Iron Hodag takes its place in downtown Rhinelander

A new guardian has taken up residence on South Brown Street.
The Iron Hodag, a life-sized steel sculpture built from reclaimed materials donated by local residents, businesses, and families, was unveiled Friday morning in a ceremony organized by the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce and ArtStart. The piece was commissioned and donated to the community by Ron and Elsie Gaber, Rhinelander natives now living in Kirksville, Mo.
The sculpture was created by Don Gaber, a self-taught metal artist and Ron’s cousin, who said he wanted the piece to reflect the heritage of the community that inspired it. Nearly every component was donated by Rhinelander-area residents and businesses, from 1800s-era crosscut saws and railroad spikes sourced from the Rhinelander Historical Society to 1960s Cessna aircraft parts donated by Bob Lueder, bicycle rims from Mel’s Trading Post, and industrial parts from AirPro, where Don Gaber was granted access to the dumpsters during a facility update.
“I typically build something using parts on hand from farm equipment, things I found, bicycles, whatever,” Don Gaber said. “But this one, most of the parts here came from some of you and my cousins and businesses.”
Among the most personal inclusions: parts from the former Rhinelander paper mill donated by Ahlstrom. Don Gaber’s grandfather worked at the mill for more than 40 years, from the 1920s through the 1960s. “He’s been gone since the late ‘70s,” the artist said, “and he probably had used and touched” some of the metal now incorporated into the sculpture.

Also tucked into the piece are vintage Rhinelander Beer cans, a nine iron that operates a working Cessna wing flap, a drill patented in 1896 that still functions, and a cowbell once used during the Bell Game rivalry between Rhinelander and Antigo high schools. A treasure hunt checklist of the sculpture’s components is available at the site.
Don Gaber said he designed the Hodag to reward closer inspection. “I like to create a recognizable form from a distance — you see it and think, oh yeah, that’s kind of a Hodag-looking thing. But then when you get up close, you realize there’s all these intricate components that make this up.”
His design was based partly on the original Hodag concept invented by Eugene Shepard, who introduced the creature to the public in the late 1800s. “It looks a bit different than the ones you see around town,” Don Gaber said of his version.
Ron Gaber, a 1967 Rhinelander High School graduate, said the project came together after he spotted Don’s metalwork on Facebook and reached out, not realizing at first that they were related. For Ron, the sculpture carries deep personal significance. The Gaber family has been part of the Rhinelander community since the 1920s, he said, counting among their ranks paper mill workers, electricians, religious leaders, volunteers, and athletes. His father grew up on King Street, and his mother moved to Rhinelander in the 1940s.
“Once a Hodag, always a Hodag,” he told the crowd assembled for the unveiling.
He said watching Don transform donated scrap into something so distinctly Rhinelander left him at a loss for words. “As you get closer, you sort of can’t stop looking because you see something new every time you look at it,” he said. “Anyone who can turn reclaimed steel into a Hodag deserves both applause and probably a new pair of gloves.”
He said the sculpture’s dedication plaque reads: “The Iron Hodag — Guardian of the Northwoods — a Rhinelander legend created from reclaimed iron and steel.”
“Each Hodag has its own story,” Ron Gaber said, “and depending on who tells it, you’ll get different versions of that. But we hope it will inspire curiosity and conversation and appreciation for the arts.”
Melinda Childs, community and cultural development director for ArtStart, praised the collaboration that brought the project to life. “This is how we do it in Rhinelander,” she said. “This is how we make it happen.”
The Iron Hodag is located on South Brown Street in downtown Rhinelander in the pocket park across from Mel’s Trading Post.