The Daily Dispatch

The name Ken Nyberg may only be familiar to a select few in the Twin Towns, but when referenced with the former SIGCO Sunflower processing plant, many more may recognize the name.

Nyberg was instrumental in constructing the 17-foot-tall signature sunflower sculpture that sits in front of the current SunOpta Sunflower office in Breckenridge.

Those who remain unaware of Nyberg can read about the man who is responsible for numerous landmarks across the Midwest — in a book written by Wahpeton native Matthew B. Johnson.

The inspiration for the book, titled "A Walk with Ken on the Road to Home," came from Nyberg himself. After Johnson wrote an article for the Battle Lake, Minn., Review on an elephant structure Nyberg built out of used lawn mower blades, Nyberg told Johnson he wanted his children and grandchildren to have a book about his life.

"It took about three years, but this past Christmas each of his grandchildren received a completed copy of the book," Johnson said.

The 78-page book, features full color photographs of several Nyberg-crafted sculptures, including his "world famous" sculpture of an 11-foot-tall, 1,240-pound human foot that sports an exaggerated big toe in Vining, Minn., located along Highway 210.

Johnson's first book also tells of Nyberg's involvement in transforming the old Osborn McMillon elevator in Wahpeton into a sunflower processing plant in 1969 and 1970. Readers can also learn of Nyberg's first years as a foreman on a project to build an elevator in Kent, Minn., in 1965.

Johnson, now a freelance reporter and photographer for the Citizen's Advocate in Henning, Minn., got his start in journalism doing special section work at the Daily News in Wahpeton. He was first encouraged to write by his high school English teacher, John Wall, who is now retired.

"I was flattered when he asked me if I was interested in being a co-editor of the student publication," Johnson said. "That's when I began to cut my journalism teeth."

Johnson also has published several magazine articles, including one on restored barns in the Lake Country Journal Magazine and one on the birth of his second oldest son in Celebrate Life.

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