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All the United States Kansas Garden City World's Largest Hairball

World's Largest Hairball

The 55-pound trichobezoar was removed from the stomach of a cow.

Garden City, Kansas

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Phil Tracy
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World’s Largest Hairball.   Okie Doke / Atlas Obscura User
The hairball is housed in the Finney County Historical Museum.   Hathorn Billy/CC BY-SA 3.0
Zoo entrance.   Okie Doke / Atlas Obscura User
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Situated at the entrance to the equally enjoyable Lee Richardson Zoo, the Finney County Historical Museum is a quaint exhibition that tells the history of Southwestern Kansas. It also tastefully displays the World's Largest Hairball atop a brass spittoon.

Removed from the stomach of a cow that was processed in a nearby packing house, this mammoth trichobezoar was nearly 40 inches in circumference and was said to have weighed 55 pounds wet when first removed. Though smaller and drier now, it's still a very impressive sight. Visitors are free to lightly touch the ball (it feels like a velvet basketball) but signage politely reminds them not to pick it up.

Hairball aside, the museum has several walk-through areas and numerous exhibits where visitors can trace the roots and historical events of the area, from the lives of the first native peoples, to the cowboy era, all the way up to present day. 

Volunteer docents are friendly and will happily answer any questions you might have as you explore the facility. The grounds also include a research library, an original one-room school house, and a museum store with enough kitschy items to satisfy any traveller's needs, including t-shirts featuring the giant hairball.

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World's Largest Hair Art Hair Museums Cows

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Admission is free, but a suggested donation of $2 for adults and $1 for children is encouraged. Free parking is available across from the entrance. Hours can vary by season, so call ahead or check their website.

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Okie Doke

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Molly McBride Jacobson

  • Molly McBride Jacobson

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February 2, 2017

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  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/7446
World's Largest Hairball
301-417 S 4th St
Garden City, Kansas
United States
37.960473, -100.870305
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Nearby Places

Stauth Memorial Museum

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kansas

Kansas

United States

Places 126
Stories 11

Nearby Places

Stauth Memorial Museum

Montezuma, Kansas

miles away

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miles away

Keystone Gallery

Scott City, Kansas

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kansas

Kansas

United States

Places 126
Stories 11

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