Fabian "Joe" Fournier was a

lumberjack Lumberjack is a mostly North American term for workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees. The term usually refers to loggers in the era before 1945 in the United States, when trees were felled us ...

, born in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, who would later emigrate to the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

and work as a lumberjack in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. He has often been said to be the man who inspired

Paul Bunyan Paul Bunyan is a giant lumberjack and folk hero in American and Canadian folklore. His tall tales revolve around his superhuman labors, and he is customarily accompanied by Babe the Blue Ox, his pet and working animal. The character originate ...

in at least some part.

Life and career

According to historian D. Lawrence Rogers, Fournier was an infamous brawler. An early reference to his life by Stewart H. Holbrook describes a legendary battle between him and 'Silver Jack Driscoll', noting Fournier's signature move as the

headbutt A headbutt or butt is a targeted strike (attack), strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the headbutter's Skull#Humans, cranium as the area of impact. The most effective headbutts strike the most sensitive areas of ...

. Fournier was said to be 6 feet or taller, putting him far above the average height of his day and was noted for his strength.

Death and legacy

Fournier was killed in either November 1875 or the summer of 1876, allegedly by Adolphus "Blinky" Robertson, a stone mason who struck him in the head with his mallet on a dock in Bay City, Michigan. The lumberjack became somewhat of a folk hero in his own right after his death, known for his love of fighting and his supposed double row of teeth. Another moment Fournier was often mythologized for was biting out a 'chunk out of a wooden bar' with his double row teeth. In a collection of Paul Bunyan stories by Harold Felton, Fournier is present as a distinct figure in a recount of the Round River story. Fournier's remains were allegedly hosted at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

at some point, where he became an oddity in dental sciences. Fournier's status as the man who inspired Paul Bunyan was challenged by Michael Edmunds in his 2009 book, ''Out of the Northwoods: The Many Lives of Paul Bunyan'', stating that Bunyan stories were likely already circulating by the time Fournier became known among lumberjacks.

References

Paul Bunyan American loggers Canadian loggers American people of French-Canadian descent People with supernumerary body parts {{DEFAULTSORT:Fournier, Fabian 1840s births 1875 deaths Michigan folklore American folklore Tall tales