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The Willow Bunch Giant
Edouard Beaupré, the Willow Bunch Giant, was born January 9, 1881 in Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan. Over his lifetime, he grew to the height of 250.19 cm (8’ 3”). On July 3, 1904, Edouard died at age 23 from a pulmonary hemorrhage.

Beginnings
During the summer of 1880, Edouard’s father Gaspard moved to Willow Bunch with his Manitoba Metis wife Florenstine Piché to work with long- time associate Jean-Louis Légaré. The family lived on two lots of land just outside of Willow Bunch – bought on October 23, 1902 and March 30, 1911 (.

Edouard came from a family of average height. His father reached 5’ 8”, an average height for a man of French Canadian decent. His mother was 5’ 4”, also an average height for women.

Edouard was the first out of the 20 Beaupré children to be born in the family on January 9, 1881. He was baptized that same day by Fr. St. Germain with Légaré named as his godfather.

His official birth weight remains a controversy to this day. There are claims Edouard weighed 14 pounds while family members argue it was between 9-10 pounds, an average weight like his future siblings.

Among his siblings, only seven lived to adulthood. Josephine, Alfred, Jules, Marie-Ann, Georgina, Sr. Germain, and Dina all reached an average height for the time period.

Childhood
Up until age three, Edouard grew at a normal rate, but by age nine, the boy reached six feet. At age 11 he had outgrown his father’s clothing and at 12, Edouard was 6’6”.

It is said Edouard wrestled fully grown men and always won.

Edouard was described as a shy, intelligent, tranquil person with a favourite saying: “Today is today, tomorrow it will be another day.”

In terms of schooling, Edouard attending classes irregularly. According to Dr. J. Maurice Blai, because of this he spoke English with difficulty and wrote French poorly. He also knew how to speak Cree and Sioux. Edouard quickly outgrew his desk and with the constant teasing he suffered because of his height, he quit school after three years.

During his childhood, Edouard was forced to seek the company of men because of his height. Because of his irregular school attedance, he had the chance to meet famous cowboys from the Big Muddy Valley. It is said he impressed them with his skills as an excellent rider and handy with a lasso.

Teenage Years
Edouard worked several ranches in the Willow Bunch area, hearding cattle with the scout Johnny Chartrand. He ranched for farmers in the area of Willow Bunch up until age 17 when his height and weight made the job too difficult. His large height and weight may have caused a riding accident that disfurged the left side of his face, or it could have been a paralysis to the left side of his face.

By 17, he was 7’1”. With his large family living in poverty, he decided to exhibit his feats of strength for profit. He toured throughout North America, going as far as California with André Gaudry, a Metis man, and Albert Légaré, Jean-Louis’ son.

After a month, Edouard visited home where he then went on tour a month later, accompanied by Joseph Patenaude and J. Herbert. While he was well paid, Edouard was often cheated out of his profits by those around him. Much of the money was handled by his manager and some relatives of Edouard claim said manager exploited him by keeping him drunk.

Adulthood
As an adult, Edouard's clothing sizes were astounding. Edouard continued to tour into adulthood. In 1901, he competed against French Canadian Wrestler Louis Cyr where he lost. The date is said to be either March 15 or March 25, 1901. The loss was blamed on tuberculosis and his gentle nature.

Edouard continued on with the circus, making it his full-time career in 1902. In the fall of 1903, he showed signs of tuberculosis, bone decay, and weak legs. Doctors told him his tuberculosis was incurable, but he decided to continue his life in the circus <.

His health continued to decline that winter with a case of pneumonia. In the spring of 1904, despite his parents’ protests and his severe illness, Edouard went back on tour with the Barnum and Bailey Circus at the St. Louis World’s Fair.