To celebrate the birthplace of Paul Bunyan, sculptor Dean Krotzer created the world’s tallest statue of the famous lumberjack in 1985. If standing, this bearded woodman would be 60 feet tall. This small town in north-central Minnesota is named after Healy C. Akeley. He co-founded the Red River Lumber Company in 1893. His lumber mill was the first to personify the giant of folklore in an advertising campaign by William Laughead starting in 1916.
Broadway St E & Hulet Ave SW Akeley, MN 56433
Babe the Blue Ox was the constant companion of Paul Bunyan. This mural graces the side of a former grocery store. Across Broadway Street West are a giant statue of Paul Bunyan and a museum/visitor center of the same name. At the start of the 20th century, Akeley had a population of about 3,500. Most were lumberjacks or people who worked in a local sawmill. Today the town has less than 500 residents. Other images and statues of Paul and Babe can be found in neighboring towns such as Bemidji and Brainerd, Minnesota.
Graceson Ave N & Broadway St E Akeley, MN 56433
Minnesota is The Land of 10,000 Lakes. There are actually over 12,000 of them. After surviving the long cold winter, most residents “go to the cabin” during summer weekends to fish, boat, barbeque and listen to the loons, the state bird. Nothing completes a perfect summer day better than a perfect sunset.
9194 MN-24 Annandale, MN 55302