Paul Bunyan in Michigan: Yooper Logging, Lore & Legends

by Jon C. Stott

Overview

"Gathers the oral traditions of the loggers who settled Michigan's Upper Peninsula . . . Stott preserves the tall tales for generations to come." —Grandpa Shorter's, "Seven Michigan Authors to Put in Your Beach Bag This Summer"
The loggers who settled Michigan's Upper Peninsula whiled away winter evenings with tales of extreme weather, strange geography, legendary beasts and improbable feats. One mythic figure strode confidently from one story to the next, his legend growing with each retelling. Soon, Paul Bunyan began to appear in newspapers, magazines, books and even a Walt Disney cartoon. In this first collection since 1946 set exclusively in the UP, author Jon C. Stott recaptures the oral tradition that cast Bunyan's shadow across the national imagination. Relive the winter of the blue snow and cross paths with familiar companions like Babe and Johnny Inskslinger, as well as odd creatures like the hodag and the agropelter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781625852052
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	04/13/2021
Series:	American Legends
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	131
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Jon C. Stott, professor emeritus of English, University of Alberta, spent his summers during high school and university in the woods of western Canada working for the British Columbia Forest Service. For the last four decades, he has spent his summers at a cabin in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. He is the author of two books of retellings of traditional stories: A Book of Tricksters and Quests for Fire. He now spends his winters in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 5

Introduction 7

Part I Nineteenth-Century Logging and Logging Culture in the Upper Peninsula 11

Part II A Literary History of Paul Bunyan 25

Part III Yooper Paul Bunyan

Prologue 39

1 Paul Makes the Great Manistique Swamp 42

2 Paul Builds the Seney Stretch 48

3 Paul's Mentor, Ike Stephenson 55

4 Paul and the Great Peshtigo Fire 62

5 Cookhouse Tales 68

6 Babe, Paul's Blue Ox 77

7 Strange Creatures of the Forest 84

8 The Winter of the Blue Snow 90

9 The Round River Drive 98

10 Where Have You Gone, Paul Bunyan? 105

Epilogue 111

Appendix: Notes on the Stories 119

Bibliography 125

About the Author 128