Show bunyan created lakes elk and torch lakes the beautiful finger lakes that stretch parallel for miles along the shore of lake michigan near elk rapids date back to the days of paul bunyan according to the old lum ber jacks lake michigan they say was scooped out by the mighty paul to be used as a log pond instead of skidding the logs into a stream and floating them down to his pond paul would hitch onto a section of land and drag it over to the lake log off of the timber and then haul the section back one day paul hooked onto a particularly heavy timbered section near the boardman and started babe the blue ox out to haul it over to the lake there had been a heavy rain t the h e ground was greasy and babes feet slipped torch and elk lakes re remain mairi an eternal testimonial to the blue ox and the time his feet slipped detroit free press |