Big Onion; Origin of "Paul Bunyan" (1904? 1906?)

[Jonathan Lighter]

Another good eartly ex. of "Paul Bunyan":

  1911 _Duluth News Tribune_ (Apr. 2) 1: But it was ever so. The were-wolf is gone from the earth, and the polecat is lord of [?his] ancient domain; the gray wolf is almost a memory, and the blatant sheep pastures where once he lifted his voice to the moon. Paul Bunion [sic], the Terror of the Saginaw, sleeps with his fathers, and Stans Makki's feet are in the paths he has trod.

  America's Historical Newspapers shows that the News Tribune was uniquely prominent in its mentions of Paul Bunyan from 1904 to 1919.

  JL



---------------------------------
Never miss a thing.   Make Yahoo your homepage.

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org