In 1931, Riverhead duck farmer Martin Maurer and his wife Jeule decided to construct a giant duck-shaped duck shop. They hoped to sell the Peking ducks they raised to passing motorists who would surely be drawn to the striking form of a "big duck" along Riverhead's West Main Street. The Maurers envisioned this plan while vacationing in California, where they are known to have visited a roadside coffee shop shaped like a giant coffee pot.

Seeking local assistance, the Maurers hired carpenter George Reeve and two eccentric stage show set designers, brothers William and Samuel Collins. A live duck tied with a string to their porch served as a model for the Collins' design. Reeve studied the carcass of a cooked chicken in order to create a sturdy, bird-accurate frame-work for the building. Construction of the Big Duck had begun!

After the Big Duck's wooden frame had been pieced together, wire mesh was attached. Cement was applied to the wire mesh with the assistance of Smith and Yeager Builders. The Big Duck was painted a lovely bright white (save for the beak, of course, which was given its street-line orange color). The finishing touch was the placement of two Model-T taillights in the Big Duck's head for eyes that would glow red at night. The Big Duck in its entirety measures 30 feet from beak to perky tail, 15 feet from folded wing to folded wing, and 20 feet from its base to the top of its head. As duck farms in the 1930's were commonly known as duck ranches, Martin Maurer had his giant duck shop and business trademarked as The Big Duck Ranch.

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