Legends and Tall Tales are American Folktales that began during the Pioneer days of the 1800s when American was expanding out west into new frontiers.  People were traveling far from home to new places and often found themselves around a campfire needing a story to entertain themselves.  Loggers, railroad workers, ranchers, and those on the wagon train would exaggerate stories about people similar to them to make their seemingly dull lives sound more interesting.  Some of the stories may have started from something that really did happen and then the story got exaggerated into a tall tale.  Some famous characters from American legends are Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, Johnny Appleseed, and John Henry.

Lesson 1:  Watch Tall Tale video

Lesson 2:  Tall Tales SMART Ideas Lesson

Great Sites:    Tall Tales
                         Paul Bunyan:  The Giant Lumberjack
                          Paul Bunyan stories
                          Pecos Bill stories

Activites:    Go West Across America with Lewis and Clark