Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox
Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox | |
Statues such as these served to attract passers-by in automobiles as cars gained popularity through the 1920s and 1930s. | |
| Location | Third St. and Bemidji Ave. Bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°28′13.6″N 94°52′44.1″W / 47.470444°N 94.878917°W |
| 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 the names of a pair of large statues of the American folk hero Paul Bunyan and his ox, located in Bemidji, Minnesota. This roadside attraction has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988.
Built in 1937 to attract attention of passing motorists, these are similar to such structures as the Benewah Milk Bottle, the Teapot Dome Service Station, or the comparably colossal Dinosaur Park sculptures in South Dakota. These were all built in a period of time when automobile travel became increasingly affordable and common.
This pair of statues are said by the Kodak Company to be the "second most photographed statues in the United States", behind Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.