Visit the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Exhibit room now on display
Drive the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway to the south side of Crosslake on County Road 66. Turn into the Crosslake Corps of Engineers Campground. Open the door of the Corps office building and walk into the multi-purpose room.
Several key pieces of Wayne Chamberlain’s Paul Bunyan collection are included in the growing display, from historic advertising items using the famous logger’s face to children’s records, post cards, ‘Bunyan’ piggybanks and humor columns.
Adding to the exhibit’s appeal are historic clothing pieces, books, firearms and more, provided by historical re-enactor and Crosslake Corps director, Ray Nelson.
A recent 'gem' added to this Bunyan-sized exhibit, a Paul Bunyan rag doll. It's listed in the Guinness World Book of Records as the world's largest rag doll. It even comes with its own wooden chair. It's one of a kind. Constructed like a jointed Cabbage Patch doll and measuring nearly thirteen feet tall, ragtime Paul Bunyan rules over the eclectic array of Bunyan memorabilia.
How did a World Record holding Paul Bunyan rag doll find its way to the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway in Minnesota? The story starts when our vigilant Paul Bunyan collector and Byway Association board member, Wayne Chamberlain (always on the lookout for items to add to this exhibit) while on an e-Bay shopping excursion, noticed the big rag doll, complete with his own big chair. Wayne got in touch with the owner and told her about the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Association and the Bunyan memorabilia exhibit. It must've been the right time and the right home, because ragtime Paul and his chair became a donation to the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Association. And now, visitors to the exhibit room in Crosslake will be able to view ragtime Paul, the world's largest rag doll.
Lead by aesthetically gifted Byway Association board member, Kristi Kraemer, the room and exhibit design takes on added dimension and interest with each new piece that joins the display.
Kristi and her work group - Rod Nelson, Wayne Chamberlain and Ray Nelson - look at the task as a work-in-progress that will evolve for some time. A segment of the exhibit that will soon be added is the story of how the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway itself came to be.
The completed displays and evolving exhibits can be viewed during office hours at the Crosslake Corps of Engineers. Contact Deb or Ray at 218-692-2025 for hours.
To learn more about the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway, to donate toward this or the many other projects currently underway or to join the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Association, contact chair Lynn Scharenbroich at 218-543-4714 or email. |
