The Story of Rusty the Dragon
I am a fearsome Dragon! People who stop by to see me wonder how I ever ended up in a yard between Mora and Ogilvie Minnesota. This is my story.
My creator, Elmer Laitala is a 70 year old retired machinist. In the summer, he mows seven acres of lawn, has a big garden and cans and freezes the fruits of his labor.
When winter approaches his life slows down…a lot. After two months of observing Elmer spending all day sitting in his recliner reading a book, his wife, Linda, decided he needed a project. One day in mid-November Linda came up with what she thought was a brilliant idea: Build me a dragon.
Dragon Facts:
My body and wings have over 4,000 scales
In China, dragons are considered good luck
My frame is 3/8 diameter rebar.
There are a total of 120 pieces in my feet alone
I weigh over one half ton
Nearly 1,000 hours were spent building the dragon
2012 is the Year of the Dragon in China
Stretched out I would measure over 24 feet
My scales were plasma cut out of sheets of 18 gauge sheet metal
I have over 18,000 welds on my wings and body
I stand over 10 feet tall
When I was born I was bright silver colored
As I mature, I will become a dark reddish-chocolate colored