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Statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, attributed to folk artist Paul N. Domke, who also made the figures at Dinosaur Gardens; Walter Hayden is credited with working with Domke on Paul. They were originally at the Look Out Inn site and, according to Roadside America, were moved to Spruce and returned in 2006 to the corner of US-23 and Nicholson Hill Road. An old postcard gives Paul as about 25.5 ft tall and Babe about 10.5 ft.
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Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox
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44.90203° N, 83.44324° W
FIELD GUIDE
The story
A 2021 Alpena News report placed statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox at the southwest corner of US-23 and Nicholson Hill Road in Ossineke, Michigan, and said they were originally at the Look Out Inn.
Who made them depends on the source. Roadside America credits Paul N. Domke, who also built the figures at Dinosaur Gardens, and dates them to the 1940s. The Alpena News quoted a township supervisor saying Walter Hayden and Domke worked together on Paul. RoadArch gives Babe as built in 1938 by Hayden and Paul in 1953 by Domke.
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PRACTICAL
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WHAT TO EXPECT
Free, roadside outdoor statues at US-23 and Nicholson Hill Road, near Ossineke (separate from Dinosaur Gardens, which is about 1.5 miles away).
ACCESS
Open roadside park; visible from US-23 year-round.
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