Six Places in Michigan That Have Paul Bunyan Statues
There are four states that lay claim to the origin of Paul Bunyan: Michigan, Maine, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. It's widely believed that the stories about this super-human lumberjack originated in the north American woods, where lumbering was at its peak in the 1800s.
The stories were tall tales made up by lumberjacks who entertained the others during their off-time together. The tales became so popular, that finally Paul Bunyan's name made it to print for the very first time in an 1893 Michigan newspaper, the Gladwin County Record.
Among the handful of real-life lumbermen who is said to be the inspiration for Paul Bunyan, is Saginaw Joe from Grayling. His real name was Fabian J. Fournier and was a lumberjack for a Grayling lumber company for many years until he passed away in November 1875. Speculations on his age are varied and there are scant records of his actual birth date.
Films and cartoons were made throughout the 20th Century, furthering the legend and cementing Paul Bunyan's name in American folklore.
The first Paul Bunyan statue to be erected was not in Michigan, but in Bemidji, Minnesota. However, not to be outdone, Michigan put up a good handful of Bunyan statues, a couple of which may be just plain giant lumbermen, and not Paul at all. The gallery below shows six Michigan locations where you can get selfies with six different 'Paul Bunyans'. These Bunyans are in Alpena, Manistique, Oscoda, Ossineke, St. Ignace, and West Branch. Take a look and then take your own 'Paul Bunyan' roadtrip tour!
Six Places in Michigan That Have Paul Bunyan Statues
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