Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, (sculpture).

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, (sculpture).

Burlwood Industries, fabricator.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, (sculpture).

Dedicated July 9, 1988.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: redwood, painted; Base: concrete.

2 units. Sculpture: approx. H. 25 ft.; Base: approx. H. 4 ft.

(On plaque on front of Paul Bunyan base:) PAUL BUNYAN/THE LEGEND LIVES ON/PAUL BUNYAN HAS BEEN THE HERO OF LUMBERJACK WHOPPER TALES THAT WERE HANDED DOWN FOR GENERATIONS IN THE CAMPS OF WHITE PINE LUMBERMEN IN THE NORTH EASTERN FORESTS OF AMERICA. IN 1913 THE WALKER FAMILY WHO OWNED THE RED RIVER MILL IN MINNESOTA, MOVED THEIR OPERATIONS OUT WEST. IT WAS A BIG JOB CARVING A MILL AND TOWN OUT OF THE NORTHERN SIERRAS - THEY NEEDED ALL THE HELP THEY COULD GET - SO THEY BROUGHT PAUL BUNYAN WITH THEM. NEVER BEFORE KNOWN OUTSIDE THE HAUNTS OF THE LOGGING CAMPS, THE EXPLOITS OF THE GIANT LUMBERJACK WERE FIRST RECORDED IN PRINT FOR THE WALKERS BY W. B. LAUGHEAD FROM 1914-1944.

IN ADDITION TO PROMOTING WESTWOOD AND THE PAUL BUNYAN PINE PRODUCTS, THE PUBLICATION OF THESE SMALL BOOKS MADE PAUL AND HIS FRIENDS: BABE THE BIG BLUE OX, SOURDOUGH SAM, BRIMSTONE BILL, JOHNNY INKSLINGER, BIG OLE AND SPORT (THE REVERSIBLE DOG) NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD FAVORITES, THUS ESTABLISHING AN AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY. IN 1946 THE WALKERS SOLD THE MILL TO FRUIT GROWERS SUPPLY CO. WHO CONTINUED TO OPERATE THE MILL UNTIL ITS SHUT DOWN IN 1956. IN THE LAST PUBLICATION OF "PAUL BUNYAN AND HIS BIG BLUE OX" (1944) PAUL IS QUOTED AS SAYING "I'M NOT SAYING GOODBYE, I'M STILL ON THE JOB FOR RED RIVER AND MAYBE I'LL BE SERVING YOU AGAIN SOME TIME IN THE FUTURE." WE CELEBRATE THE RETURN OF PAUL BUNYAN TO HIS HOMETOWN ON THIS 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF WESTWOOD. MAY HIS DESTINY BE TO CONTINUE FASCINATING CHILDREN AND ENTERTAINING ADULTS FOR IT IS ONLY IN THE HEARTS OF PEOPLE THAT LEGENDS CAN TRULY LIVE./DEDICATED JULY 9, 1988/WESTWOOD AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Colossal full-length figure of Paul Bunyan carved out of redwood and painted. He wears a knit cap, plaid shirt, trousers and suspenders, and laced up boots. In his proper left hand he holds an axe; in his proper right hand he holds a saw, which stands as tall as he. He stands on a sawn off tree stump which rests on a concrete pedestal. To the proper right of Paul Bunyan is a redwood carving of Babe, the Blue Ox. The ox is standing, head turned toward the proper right. The ox is depicted only from the middle of its legs up. The ox stands on a base which is supported by two concrete pedestals.

Literature -- Character -- Paul Bunyan

Literature -- Character -- Babe the Blue Ox

Animal -- Cattle

Occupation -- Industry -- Lumber

Outdoor Sculpture -- California -- Westwood

Administered by Westwood Area Chamber of Commerce, P. O. Box 1235, Westwood, California 96137

Located Westwood Community Center, Westwood, California

Every summer the cracks are filled with caulking and the sculptures are repainted.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, California survey, 1994.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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