Paul Bunyan: man or myth?

For #FolkloreFriday, and #RockSolidHistory from Michigan, let’s talk about #PaulBunyan.

Believe it or not, Paul is not thought to have been real, nor was his blue ox, named Babe. According to researchers, Paul was a mixture of old French-Canadian tales told by loggers, natural feature explanations (it was thought he dug the Great Lakes for Babe to drink from, Babe’s hoofprints made the smaller Minnesota Lakes, and Paul’s axe was accidentally dragged to form the Grand Canyon), and embodies the American spirit of conquering nature and Westward expansion.

Pictured here is a slightly larger than life-size statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe at Castle Rock in St. Ignace, Michigan. Paul Bunyan’s lore is rampant in the Midwest since the days of frontierism (the exploration of European fur traders and settlers westward), but some say even a little earlier.

What do you think? Real or not real? Is there any truth to Paul Bunyan?
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#MidwestLore #FrenchCanadianLore #PaulBunyanLore #Babetheblueox #MichiganLore #FrontierLore #StIgnace #CastleRock #MichiganHistory #MidwestHistory #modernlore