Now, a part of American folklore is that of Paul Bunyan and Babe his Blue Ox. The story behind him, could possibly been lost to time from its origins in the logging camps in the Great Lakes region. It was William B. Laughead who brought Paul to life as part of Red River Lumber Company’s advertising campaign for its California expansion.
A variety of communities over time adopted the mythical lumberjack, and statues were erected in his honor. The first one constructed was at Bemidji, Minnesota in 1937. When I visited there, it was undergoing restoration. My next stop after that on this research expedition was Akeley, Minnesota, the location of Red River’s last Minnesota mill. This quiet community is dominated by a Paul Bunyan statue. Of course, locally, Westwood would erect one, long after Red River was gone.
That’s awesome!