This Giant Paul Bunyan Statue in Michigan Has Seen It All

I worked with the guy at two different places in Michigan; little did I know just how famous and sought-after he was. The "coworker" in question? A 20-foot-tall fiberglass statue of Paul Bunyan, which has made the rounds across Michigan.

RELATED: 25 Michigan Roadside Oddities

Where Is Paul Bunyan in Michigan Today?

This giant lumberjack is currently living at Knutson's Sporting Goods in Brooklyn, Michigan (the second place I'd worked with him). But what's more interesting is how he got there and where he came from.

The Origin of Michigan’s Muffler Men Statues

According to Medium.com, Knutson's Paul Bunyan and his brethren were created in the 1960s by Bill Swan and Bob Prewitt of Prewitt Fiberglass Animals in Lawndale, California, and later dubbed Muffler Men by Roadside America because they typically were used to advertise auto shops that dealt in...you guessed it...mufflers.

Ann Arbor’s Paul Bunyan: The Original Location

The Paul Bunyan in question though was not made for autoparts, instead it's thought that it's first and only home has been in Michigan, which, according to the Ann Arbor News, first setting up shop at Ann Arbor, Michigan's former Paul Bunyan restaurant, where it stood from 1961, until the early 1980s, on Jackson Road along with a twin.

The restaurant decided to undergo a rebranding, and the twin Paul Bunyans were left lying in a field for several years before Randy Baulau learned of their existence and purchased one of them for $300.

The Onsted Years: Paul Bunyan at Stagecoach Stop

Randy Bahlau, the son of Fred and Dorothy, had a keen eye for what would become a roadside attraction along US 12 in Onsted, Michigan, prominently featured just outside Stagecoach Stop (the first place I'd worked with Paul). This old west theme park featured gunfights, horses, and saloons that would even impress Westworld's producers.

RELATED: An Inside Look at Stagecoach Stop: Onsted, Michigan

Paul stood watch at the entrance until the park's closure in 2007, and its inventory was put up for auction. Shockingly, the Muffler Man didn't go in the auction, so it sat...again.

Paul Bunyan’s Journey to Brooklyn, Michigan

Seeing the appeal and the nostalgia attached to it, Knutson's Sporting Goods purchased Paul Bunyan in 2011, where he has stood ever since. So, if you're in Brooklyn and you want to see a piece of pure Americana, stop by and take a selfie with the big guy. He's seen a lot.