Get the point...new skeeter on M-Trail

Though the fall weather has descended upon Phillips County, at least one mosquito lingers in Malta and it is larger than life.

A tour through Malta's M-Trail has left some recent travelers scratching their heads (and thankfully not anywhere else on their bodies due to insect bites) as a huge mosquito sculpture now calls a portion of the path 'home.' Made entirely of recycled items, the M-Trail's newest resident is the brainchild of Saco artist Michael Wiederrich, proprietor of Larb Creek LTD, who was asked by the M-Trail's to create the giant mosquito.

"I pretty much make everything out of recycled metal," Wiederrich said. "It was a hobby that I am now trying to build into a small business when I have free time from working on the ranch."

Wiederrich said the mosquito is built from items he found on his ranch or neighboring ranches. The body of the insect is an old beer keg, the spikes around its head (used to try and keep people from sitting on the beast because it wasn't built to support that kind of weight) are made from guards taken off of a combine-swather, the eyes are empty Freon containers, the main portion of the face are propane tanks (there are several propane tanks in the sculpture) and two, 15-gallon barrel drums for the hind-quarters. The legs are made of metal poles and the entire thing is a sight to behold.

Wiederrich graduated from Glendive College in 2007 with a degree in Agriculture Power and that is also where he learned to weld, though he added that he isn't a certified welder. Wiederrich said he had some of his creations on display at Mary Shore's CollectM Antiques in Malta and that is where Malta Trail's Laura Pankratz first saw his work.

"She had the idea in her head and I kind of had the idea before, so she gave me more inspiration," Wiederrich said. "Initially, I wanted to make (a mosquito) and put it on top of the water tower in Saco, because I thought it would be funny, but it would have been too heavy to get up there and maintaining it would have been a nightmare."

He said when he finally got around to making the mosquito for the M-Trail, it took him three days to complete. He said he isn't sure how much the sculpture weighs, but he had to keep the top of the insect as light as possible, so it doesn't topple over.

Other works Wiederrich has created are Minions from the popular movie Despicable Me that have a home on his family ranch in Saco and a Velociraptor that he created which is on display at the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum in Malta. He is currently working with the idea of making a troll to go underneath the new footbridge in Malta and if and when that happens, the PCN will be there.

Wiederrich, a 2003 grad from Hinsdale, currently ranches in Saco with his mother, Della Wiederrich and Grandfather, John Yeska. He can be reached at 648-7501. His work can also be seen on his Facebook page under "Michael Wiederrich."