Today is a great day, and I’ll tell you why. It’s Paul Bunyan Day! If you reach back to the far recesses of you brain, right next to Pecos Bill and John Henry, you’ll find Paul Bunyan and his big blue ox Babe! I’ll help you dust off the cobwebs because the tall tale is pretty fun and slightly inappropriate for kids. Just look up Paul Bunyan’s reversible dog and you’ll see what I mean.
There are many tourist attractions across the United States related to the mythical character and his blue ox.
- Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox are statues of both Bunyan and Babe in Bemidji, Minnesota. Other statues exist in Brainerd, Minnesota; Westwood, California; Del Norte County, California; St. Ignace, Michigan, Ossineke, Michigan; and in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
- Paul Bunyan Land, an amusement park 7 miles (11 km) east of Brainerd, Minnesota, features a talking statue of Paul with a statue of Babe (its original Baxter location was cleared in 2003 to make room for new commercial development). There are two other (smaller, non-talking) statues located in Brainerd.
- Trees of Mystery, a roadside attraction in Klamath, California, features a 49 ft (15m) tall statue of Bunyan and a 35 ft (10m) tall statue of Babe. Also features carvings and characters from storys of Paul. As of November 20th, 2007, the statue of Babe was headless, owing to rain and old, rotted materials giving way and the head falling off.
- Bunyan is depicted on the world’s largest wood carving, at the entrance to Sequoia National Park in California.
If you are really in a lumber-jack kind of mood, why not head out to Fort Bragg, CA during Labor Day weekend? The city hosts Paul Bunyan Days over the extended weekend. Activities include a parade, tricycle race, ugly dog contest, craft fair, fish fry, classic car show and an awesome logging show–where local bearded behemoths put those steroid infused Europeans “strong men” to shame!
You may scoff at Paul Bunyan Day, wondering why you should pay it homage when Cheesecake Day is right around the corner. Paul Bunyan is not yummy or topped with strawberry compote. I’ll tell you why it’s special. In Western Folklore Vol. 9, No. 4, Oct., 1950 Dan G. Hoffman declares Paul Bunyan as America’s “last demigod . . . as a symbol of American size, strength, and ingenuity.” Also, cheesecake doesn’t have a blog post written by me now, does it?
Thanks for reading!
I’m reading Exploring Art: A Global, Thematic Approach