MONTAGUE, MI — On an unassuming corner of a lakeside town, there’s a unique rest stop that claims to have set a world record, but its story is pure Michigan.

The “world’s tallest weather vane” stands 48 feet tall at the corner of Dowling and Water Streets in Montague.

There are other weather vanes that claim the top spot, such as the Tío Pepe arrow on a museum dedicated to the sherry maker in Spain and a decommissioned World War II aircraft on a swivel mount in Canada.

Even if Montague’s self-proclaimed world’s largest weather vane loses its crown, it is still “worth the detour,” according to Roadside America.

This year marks its 40th anniversary. Here you can find out more about the creation of this gigantic monument.

RELATED: Looking back at the “largest weather vane in the world” through photos

The working weather vane features a slowly rolling wooden schooner, a tribute to a real ship, the Ella Ellenwood, whose home port was White Lake.

The symbol was chosen because it “best embodies the colorful but also rough history of the area,” says the plaque at the base of the weather vane.

Ella Ellenwood sailed at a time when lumber from western Michigan crossed the Great Lakes to build Milwaukee and Chicago.

The wooden schooner, built in East Saginaw in 1869, was owned by Captain Thomas Flagstad of Montague, who also captained her and docked her in White Lake.

Her story took a new turn on the night of October 1, 1901, when she was on her way to Milwaukee with maple edging and roofing shingles.

She ran aground about eight miles north of Milwaukee Harbor and within hours was swept away by strong winds and waves. The captain and his crew were forced to abandon the ship when it broke up in Lake Michigan.

“With the help of a compass and an anchor light, they safely reached the shore with the schooner’s dinghy,” reads a weather vane.

Only the bark cargo could be salvaged. The maple trim and the rest of the schooner were “left to the elements”.

On a happy return trip, the Ellenwood’s wooden nameplate traveled 60 miles across Lake Michigan and washed up on the shores of White Lake the following spring.

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In 1984, the weather vane was adorned with a 14-foot-long ornament depicting Ellenwood.

The weather vane is located on the corner of Ellenwood Park, near Twisters Ice Cream Parlor.

The project was conceived and developed by Thomas Pletcher, owner of Whitehall Metal Studios (now Whitehall Products).