Golden Lumberjack - Superhero of Oregon
Salem, Oregon
From the street, the bearded brawny gold woodsman atop Oregon's capitol building looks like he's wearing a superhero cape. Although he was created in the same year as Superman (1938), a closer view reveals that the cape is in fact a humble tarp slung over his shoulder, perhaps to help the gilded Bunyan drag out the tree he's just chopped down with his big gold axe (one of his feet rests on its stump).
The Oregon Pioneer, his official name, stands 22 feet tall, weighs over eight tons, and is covered with 23 carat gold leaf. He was built in New Jersey.
One wonders if he's sad, gazing out at all the trees on the Capitol Mall that he'll never be able to hew into 2x4s and toothpicks.
