For nearly 30 years, a towering straw bale and a determined mannequin have greeted travellers entering St. Claude with a simple message: “We’re Strong on Farming.”
The landmark, known affectionately as Jacqueline, has become one of the community’s most recognizable roadside attractions and a symbol of the area’s deep agricultural roots.
Standing along the north side of Highway 2, Jacqueline has held her straw bale high since 1997, welcoming motorists and celebrating the farming industry that helps sustain the region.
The idea began as a way to draw attention to St. Claude’s welcome sign while highlighting the importance of agriculture to the community.
“It began as the idea with the declaration of being strong on farming next to the sign as a nice welcome and to get attention,” said Colleen, who helped create the landmark with her husband, Claude. “We thought it was a unique idea to welcome travellers and are pleased that others liked it.”
Creating Jacqueline became a community effort. Family members, friends and neighbours contributed their skills, helping with welding, concrete work and finding and dressing the original mannequin.
Before Jacqueline existed, an earlier version of the roadside figure was a plywood cutout with a burlap sack face that also attracted attention and was featured in several newspapers.
The couple may not fit the traditional image of farmers themselves. While Claude spent much of his life connected to agriculture as a dairy farmer at heart, Colleen describes herself as a town girl who “knows absolutely nothing about agriculture.”
As former restaurant owners, however, they saw firsthand how closely local businesses depended on the success of farmers.
“Businesses prosper when farming is successful,” they explained.
They recall the days when local farmers would gather in coffee shops to discuss spring seeding, harvest yields and rainfall totals. Those conversations often brought laughter and a sense of community.
One memorable story involved a practical joke in which a farmer secretly added two inches of water to another farmer’s rain gauge, creating a lively debate among the morning coffee crowd about just how much rain had actually fallen.
The original mannequin was named Jacques and was created to mark Claude’s 40th birthday. He featured a burlap face, strong features and a sturdy build.
When Colleen later celebrated her own 40th birthday, Jacques underwent a transformation and became Jacqueline. Since then, the figure has served as a tribute to Manitoba’s farm women.
For Colleen, that tribute carries special meaning.
Until moving to the dairy farming community and later working with seniors in the local care home, she said she had little understanding of the strength and sacrifices of farm women.
“It is the farm women who were full-time mothers plus milked cows, all while caring for their children and keeping the household running, especially during seeding and harvest when they milked cows alone,” she said.
Through conversations with local residents, she heard stories of mothers pulling children to the barn on toboggans or sleighs while completing chores, or allowing youngsters to play in calf pens while they milked cows.
“I can’t even imagine their struggle and feel they should be celebrated,” she said.
The couple said Jacqueline honours the many women who play essential roles on farms and in rural communities.
“An old saying goes, ‘Behind every successful man is a woman,’” they noted. “All men have had the influence of a strong woman — their mothers.”
Over the years, Jacqueline has become much more than a roadside decoration. She has developed a personality and a history all her own.
The structure has endured harsh Manitoba winters, summer heat, powerful winds and heavy rain. At one point, vandals set fire to her straw bale, but she survived the incident and continued welcoming visitors.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, someone thoughtfully fitted Jacqueline with a face mask.
Perhaps one of the more unusual maintenance calls came when a passing motorist alerted the couple that Jacqueline’s right breast had dropped to her knee.
An investigation revealed a family of mice had made a home inside the Styrofoam form, causing it to break apart. Repairs were quickly completed and, according to the owners, the replacement was “perkier than a silicone implant.”
The structure has also become a haven for wildlife.
During one renovation project, a pair of Canada geese nested atop the straw bale. Work immediately stopped and did not resume until five goslings had hatched and safely left the nest with their parents.
Despite several challenges, Jacqueline remains resilient.
Her straw bale was blown away during a Father’s Day windstorm in 2024 and again during strong winds in May 2026. On both occasions, however, the mannequin remained standing and escaped damage.
The landmark has become so well known that residents often use it as a point of reference when giving directions. Visitors regularly stop to take photographs, and many people immediately recognize St. Claude as the community with “the strong woman.”
Recently, the welcome sign received a fresh coat of paint and Jacqueline was outfitted with a new straw bale, ensuring she remains ready to greet travellers for years to come.
Colleen believes the landmark also reflects the history of the area’s early settlers, many of whom arrived from European countries in the late 1800s with little more than determination and hope.
“Many of these names remain today and thrive because of their love and connection to agriculture,” she said. “I think generations before us would smile and be proud in knowing their love of the farming way of life continues today.”
Now approaching three decades along the roadside, Jacqueline remains a tribute to Manitoba farmers, the pioneering spirit of the region’s early settlers, rural resilience and the farm women whose hard work helped build communities across the Prairies.
