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June 28 National Paul Bunyan Day #NationalPaulBunyanDay is another #Holiday that would assist parents in homeschooling there children by teaching them about #PaulBunyon and his Ox Blue. When Charlie was growing up he loved watching and reading about Paul Bunyon. I hope you check out this move and book with your children.
National Paul Bunyon Day is a day dedicated to one of America’s most famous folklore heroes Paul Bunyan Day. Paul Bunyon Day comes along only once a year, on June 28th! It’s time to dust off our old books about Paul Bunyon the mighty lumberjack and add a little bit of nostalgia to our day and we would like to invite you to come and join us.
The character Paul Bunyan was brought to life by the stories lumberjacks from the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada told, way back in the 18th Century. These stories were all told orally and no original written account exists in the world. Even the etymology of the name Paul Bunyon is unknown, but some people believe it is related to the Québécois expression ‘bon yenne!,’ which is an exclamation of surprise or astonishment.
Logging bunkhouses continued with the tradition of telling Paul Bunyan stories for decades after that, embellishing the stories with more and more details to make this lumberjack larger than life. Along the way, Paul Bunyon also gained a companion, a giant blue-colored Ox called Babe the Blue Ox, who was said to be a gift from Paul’s fellow woodsmen, Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone.
Paul Bunyan’s story was first written down by a journalist, James MacGillivray. However, Paul Bunyon was popularized by freelance writer and adman William Laughead when he created an advertising campaign for a logging company using Paul Bunyan stories. Soon, this character’s myth and tales spread far and wide around the U.S. and Canada, and he began to feature in many other promotional campaigns for products, services, and Cities.
Even today, many U.S. Cities in the North-central side claim the title of being Paul Bunyan’s official home. Statues were erected in various places including a 26 foot tall animated Paul Bunyan at an amusement park in Minnesota as well as a 49-foot tall statue of Bunyan and a 35-foot statue of Babe the Blue Ox in Klamath, California to honor this folktale.
Unlike most other folklore heroes, Paul Bunyan has an origin story. As the story goes, five storks were needed to carry this large newborn. As he became older, when he clapped his hands and laughed, windows shook and shattered. Another tale has Paul Bunyon sawing the wooden legs off of his parents’ bed in the middle of the night when he was only seven months old!
Over the years, many theories about who Paul Bunyan is based on have been thought up and rejected. Some believe Paul Bunyan was based on a French-Canadian logger named Fabian ‘Joe’ Fournier, who moved to Michigan after the American Civil War. Paul Bunyon was strongly built with giant hands and was above six feet in height.
Some time during this period, stories about Fournier merged with tales about a French-Canadian War hero named Bon Jean, and many believe Bunyan’s name comes from ‘Bon Jean’. Today, stories about Paul Bunyan have appeared in more than 1,000 books; and this character is renowned as one of the most popular and recognizable characters in American folklore.
LET’S CELEBRATE PAUL BUNYAN DAY
- The best way to celebrate National Paul Bunyan Day is to cozy up with a book on Paul Bunyan’s folktales. For variety, you can browse other popular American folktale stories about popular characters including Brer Rabbit, Davy Crockett, and Bigfoot. Visit local bookstores and libraries to see if they stock these books.
- Take a break from your usual clothes and dress as a lumberjack like Paul Bunyan (or his sweetheart, Lucette Diana Kensack) for a day. For added fun, you can even act out a few of Paul Bunyan’s famous tales. You can turn Paul Bunyon Day into a special day for children, too, by getting them involved, putting up Paul Bunyan posters, or inspiring kids to write a poem about their favorite character from the Paul Bunyan stories.
- If you have the opportunity and means jump into your car for a quick road trip to see some famous Paul Bunyan Statues around the U.S. Including giant-sized Paul Bunyan statues in states like California, Oregon, Michigan, Minnesota, and more. Some places even have themed Amusement Parks and Museums with Paul Bunyan memorabilia.
PAUL BUNYAN MYTHS
- One Winter, all the Snowflakes falling from the sky were blue, which turned Babe’s coat blue permanently.
- Paul Bunyan and Babe walked through an area, and as he dragged his ax behind him, the Grand Canyon was formed.
- The 10,000 lakes of Minnesota were formed by the footprints of Paul Bunyan and Babe as they walked around after getting lost in a snowstorm.
- Stories claim Paul trained carpenter ants to help him with his tasks.
WHY PEOPLE LOVE PAUL BUNYAN DAY
- As adults, our daily grind and schedule do not leave much space for folktales or tales of any kind, really.. If, like us, you have forgotten how much wonder a little story brings to your life then National Paul Bunyan Day offers the perfect escape. Let stories about this American lumberjack take you back to tales told around the campfire while Marshmallows roast on the flames in front of you.
- By all accounts, Paul Bunyan might not have even been real, and yet, his name is synonymous with lumberjacks all over America. Days like this show us how the power of advertising can spread a tale far and wide. We imagine Paul Bunyan would have been just another long-forgotten fairytale had William Laughead’s advertising campaign not relaunched this character’s popularity.
- Today is the day to read Paul Bunyan stories if you haven’t already. Not only do you get a wonderful chance to explore a new genre, but you can also brush up on your folklore knowledge and study cultural traits that define model lumberjacks.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
