National Paul Bunyan Day
We recall fondly the tales of the big blue ox and a mighty lumberjack on June 28th. It's National Paul Bunyan Day!!
#nationalpaulbunyanday
Paul Bunyan, who has been described as a giant and a lumberjack of rare ability, is one of North America's most popular folklore heroes. Paul Bunyan was almost always accompanied by his companion, Babe the Blue Ox, in the stories..
Was he real?
Bunyan's character first appeared in print in 1906 in a story published by Northern Michigan journalist James MacGillivray, and his story appeared in folktales circulated among lumberjacks in the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada. According to one account, the tales began during the 1837 Papineau Rebellion.. William Laughhead reworked the tales for a logging company's marketing campaign in 1914. The campaign gave Paul Bunyan's burgeoning legendary persona. It was the 1922 version of Laughead's tales that inspired many others and then the character's plaid shirt and far-fetched traits became widely distributed throughout the United States and Canada.
The folklore
Although folklore surrounds the lumberjack, Paul Bunyan is one of the few characters with an origin tale. According to One Paul Bunyan, it took five storks to carry him as a newborn. As he grew older, when he clapped his hands and yelled, windows shook and shattered. He sawed off the legs of his parents' bed in the middle of the night when he was only seven months old, according to the tale. Bunyan is also blamed for the Grand Canyon's construction as he and Babe the Blue Ox walked through, carrying his ax behind him. Bunyan is also blamed for the Grand Canyon's formation. According to another legend, Bunyan created the Great Lakes so Babe had a watering hole.
How to celebrate national paul bunyan day.
Read one or two of the Paul Bunyan stories. Share your adventures as you discover the various statues dedicated to this folklore hero. On social media, use the hashtag #NationalPaulBunyanDay to post.
