The fear of getting whacked across the side of the head by the blades of a large ceiling fan can be very real if you are 8 feet, 6 inches tall. Such was the concern of a man born near Silva in Ramsey County.

Because of his enormous size and Scandinavian ancestry, Cliff Thompson became known as "Count Olaf, the Norwegian Viking Giant," during the dozen years he toured the country with carnivals, circuses and vaudeville acts.

Clifford Marshall Thompson was a normal 12-pound baby when he was born Oct. 18, 1904, to Mrs. Julius Gustavus Thompson. His father, Julius, was only 5 feet, 9 inches tall, and his mother was a little smaller.

Thompson began school at Silva, and when he was 7 years old, his family moved to a farm between Iola and Scandinavia in central Wisconsin.

He attended nearby Stevens Point Normal School, where he earned his teaching degree in math and science in 1926. All of the other students at college had stopped growing in height, but Thompson's growth rate appeared to accelerate.

Unable to find a teaching position after graduation, Thompson filled out an application with the Royal American Show when it appeared at a carnival in Stevens Point. He was hired on the spot for $125 a week.

This was far more money than Thompson could hope to make as a teacher. He was soon given the title "Count Olaf," and, as his popularity grew, was hired by the Al G. Barnes Circus in 1931 which had been purchased by Ringling Brothers two years earlier.

The headquarters for the Barnes Circus was Los Angeles and, after Thompson was featured in the newsreel "A Day in the Life of a Giant," he soon accepted some movie roles. His first appearance was in the Zasu Pitts-Thelma Todd short, "Seal Skins," in 1932.

Thompson also was featured in the full length movies "Murder in the Private Car" and "Twentieth Century," both released in 1934. He reportedly also appeared in a couple of the early Tarzan films, starring Johnny Weissmuller.

Thompson claimed that he only ate a little more than the average person, but he is said to have eaten 3 pounds of steak, several potatoes, three dishes of vegetables, a quart of milk and an entire apple pie at one sitting.

His first wife complained of having to prepare large meals to satisfy his appetite and the couple got a divorce.

One of the biggest rivals of Ringling Brothers was the Cole Brothers Circus. This was especially true in 1934 when they hired the world's most famous animal trainer, Clyde Beatty.

Thompson joined the Cole Brothers in 1936 as they toured much of the U.S. Life on the road was difficult for Thompson. He needed to push two beds together to sleep and, he was constantly gawked at when he went downtown in new cities.

This all changed in 1938 when the Cole Brothers hired Mary Bars, a former Chicago nightclub dancer. She and Thompson began dating and, as the attachment grew stronger, they wanted someplace to settle down and get married. This meant finding a different line of employment. The opportunity presented itself at the Wisconsin State Fair in Milwaukee in September 1938.

One of Thompson's duties at the fair was to walk among the customers with a placard that read, "Drink Milk: Look what it did for me." The sign drew the attention of some executives of the Blatz Brewery in Milwaukee. Thompson pitched the idea to them that he would be the perfect spokesman for their beer and was hired. He was billed at "the world's tallest salesman." Thompson purchased a home in Milwaukee and, on April 9, 1939, he married Bars. However, he soon found himself once again spending much of his time on the road as he went from city to city to promote Blatz Beer.

Because of his massive size, 460 pounds, Thompson found it difficult to get around, and needed to acquire a cane.

Looking for something that would help get him off his feet, Thompson decided to become a lawyer. In 1942, he enrolled at Marquette University School of Law and graduated in 1944. After passing the Wisconsin bar examination, he set up his law office in Iola and purchased a 180-acre dairy farm.

After a few years, Thompson began to miss the big-city celebrity status he had once known. In 1947, he sold his home and farm in Wisconsin, and Thompson and his wife moved to Los Angeles.

Finding it difficult to pass the California bar exam, the Thompsons moved to Portland, Ore., in 1949. He passed the Oregon bar exam in 1950 and set up his practice as "the world's tallest lawyer."

Thompson developed liver cancer, and when this was complicated by an attack of gall stones, he died on Oct. 12, 1955, one week shy of his 51st birthday.

Thompson was later commemorated near his original home in Ramsey County. The Pioneer Village in Rugby has a room displaying items worn by Thompson as well as articles and advertisements telling about his remarkable size.

(Written by Curt Eriksmoen and edited by Jan Eriksmoen. Reach the Eriksmoens by e-mail at cjeriksmoen@;cableone.net.)