Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Washington Spokane Garbage Goat
AO Edited

Garbage Goat

This inanimate goat created by the "welding nun" has been helping to clean up the city of Spokane for more than 40 years.

Spokane, Washington

Added By
badgersofdoom
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Garbage goat in 2018.   Sporadicus / Atlas Obscura User
Garbage-Eating Goat Statue   Ingrid Richter on Flickr
(9/28/2018)   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
Spokane’s Riverfront Park   Mark Wagner / CC BY 2.5
Spokane’s Riverfront Park   Martin Kraft / CC BY-SA 3.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Most cities simply tell their populace not to litter, but in one Spokane park, the city tried to make it fun—by installing a statue of a garbage-eating goat. 

The goat is crafted from pieces of copper and brass. Since its placement in 1974 as part of the World's Fair that year, the uniquely interactive goat statue has been a local landmark. The metal goat sculpture has a vacuum inside that allows the goat to "eat" small pieces of garbage. The statue will inhale just about any piece of refuse that will fit into its mouth. (The whimsy of the statue was lost on some critics, such as the group of dairy farmers who took offense to the implication that a dairy goat would eat trash.)

The statue was the work of Sister Paula Mary Turnbull, who became famous in Spokane and beyond as the "welding nun." While living at the Convent of the Sisters of Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, Sister Paula spent more than eight decades creating, teaching, and sharing art. She created her signature metal sculptures from a welding studio on the convent’s grounds. According to Tom Keefe, a friend of Sister Paula and founder of the Friends of the Goat Association, the nun was inspired to create the Garbage Goat after visiting a zoo where the trash cans had lids shaped like animal heads. She took it one step further and built the entire animal.

At a 40th anniversary party for the Garbage Goat in 2014, the Parks Department shared that it had consumed 14,480 yards of litter and other "stuff" over its four decades in Riverfront Park. Sister Paula, then 93 years old, attended the celebration and fed the goat a slice of birthday cake.

Sister Paula passed away in 2018, but her legacy lives on through her artwork. In addition to the Garbage Goat, a number of Sister Paula’s sculptures still stand around Spokane–there's a metal sasquatch at the local community college, a bear at a local high school, and a number of other pieces at various churches and schools. 

Related Tags

Garbage Trash Nuns World's Fair Statues Public Animals

Know Before You Go

The goat sits pristinely within a manmade rock formation about 50 feet east of the carousel.

Community Contributors

Added By

badgersofdoom

Edited By

Rachel, Martin, EricGrundhauser, Sporadicus...

  • Rachel
  • Martin
  • EricGrundhauser
  • Sporadicus
  • exploringwithesch
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

November 28, 2013

Updated

June 10, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://my.spokanecity.org/parksrec/news/2014/06/20/famed-garbage-eating-goat-to-add-birthday-cake-to-his-diet/
  • https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/12733
  • https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/mar/18/sculpted-by-the-spirit-sister-paula-turnbulls-work/
  • https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/jul/21/sister-paula-turnbull-artist-behind-many-of-spokan/
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/1409
  • http://downtownspokane.kxly.com/news/arts-culture/62429-garbage-eating-goat-spokanes-chia-pet
Garbage Goat
507 N Howard St
Spokane, Washington, 99201
United States
47.660495, -117.419781
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Big Red Wagon

Spokane, Washington

miles away

Monroe Street Bridge Bison Skulls

Spokane, Washington

miles away

Indigenous Eats

Spokane, Washington

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Spokane

Spokane

Washington

Places 9
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Big Red Wagon

Spokane, Washington

miles away

Monroe Street Bridge Bison Skulls

Spokane, Washington

miles away

Indigenous Eats

Spokane, Washington

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Spokane

Spokane

Washington

Places 9
Stories 2

Related Stories and Lists

Garbage Goat

Podcast

By The Podcast Team

Related Places

  • The elephant.

    Paris, France

    'Jeune Éléphant pris au Piège' ('Young Elephant Caught in a Trap')

    This emotive sculpture was originally created for the 1878 World's Fair.

  • The Lemmings statue in Dundee.

    Dundee, Scotland

    Lemmings Statue

    A bronze tribute to the wildly popular video game from the '90s.

  • Mrs Mallard and her entire brood.

    Boston, Massachusetts

    Make Way for Ducklings Statue

    Mrs. Mallard and her brood are a beloved fixture in Boston Public Garden.

  • Cat Statues of York

    York, England

    Cat Statues of York

    A century-old tradition has culminated in a small but singular collection of feline effigies.

  • The Guardhouse Monkey

    Mons, Belgium

    The Guardhouse Monkey

    Petting this mysterious iron monkey supposedly brings good luck.

  • Taipei, Taiwan

    National Taiwan Museum Bronze Oxen

    These two 90-year-old statues were once part of a Japanese Shinto shrine.

  • This curious cat is especially dear to locals.

    La Rochelle, France

    La Maison du Chat (The Cat House)

    No one knows the story behind the mysterious feline perched on this rooftop.

  • Odate, Japan

    ‘Homesick Hachiko’

    Another statue of Japan's most famous dog stands in his hometown.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.