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Giant Twine Ball Country is a distinct slice of American geography, a narrow 400-mile wide strip stretching from the shores of Lake Superior in the north to the Arkansas River in the south. The terrain is diverse, encompassing lush rural farmland spotted by a host of Midwestern cities including Minneapolis, Kansas City, and Omaha. Within these boundaries are the four giant twine balls, each hailing from a different state: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Missouri.

Unlike more singular sites of weirdo tourist kitsch, the giant twine balls are connected to one another through a distinct historical lineage. Their construction tells a story of how a specific regional idea arose, spread and mutated throughout the Midwest over the course of the 20th century.

Today, each has a carefully hedged claim to being the largest one in the world—one claims to be the largest “made by one man,” another is largest by virtue of weight, and yet another is the largest ball made of a particular type of twine.

But, in the beginning, there was only one man with dreams of making his twine ball the biggest. That distinction goes to Francis A. Johnson, son of Minnesota Senator Magnus Johnson.

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1950 was culturally significant for a few reasons: Peanuts by Charles Schulz was published for the first time. Joseph McCarthy kicked off the Red Scare with the announcement that Communists had infiltrated the Department of State. Rick Perry was born.

And in March of that year, in Meeker County, Minnesota, farmer Francis Johnson began winding baling twine, the core of what would eventually become the first Great Twine Ball of the Midwest. The original reason for doing so, it appears, is obscure even to the current residents of the town.

Starting a giant twine ball is a simple act. One begins by taking a piece of twine and wrapping it a tight and even fashion around two fingers until a rough shape begins to form. Then, after removing the fingers, one continues winding the twine around the resulting ball for as long as you so desire. For Johnson, that was for nearly the rest of his life, a full 29 years.

Johnson’s ball of twine would grow to weigh 17,400 pounds, extend over 40 feet in circumference, and stand 11 feet high. As it neared completion, the ball could only be manipulated with industrial-strength railroad jacks typically used for boxcars. When Johnson passed away, the ball was dedicated by his descendants to the city of Darwin, Minnesota for preservation for future generations.

The Darwin ball (Jonathan Beilin)

In many ways, the Darwin ball, remains the most famous. It was the long-standing holder of the “biggest ball of twine” title in the Guinness Book of World Records, holding the title from its completion in 1979 until 1994, and was immortalized by Weird Al in his 1989 song “The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota.” It even has a Twitter account.