“Big Louie” Moilanen, Once the Tallest Man in the World
Oct 6, 2008 | Leave a comment
Louis “Big Louie” Moilanen is a legend in the Upper Peninsula, a legend that transcends much more than just the Upper Peninsula.
Louis Moilanen was born at the turn of the century in 1900 and grew up in the ghost town of Boston, which is about five miles north of Hancock.
Though he was born to a 4 foot tall mother and a 5′ 9″ father, Louis Moilanen would grow to be 8′ 4″ and approximately 450 pounds. During his lifetime it was said that he was the tallest man in the world and become known as “Big Louie”.
Like many locals in the area, “Big Louie” worked in the mines. At one time he also worked as a bartender in Hancock. That is one bartender I would not want to upset. I can’t imagine walking into a bar and seeing a bartender who is 8′ 4″. I would probably be a little scared.
Word traveled fast about Louis and he would eventually work for the Barnum and Bailey Circus for a short time.
The medical condition which lead to his enormous height would also be the cause of his death. “Big Louie” Moilanen passed away in 1926 at the young age of 26. A custom built coffin was built for him and he was buried at the Wasa Cemetery near Hancock.
Photo courtesy of A. L. Paulson, Calumet, MI
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Oct 6, 2008
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I can imagine any bar fights while Big Louie was around were rather short!
(Your Google map of Boston doesn’t point to the U.P. though)
Oct 6, 2008
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It’s too bad the NBA wasn’t around at that time.
Yooper Steez
Admin
Oct 6, 2008
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Robert,
Thanks for letting me know, I fixed the Boston link.
Oct 10, 2008
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what was the medical condition he had?
Jun 12, 2009
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It was meningeal tuberculosis.
Feb 13, 2010
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My great grandfather was peter pyykkonen from demmon michigan my grandmother was hattie pyykkonen born in 1900 she told me that she was big louies cousin and attended his funeral when she was 13 years old …
Jun 8, 2010
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It would be an educated guess these days that my namesake suffered some type of pituitary malfunction. I heard he was 28 when he died. Either way a short life. He has some of the facial characteristics of my first cousin David Moilanen. My family grew up with the legend of Big Louie, I was greatly dispointed as a teen to have my father tell me we were not related. E. Louis Moilanen, Calif.
Jun 8, 2010
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I believe my Grandfather Gust Moilanen (d. 1927, buried at St. Henry’s Lutheran Church, Nisula MI) had a sister who married a Pyyrohnen. He had 3 sisters one married a Heikkanen, one a Lahti, and I think the third a Pyrrohnen. But, I’m not 100% sure and if your grandmother was 13 at the time it wouldn’t have been Gust’s sister, but, maybe her daughter?
Jul 28, 2010
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I have a better copy of this postcard in California. My family was very familar with Big Louie. I was forever disappointed when my father told me I was NOT related to Big Louie. i dispute it to this day. He looks just like my cousin David. Regards from Willits, Eldon Louis Moilanen.
Aug 23, 2010
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Hattie pyykkonen married Howard willmont Witz who lived at jacobsviile lighthouse with his parents. Hattie’s parents names were Sophia rikki (pensonen) pyykkonen and her father’s was matti pyykkonen but on howard’s and hattie’s marriage papers in 1921 matti wrote his name as peter pyykkonen …. The family told me that when matti came from finland the russian army was chasing after him, so when he first came to america he changed his last name from pyykkonen to paulson .They lived on a farm in boston michigan wich is know called demmon ….
Aug 23, 2010
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I believe that the Pyrrohnen’s in my family changed their name to Petersons.
Nov 5, 2010
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Big Louie was my grandmother Helen Moilenin’s uncle and my great great uncle. I too heard many references to Big Louie growing up and once had a fresh postcard of him from a small museum in Calumet. My parents took me there in the late 1950′s when I was about 5 and they had his clothes displayed along with those of Big Bertha.
Nov 5, 2010
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After looking at the postcard again, my father, who was only 6’6″ had very similar features to Big Louie.
May 10, 2011
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My grandfather was Clifford Pyykkonen and I was told by my mother that we were somehow related to Big Louis, but I do not know exactly the connection. There are several of Big Louis things at the Houghton Country Historical Museum in Lake Linden along with the Sauna that was built especially for him.
May 11, 2011
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I had a frist cousin David Moilanen out of Nisula who was 6’4″ tall and had some of the same facial features of Big Louie. I think still that a modern study done today would have found a runaway pituitary gland.