BEMIDJI 鈥� The newest Paul-Bunyan-sized artifact has officially made its debut at Bemidji鈥檚 Tourist Information Center.
In a partnership between Visit Bemidji and Paul Bunyan Communications, a new interactive display is available to Paul Bunyan Park visitors 鈥� 鈥淧aul Bunyan鈥檚 smartphone,鈥� a giant touchscreen replicating the interface of a modern smartphone. The phone is complete with a buffalo plaid phone case, which was crafted by Meyer鈥檚 Signs and Graphics.
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Josh Peterson, Visit Bemidji鈥檚 executive director, described the legend surrounding the huge phone during an unveiling event on Wednesday.
鈥淎fter years of tall tales, rumors and speculation, an iconic piece of Paul Bunyan鈥檚 legend has officially resurfaced, literally, when the severe storm hit Bemidji on the night of Friday, June 20, 2025,鈥� he said. 鈥淪trong waves unearthed a massive object near one of Paul鈥檚 favorite winter fishing spots.鈥�
According to the lore, the phone washed up along the shore of Paul Bunyan Park the next morning.
鈥淭he good news is that the phone is fully operational and proudly on display for everyone to see,鈥� Peterson said. 鈥淭he bad news is the lake has wiped Paul鈥檚 entire camera roll, so now we are asking you to help write the next chapter of Paul Bunyan鈥檚 legend.鈥�
Visitors will have the opportunity to take a selfie on the giant phone, leave Paul a message and sign a digital guestbook. In addition, the phone features several apps 鈥� a calendar that lists events happening in the Bemidji area, a notes app where visitors can read through Paul鈥檚 journal entries, and even a weather app.
Peterson noted that Visit Bemidji will be working alongside Bemidji State to create a handful of new apps to add to the interface.
The phone now stands as the newest piece of Paul-Bunyan-sized artifacts housed at the TIC. Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications marketing supervisor, noted that the phone is definitely one of the more high-tech pieces of memorabilia.
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鈥淧aul鈥檚 got a lot of artifacts in here,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd this is another one that鈥檚 a little bit more modern and a lot more interactive for the guests that will be visiting Paul and Babe going forward.鈥�
And for Peterson, the addition of a new piece of Paul鈥檚 history has been highly anticipated.
鈥淭his is an exciting unveiling because we haven鈥檛 had a new Paul Bunyan artifact surface in quite some time,鈥� he noted. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been many years, if not decades, since we鈥檝e added a new artifact to the memorabilia here at the Tourist Information Center.鈥�
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