Paul Bunyan was a huge part of my childhood, believe it or not. Perhaps it is because of the logging in Minnesota, my proximity to Wisconsin, or my interest in myth and lore. Whatever the case, he was bigger than life, and I loved him, but not as much as Babe, the blue ox.
There seems to be discrepancies about the first printed stories of Paul Bunyan, but most reference a Michigan journalist James MacGillivray as being the first recording, around 1906. Wikipedia mentions “an uncredited 1904 editorial in the Duluth News Tribune” that recounts his year logging in North Dakota, but I cannot find much on that. Of course, oral traditions go back much earlier than that.
My favorite sport is actually Lumberjack competitions. They are amazing – exciting, frightening due to the danger, and truly a show of skill as well as control. These exhibitions definitely give one appreciation for what loggers have done and continue to do.