Happy Birthday Paul Bunyon

I remember learning about tale tales and one of my favorite characters was Paul Bunyon. Paul was a mighty man with a big heart and a bull named Blue. It is believed by those in Bangor Maine that Paul was born February 12. Paul Bunyon character was based on a French Canadian timber man named Fabian "Joe" Fournier. Others say the character comes from French Canadian slang word "Bonyenne" which in English means "good grief" which was a term to express something extraordinary Perhaps the story of the French Canadians created Paul Bunyan to keep those involved in the rebellion of 1873 spirits up. However the character of Paul Bunyan came about it was the story telling that brought him to life and help exaggerate his strength. The first written publications came about in 1910 when James McGillivray shared the story and later W.B. Laughead published the lumberjack tales in 1916

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