Paul Bunyan and Babe The Blue Ox at Bemidji: Story and Facts

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Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox at Bemidji is a story told about Lake Bemidji waterfront, Beltrami County. Vote believe it or no way, then see what 2 named sources say is documented.

LegendKind of story
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North LakesRegion
Nov 1Checked, 2026

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Local legend. Not confirmed. Just for fun.

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Paul Bunyan and Babe The Blue Ox at Bemidji

People say Paul Bunyan was a giant logger who dug the Great Lakes with his axe and had a blue ox named Babe who measured the distance between his footprints. Bemidji says he and Babe are at home on the shore of Lake Bemidji. Some folks think the tales go back to old lumber camps, and some say a lumber company made them up to sell wood.

What The Sources Document

The Minnesota Historical Society says Bunyan stories began as logging-camp tales in the mid-1800s, spreading among immigrant loggers in the Great Lakes. The first published account was an uncredited 1904 Duluth News Tribune article. In 1914 William B. Laughead popularized Bunyan in a pamphlet for the Red River Lumber Company, which was moving from Minnesota to Westwood, California. It was reprinted in 1916 and 1922, and his 1914 logo is the earliest known picture of Bunyan. So the character likely existed in tales before the ads, and the company helped make him famous. MNHS also says an 18-foot Bunyan statue went up on the shore of Lake Bemidji in 1937. The Visit Bemidji page says the statues were unveiled January 14, 1937 at Bemidji's first winter carnival, designed and built by Bemidji residents. Babe was displayed beside Paul permanently from 1938, and the National Register of Historic Places listed the statues in 1988.

Sources: Paul Bunyan (MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society); Building the Legend (Visit Bemidji, tourism office).

A Note

Not confirmed: Visit Bemidji's claim about how often the statues are photographed, and any claim that they are the oldest Bunyan statues.

Its home: Visit Bemidji. Official page.

On this site: Historic Sites, North Lakes Events.

Looked for and Not Found

Support for 'oldest Bunyan statue'

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Where do these facts come from?

From the named sources listed on this page: Paul Bunyan (MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society); Building the Legend (Visit Bemidji, tourism office).

Sources

Read on November 1, 2026. Stories are for fun; the facts come from these sources. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? tell us.

Cite this page: It's Minnesota, “Paul Bunyan and Babe The Blue Ox at Bemidji”, itsminnesota.com/legends/paul-bunyan-and-babe-bemidji/ (updated 2026-11-01). By the It's Minnesota editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.

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