Paul Bunyan

Paul Bunyan chopped down forests, created the Grand Canyon and a few mountains, and, whenever he took a step, made one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes. He could cut down many trees with one swing of his monstrous ax. His companion was a big blue ox named Babe.

Are these American myths true or pure fiction? Find out how Bunyan’s amazing exploits may have been based on those of a real person. In the mid-nineteenth century, many French Canadians came to the United States to work as loggers in the woods of Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. One of them became renowned for his strength. As the loggers relaxed around their evening campfires, stories about this man may have sparked the Bunyan tall tales. Decades later, these stories appeared in newspapers and books, keeping the legend alive.

Read about the birth of Paul Bunyan, the birth of the myth, and the legacy of the legendary logger.