By Alex Gordon
Paul Bunyan. Strong and solid he stands at the gates of Camp Nebagamon, an assuring and welcoming figure to generations of campers, staff, and alumni. But beyond the photo ops and occasional late night shenanigans, not many people spend time with ol’ Paul. Alone, he silently watches camp’s pick-up trucks and trip vans come and go, with no company to pass the time, not even a blue ox.
In reality, though, Paul is not alone. Paul has many doppelgangers spread throughout the Northwoods and beyond, a veritable cadre of brothers in axes. Yes, just as Lady Liberty can count on dozens of cousins foisting torches from her birthplace in Paris to Duluth (where an eight-foot replica stands near the Duluth Aquarium), there are Pauls located throughout the nation—from parks to parking lots. There’s an axe-wielding Paul in a cluttered backyard of a private collector in Phoenix, Arizona… and a washer-and-dryer-hawking Paul in front of Fasco Appliance in Oskhosh, Wisconsin… and a Paul as part of a miniature golf hole in Lake George, New York…
Yes, there are Pauls aplenty. Here is a look at nine of the more interesting ones among dozens of Bunyans scattered across the land:
Bemidji, MN: Perhaps the most famous Bunyan statue, though oddly one of the least artful, this 18-foot-tall, 2.5-ton behemoth celebrated his 80th birthday this year. Though once hailed by the Kodak Company as the country’s “second most photographed icon” behind Mt. Rushmore, this Bunyan suffers from proportionality issues, more resembling the shrunken-headed hunter in the waiting room in the final scene of Beetlejuice than a rugged woodsman.
Brainerd, MN: Next to the Bemidji Bunyan, perhaps the next most famous is the eerie colossus on the road into Brainerd that figured prominently in the Coen Brothers’ 1996 classic film Fargo. But in the same way the fictional film was billed as “based on a true story,” the Brainerd Bunyan is a prop based on an actual talking statue sitting on the outskirts of town in the Bunyan-based amusement park Paul Bunyan Land. A second Bunyan joined the party about a decade ago at the Brainerd Lakes Welcome Center, sitting on a stump with his right hand permanently hoisted in the air patiently waiting for a high five for carving the Grand Canyon.
Akeley, MN: The lumber town of Akeley in north central Minnesota claims to be the Bunyan birthplace and thus goes all-in on the Bunyan theme, hosting an annual Paul Bunyan Days festival, housing the Paul Bunyan Museum, and featuring businesses like Akeley Municipal Liquor Store & Lounge (“Where Paul wets his whistle”) and the Blue Ox Market (presumably, where Paul buys his Pringles). The town naturally features what may be the largest of all the Bunyans, depicting Paul kneeling down with his palm resting open for endless photo ops. His facial hair is enough to make a Brooklyn artisanal microbrewer jealous.
Bangor, ME: Maine’s “Queen City” also asserts to be Bunyan’s birthplace and also lays claim to what a plaque says is “reputed to be the largest statue of Paul Bunyan in the world.” Bangor’s 31-foot-tall, 3,700-pound giant is one of the more life-like Bunyan’s, a quality exploited by an actual Bangor native, Stephen King, who brought Bunyan to life in his 1986 book It after the statue was possessed by an evil spirit.
Klamath, CA: Just like so many born either in the Midwest or upper New England, Paul eventually moved out west to retire in California—or so the story goes at Trees of Mystery, a kitsch-meets-cool-redwoods attraction near Northern California’s Redwood National Park, about 40 miles from the Oregon border. Standing (next to a massive Babe) over 49-feet tall, this Bunyan appears to actually be the tallest, a fact he will actually tell you as the statue interacts with guests, answering questions and making wisecracks. Ira Glass even featured this Paul for his public radio show “This American Life” in 2013.
Westwood, CA: Some six hours southeast of Klamath, sits another Golden State Paul, in a town built by the actual Red River Logging Company, which was credited with popularizing the Paul Bunyan myth through advertising pamphlets in the early 1900s. For a town with such a rich Bunyan history, Paul here sports a slight physique suggesting he might be more comfortable reconciling the lumber company’s books then felling mighty pines. Westwood’s Paul doesn’t even have a beard; instead sporting a magnificent Mario-esque mustache.
Portland, OR: Perhaps the most urban Bunyan, this 31-footer stands tall in a busy Portland neighborhood. Originally built in 1959 for the Oregon Centennial Exposition, Paul has a bemused expression on his face, which might have to do with his looking on day and night across the street at the clientele coming and going from an establishment known as The Dancin’ Bare.
University Park, IL: With his shoulders slumped and eyes cast downward, this 25-foot Bunyan stands (or more accurately, slouches) on the campus of Governor’s State University in the south suburbs of Chicago. The renowned artist Tony Tasset reportedly wanted this Paul to reflect the world-weary mindset of America in the early 2000s, but we like to think Paul is just deflated at the thought of the Chicago Bears missing the playoffs yet again. 
Bloomington, MN: Tucked amongst the Foot Lockers and Auntie Annes of the Mall of America is a Paul Bunyan-themed log chute ride featuring a catchy Bunyan jingle (Everywhere down in Lumberville. Born to every Jack and Jill. You will hear the mighty call of a man named Paul. He’s the biggest lumberjack of all) and a cameo from the man himself about halfway through the journey. Sports trivia buffs will note that the ride sits on the site where former Minnesota Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew’s club record 520-foot home run landed in the old Metropolitan Stadium. Killebrew, a prodigious slugger who died in 2011, was often referred to as baseball’s version of, you guessed it, Paul Bunyan.