Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox
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Statues such as these served to attract passers-by in automobiles as cars gained popularity through the 1920s and 1930s.
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | Third St. and Bemidji Ave. Bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1937 |
| Architect | Cyril M. Dickinson; Jim Payton |
| NRHP reference No. | 88000204 |
| Added to NRHP | March 10, 1988 |
Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox are two huge statues in Bemidji, Minnesota. They show the famous American folk hero Paul Bunyan and his giant blue ox, Babe. These statues are a popular "roadside attraction," meaning they were built to catch the eye of people driving by.
They were built in 1937 when car travel became very popular and affordable. Many other big structures, like the Benewah Milk Bottle, were built around this time to attract tourists. These statues are so famous that the Kodak Company says they are the "second most photographed statues in the United States." Only Mount Rushmore gets more pictures taken!
History of the Statues
The city of Bemidji is in a beautiful area with lots of forests and lakes. People started visiting the town for fun as early as the 1890s. When train lines reached Bemidji in 1898, more hotels and resorts were built. These places were popular with hunters and people who liked to fish.
In the 1920s, more and more people owned cars. This made Bemidji even more popular for tourists. However, during the Great Depression, a tough economic time, fewer people could travel. This is where Paul Bunyan and Babe came in!
Why Paul Bunyan?
To help bring tourists back to Bemidji, local groups decided to hold a winter carnival. They wanted to show off the city's great places for winter sports. Bemidji used to be a big center for logging and cutting down trees. So, the carnival focused on Paul Bunyan, a giant lumberjack from American folk stories.
On January 14, 1937, the carnival opened. Two giant statues were shown for the first time: one of Paul Bunyan and one of his blue ox, Babe. They became the carnival's mascots. Babe was even brought into town on a truck, with smoke coming out of his nostrils! Lennord L. Pitney designed the statues, and a local cement worker named Carl Aldal built them.
Keeping the Statues Strong
Over the years, the statues needed some care. In March 2006, the Rotary Club of Bemidji helped raise money for repairs. They got $53,000 from the community and a $68,000 grant from the government.
This money was used to fix damage and make sure the statues stayed strong. For example, Babe had a crack that was getting wider. The money helped fix this and make the ground around the statues more stable. This stops them from shifting when the weather gets very cold.
In October 2013, the first Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon was held. The running path was planned so that runners would go right past the famous statues!
Statue Sizes
These statues are truly enormous!
- Paul Bunyan stands about 18 feet (5.5 m) tall. That's like two tall basketball hoops stacked on top of each other!
- He measures about 5 feet (1.5 m) across at his base.
- From his toe to his heel, Paul Bunyan is about 3 feet (0.91 m) long.
- Babe the Blue Ox is about 10 feet (3 m) tall.
- He measures about 8 feet (2.4 m) across at his front hooves.
- From his nose all the way to his tail, Babe is about 23 feet (7.0 m) long. That's longer than a school bus!
