Paul Bunyan was a huge part of my childhood, believe it or not. Perhaps it is because of the logging in Minnesota, my proximity to Wisconsin, or my interest in myth and lore. Whatever the case, he was bigger than life, and I loved him, but not as much as Babe, the blue ox.
I must interject that I did recently re-read some of the tales. They shocked me at how racist and sexist they were, but I was able to appreciate the text for what it was; accepting the era in which it was written. I saw past the indiscretions and valued the stories for the elements that made me love them in the beginning. Clearly, I didn’t understand the blatant disparities as a child because WOW! I cannot defend the horrific comments made, yet the lumberjack culture was well represented. I am thankful there are modern re-writes to help present this material in fair, suitable, and appropriate way.
There seems to be discrepancies about the first printed stories of Paul Bunyan, but most reference a Michigan journalist James MacGillivray as being the first recording, around 1906. Wikipedia mentions “an uncredited 1904 editorial in the Duluth News Tribune” that recounts his year logging in North Dakota, but I cannot find much on that. Of course, oral traditions go back much earlier than that.
My favorite sport is actually Lumberjack competitions. They are amazing – exciting, frightening due to the danger, and truly a show of skill as well as control. These exhibitions definitely give one appreciation for what loggers have done and continue to do.
J.M. NORTHUP 