BRAINERD, Minn. — A famed Minnesota attraction — known in folklore for its strength — toppled over during an overnight severe storm early Thursday morning in the region.
The original Paul Bunyan and Babe remain standing tall and strong along the shores of Lake Bemidji in Bemidji, according to the Bemidji Pioneer. The Minnesota icons there were unveiled in 1937. The Kodak Company once claim as the Bemidji Paul and Babe were the “second most photographed statues in the United States”, behind only Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
The Baxter-Brainerd statues of Paul and Babe were originally built for the 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair, according to Roadarch.com They were later displayed at the Paul Bunyan Playground, later Paul Bunyan Playland, in Baxter when the amusement park opened in 1950. The statues were then moved in 2003 to the Paul Bunyan Land amusement park, six miles east of Brainerd.
The Bemidji Pioneer contributed to this story.
