up the creature as an 1893 hoax — a bull-headed, lizard-tailed beast supposedly captured in the local woods. The myth stuck because it captured something true about the Northwoods spirit: rugged, fierce, and impossible to tame.
The town already hosts the World’s Largest Hodag, a 20-foot fiberglass giant outside the Chamber of Commerce on Business Highway 8. But Gaber’s version adds layers of meaning by incorporating actual artifacts from the logging era that birthed the legend.
Schools have gotten involved in collecting materials, turning the sculpture into a living history lesson. Kids who donate their great-grandparents’ tools can point to the Iron Hodag and say, “My family helped build that.”
The project carries personal weight for Don Gaber. His cousin Ron Gaber commissioned the sculpture, but the two had never actually met in person despite growing up visiting Rhinelander separately.
“It’s kind of nice just to be able to reflect on what we knew as kids growing up,” Don says. “Going to visit Rhinelander and doing different things with our grandparents, but yet not meeting.”
When the Iron Hodag moves to its permanent home on the south end of Brown Street this July, both cousins will finally shake hands at the unveiling. The sculpture becomes more than public art — it’s a bridge between family members separated by time and circumstance.
Gaber has embedded surprises throughout the sculpture, encouraging visitors to look closely. He’s not revealing what those secrets are, but knowing they’re there adds an element of discovery to the experience.
Will you spot a particular tool from a famous local logger? A hidden message in the arrangement of metal pieces? The only way to find out is to visit once the sculpture takes its place downtown.
This approach mirrors the broader trend of scrap-metal art installations drawing tourists across Wisconsin. Places like Marshfield’s Jurustic Park attract over 10,000 visitors annually with similar reclaimed-material sculptures, proving that folk art can become serious economic drivers for small communities.
Tourism pumps over $200 million into Oneida County’s economy each year, and attractions like the Hodag statues play a real role in that. The Iron Hodag gives visitors another reason to stop, explore downtown, and spend time in local businesses.
Beyond economics, the project preserves cultural memory. Wisconsin’s logging industry peaked between 1880 and 1920, producing massive timber harvests that eventually depleted the forests. By the time the industry collapsed, those forests — and the people who worked them — had transformed the region.
Using reclaimed metal also supports sustainability. Wisconsin recycles approximately 5 million tons of metal annually, and this sculpture diverts materials from landfills while reducing demand for newly mined resources.
As Gaber puts finishing touches on the sculpture through early summer, Rhinelander residents are already planning the July unveiling. The installation will add to the town’s collection of Hodag tributes, each telling the story from a different angle.
The World’s Largest Hodag draws photographers and families for playful roadside pics. The restored Trademarked Hodag serves as a Chamber of Commerce landmark. Now the Iron Hodag will stand as a testament to community participation and historical preservation.
When you’re up north this summer, swing through downtown Rhinelander and see what secrets you can spot in the metal. Look for the axe heads that cleared the pines. Find the saw blades that sang through timber. And remember that every piece of rusted metal carries a story — stories worth preserving, celebrating, and passing down to the next generation of Northwoods folks.
Written by
Mike has been coming up or living in the Northwoods since his childhood. He is also an avid outdoorsman, writer and supper club aficionado.
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