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paul bunyon - 30 years for legend

How many years to turn a man into a legend? For lumberjack Paul Bunyon, about thirty years. He died in 1875 as Fabian Fournier and showed up in legendary form in 1906 as Paul Bunyon.

It seems to take very little time for a legend to spring up. Once the legend was born, one drag of the mighty lumberjack’s massive ax was said to have created the Grand Canyon.

Historians believe Bunyan was based in large part on this real life lumberjack: a large man with giant hands. His rough-and-tumble life and his lumbering abilities made him famous in logging camps in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and beyond.

Eventually, Fournier’s legend merged with lumberman, Jean Bon Jean. The French pronunciation of Jean’s full name is believed to have evolved into the surname Bunyan. Paul Bunyon started out with a bit of truth, but ended up a fantasy tale.

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