Paul Bunyan & The Mississippi Headwaters

A motel sign we spotted on our way to Bemidji.
Notice the "Canadians and Bikers Welcome."

We spent a day driving into Bemidji, Minnesota, which gets its name from the Ojibwe word "Bemidgegumaug," meaning "traverse." We just like saying the word "Bemidji." Go ahead, say it and see if it doesn't make you giggle a bit... Bemidji!


For those who don't know, Bemidji is the first city on the Mississippi River. When Richie and I read this, we misinterpreted it as the first city ever established on the river, but it means Bemidji is, literally, the first city on the Mississippi. I suppose it all depends on if you are headed north (Bemidji, MN) or south (in which case it would be Venice, LA).

The most memorable day for us was a bike into town from Bemidji State Park, and a stop at the Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues.

The town claims the giant lumberjack, Paul Bunyan, was born in Bemidji... and in fact, his birthsite is where the statues stand today. But many places stake the Paul Bunyan claim - including Minnesota, Michigan (The Great Lakes were formed as a watering hole for Babe), Wisonsin, and even parts of Canada, to name a few!


Rumor has it that Paul Bunyan put out a fire in Oregon by piling rocks on top of one another - which formed Mt. Hood. So that explains why we couldn't climb the crumbling rock a few years ago!

Read more about Bemidji's Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox story here.

Some facts about the statues:

Paul Bunyan

• 18-feet tall
• Weighs 2.5-tons (above the footings)
• Built in January 1937
• Took 737 man-hours to build Paul
• Materials: Wood framework, steel reinforcing bars, and cement stucco
• There was a wooden shotgun standing next to Paul, but it deteriorated.

Babe the Blue Ox

• Built in January 1937
• Originally on wheels and paraded across the state
• Joined Paul permanently in 1939
• The front legs of Babe are spread further apart than the back legs so a truck could fit in between.
• The horns are made of tin and span 14 feet across.

This is a sculpture called Niiemi, meaning "he dances."

This is Richie's favorite sculpture in Bemidji.

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Lake Itasca State Park was next on our list... We are going to see the headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi - very exciting!


We started with a short hike to the Old Sawmill Site and stumbled across a deserted-looking (aka "closed for the season") area with antique farm equipment and interesting old buildings. We later discovered this is home to the non-profit Lake Itasca Region Pioneer Farmers, Inc. It was a nice, quiet hike - and it was fun to explore the area.

We are at the Visitor's Center.

Oooh... Almost there!

Just a few more feet...

Watch out for the kids!

And we are in!

What can we say about the headwaters?

It was great! There were so many people - especially kids! It was nice to see parents allowing their kids to get soaked in the river and just have fun. Many saying "That's why we brought you another set of clothes."


Some facts from Itasca State Park visitor's center:

• The Mississippi is 694 miles long in Minnesota and drains water from half of the state.
• The river originally traveled 2,552 miles from its headwaters at Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico, now shortened over 200 miles due to channelizing!
• The river is 1,475 feet above sea level at Itasca, and is at sea level when it enters the ocean at the Gulf of Mexico. Over half of the elevation drop occurs in the first third of the journey, before it leaves Minnesota's borders.
• The average surface speed of the river is 1.2 miles per hour - about 1/3 as fast as people walk.
• Although the air temperature may reach -10 degrees F during the winter, the rocky headwaters where the river flows out of the lake rarely freezes over. Springs feed enough water into the lake so that the river flows all year.
• The volume of water which leaves Lake Itasca is 6 cubic feet per second - about one bathtub full of water per second. The volume of water when it reaches the Gulf is 468,000 cubic feet per second - about 80,000 times more than when it started.
• A raindrop that falls in Lake Itasca will arrive at the Gulf of Mexico in about 90 days.
• The first known name for Lake Itasca was Omushkos, given by the Ojibwe Indians. It was later translated by the French into Lac la Biche, meaning "Elk Lake." It seems the lake was named for its shape - similar to an elk.

It seems the Mississippi River has had a variety of names:

• Early Spanish explorers called it "Rio del Espiritu Santo" (River of the Holy Spirit)
• Conquistadors called it a few things... "Rio Grande" (Grand River), the "Rio Escondido" (Hidden River), and the "Pilazido" (Palisades).
• The French also gave it a few names... "Colbert" (after a politician), "St. Louis" (after the king), and "Immaculate Conception."

You'll be pleased to know that the Ojibwe called the river "Messippi," which means "a river spread over a large area." The spelling on old maps vary from Meschasipi to Missisipi to Misisipi. But the Ojibwe word survived.

Richie behind the headwaters marker.