A monument next to the Interlake Pioneer Trail at Inwood in the Rural Municipality of Armstrong features a pair of large garter snakes, dubbed S-sam & S-sara. Crafted in 1988 by three local artists Marlene Magnusson Hourd, Vera Clarke, and Graham Clarke, they commemorate the massive number of Red-Sided Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) in this region of Manitoba. The snakes hibernate in limestone crevices over the winter and come out each spring. The largest concentrations are found in the Narcisse Wildlife Management Area north of Inwood.
Giant Snake monument at Inwood (December 2015)
Source: George Penner
Giant Snake monument at Inwood (June 2019)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N50.50865, W97.49489
denoted by symbol on the map above
The Interlake Beckoned: A History of Inwood and Surrounding Districts by Inwood History Book Committee, 1980. [Manitoba Legislative Library]
“Town raises garters in statue,” Winnipeg Free Press, 11 April 1988, page 3.
“Snake statue,” Winnipeg Free Press, 12 May 1988, page 1.
This page was prepared by George Penner, Rose Kuzina, and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 22 May 2022
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