During a long road trip a few days ago my mom and I took the opportunity to fill our resident Texan in on the great history of Northern MN in regards to Paul Bunyan. Now Paul Bunyan somehow is housed in the annals of history as a hero, a folklore hero but a hero none the less. Who was Paul Bunyan you may ask? He was a giant man, he lived in the frigid north, which may actually qualify him as a hero right there, he had a giant blue ox that he rescued (what a heart of gold) from a blizzard, he made flapjacks, or at least he could eat them like crazy. Paul Bunyan was a logger. He logged the north woods of MN. Northern MN used to be forested with giant white pines, amazing giants of trees. Paul Bunyan was the arm of progress providing the ever hungry consumer with the fuel it needed to to keep the engine of progress roaring. Paul Bunyan was not just a man, he was a symbol, he was loggers, he was more than that, he was the logging industry, he was progress, hard work and the name that made the cold, bitter, un-beatable Northlands cower.
One of the strangest things about this large man is that his name graces a state park, bike trails and many things natural here in MN. I have to chuckle as I read the signs boasting the name of the man who almost single handedly brought the mighty white pines crashing to their knees in shuddering surprise. Interesting that the very thing that he destroyed is now protected under his name.
With that bit of history I think I am going to wrap up this blog and go put in my vote to have an oceanic aquarium named after the CEO of BP.
hey, lighten up a bit, the animated kids cartoon we had about him when I was little said he turned his back on logging after he saw what it did to the country and spent the rest of his days planting the trees he cut down...and would the tv really lie to a 6 year old? Hmmm?
ReplyDelete