Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1922-03-23
ROUND RIVER
NOW LOCATED
JUDGE REID FINDS FAMOUS
CAMPING SPOT OF
PAUL BUNYAN

JuOSS itSiu is dItalnlnB new TaInS
today as the discoverer OF Round
River, the scene of Paul Bunyans fa-
nous experiences. The Villas County
News some time ago started to relate
the fables of Paul Bunyan's great
lumber camp ON Round river and
then sought to locate Round river it.
self. In its issue of March 18th, is the
following introduction:
Through Gene Shepard Of Rhine
lander, Finn Lawler of Eagle River
and Judge A. III. Reid of Wausau, the
whereabouts of the famous Round
river, made in fame by Paul Bunyan,
the noted American fabalist, has at
last been found, and that to certain
ty. After one had read the following
from Gene Shepard and Judge Reid
there can be no doubt as to its loca-
ton on the Tomahawk.
"Since the starting of the Paul
Bunyan stories this winter by the vi
las County News much hidden history
has been brought iorth--some pretty
hard to swallow ON account of the
hugeness of the tales and some that
is mighty entertaining reading from
men who we know and respect as
truthful and law abiding citizens.
This latest coming from Judge A. III.
Reid of Wausau, leaves no doubt in
the mind of the reader as to the
truthfulness of the find, especially as
Mrs. Reid is said to have made the
canoe trip with the Judge. AT pre-
sent date we have had no opportunity
to secure a verification from Mrs
Reid but must therefore, take the
worthy Judges word as being facts"
Judge Reid's letter Is addressed TO
Gene Shepard of Rhinelander, well
known humorist Of northern Wiscon-
sin, and is printed in the Villas County
News as follows:
February IL, 1922.
Mr.. e. S. Shepard, Rhinelander. Wis.
Dear Good Shepard:
] have received your inquiry OF the
5th.
Yes, have no doubt that | re-dis-
covered Round river and the site OF
Paul Bunyans camp of '62. The truth
of your history of Paul Bunyan and
of his early logging must not be
doubted. Finn Lawler accepted more
proofs of the redislovery and will no
doubt make oath to the Identification
When at Hazelhurst one summer.
ting monotonous. We could not catch
any more muskellunge weighing more
than 65 pounds, nor any bass or pike
heavier than 20 pounds (although
Gene Terrill and Jack Schwartz reg
ularly claimed to catch bigger ones)
so we sought adventure.
We studied your description of the
location of Round River and struck
out in the direction of west by south
and kept going some forty miles, more
or less, and finally launched our canoe
in a likely looking stream and drift
ed down into promising looking
country where the old stumps seemed
big enough, though none exceeded at
that point twelve feet in diameter. The
next day was cloudy so that we could
not see the sun, and had to keep our
bearings by compass laying on the
thwart. We early noticed that We
were on a curve and that the needle
kept turning to the right continually,
so our curiosity was aroused. The
water was swift ard we swept along
at about ten mile gait for hours
and hours with the needle still turn
ing to the right, and Just when 1t
had about closed the circle. we reach
ed the old camp and knew 1t must
have been Paul Bunyan's and SO
,camped for the night
How did we know it? Well there
was that four-sided forty you told
about with stumps on its sides big
enough to make that hundred million
that Bunyan cut. OF course the camp
had all been burned and the old stub
with the woodpecker's hole was gone,
but the lay of the land was right and
where the camp had stood there was
still some fragments of the camp
cook stove on which were baked the
pancakes for that famous crew, and
some of the stones that had beea
rolled down the hill on which the axes;
had been ground. On one of these vas;
cut in bold type "P. b.. We h@ated,
for corner and found one bearing.
the following hieroglyphs:
r. SIS. 37l38
f. l.. and on top 4Ol39
50.
Vs.. x..I.hf.x .n,. A.