Tucson Man 1998
Tucson, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Tucson Man is a 20-foot lumberjack who has watched traffic pass the corner of Stone Avenue and Glenn Street since 1964. Despite the large axe in his hands, this bearded fellow looks friendly enough. He was still standing tall when photographed in 1998.

Leo Toia first opened a Shell station on this corner in 1947. He gradually expanded the property into a little business complex with an auto-parts store, muffler shop, car wash, and sporting-goods store. In 1964, Leo spotted the giant at an automotive trade show in San Francisco and purchased him for $1,275.

The lumberjack rode back to Tucson strapped to a flatbed truck alongside several smaller fiberglass animals. After Leo installed him outside the business, the city prohibited advertising from being attached to the statue. Without a company name to hold, the big fellow simply became a neighborhood landmark.

Tucson Lumberjack
Tucson, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Toia family occasionally dressed him for special occasions. They once made an enormous Santa Claus suit using newspaper patterns, and during Operation Desert Storm, his axe was replaced with a large American flag. He has also survived gunfire, stolen axes, and vandals setting part of the Santa suit on fire.

Tucson police reportedly had a little fun with the statue as well. Rookie officers were sometimes dispatched to a report of a “man with an axe at Glenn and Stone,” only to arrive and find the fiberglass lumberjack waiting patiently on the corner.

UPDATE: Despite being listed as gone in some early records, the Tucson Man remains standing at Stone and Glenn. Don’s Hot Rod Shop has closed and the property has been offered for sale, leaving the giant’s future uncertain. The old Leo’s Auto Supply sign was removed and preserved at Tucson’s Ignite Sign Art Museum. 09-26

Tucson Man (1999) Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Tucson Man (1998) Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Tucson Man (1998) Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Lumberjack Cafe
Flagstaff, AZ
Postcard courtesy Jodey Elsner

The Lumberjack Cafe Man once stood beside Route 66 in Flagstaff, keeping watch for hungry travelers and perhaps the occasional dine-and-dasher. With his flannel shirt, heavy boots, beard, and enormous axe, the big fellow made sure nobody missed the Lumberjack Cafe. The restaurant is gone, but its oversized spokesman found a fitting second career with the Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks.

The story began in 1962, when Bob Prewitt of Prewitt Fiberglass Animals created a giant Paul Bunyan figure for a customer who never completed the purchase. Rather than leave the unemployed lumberjack behind, Prewitt loaded him onto a truck and headed east along Route 66 in search of a buyer.

Heading a bit eastward, Arizona is home to quite a few classic roadside men. In fact, Northern Arizona University is home to not one, but two of the Lumberjack variety.

Indoors at NAU (98)
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

When Prewitt reached Flagstaff, the owners of the Lumberjack Cafe quickly recognized that a giant fiberglass logger might be pretty useful outside a restaurant with that name. The statue was installed beside the highway, where he began attracting passing motorists into the parking lot.

That first Flagstaff lumberjack is now widely recognized as the original Muffler Man. His design became the model for the towering Paul Bunyans, cowboys, mechanics, Indians, golfers, and other fiberglass giants that soon appeared across the country. Depending on the business, their huge hands might hold an axe, muffler, tire, hot dog, or just about anything else an owner wanted to advertise.

Outdoors at NAU (98)
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The first lumberjack worked so well that the cafe eventually ordered a second giant. The original had been molded in one solid piece, while his newer brother arrived in several sections that could be bolted together. From the ground, however, they looked enough alike to make passing motorists wonder if the Arizona air was causing giants to multiply.

Both statues achieved a little movie fame in 1969 when they appeared outside the Lumberjack Cafe in Easy Rider. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper may have received the starring roles, but the two fiberglass lumberjacks were considerably taller.

Indoor lumberjack with a smile
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The cafe closed in 1973 and became Granny’s Closet. Rather than discard the giants, the new owners donated both of them to Northern Arizona University. There could hardly have been a better match. In 1988, the university officially named the pair Louie, taking inspiration from The Kingsmen’s garage-rock classic Louie Louie.

Skydome Lumberjack
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

When photographed in 1998, one Louie stood outside the Walkup Skydome while the other watched over the football field from inside. The indoor lumberjack held his axe beneath the scoreboard, silently cheering on the home team and probably intimidating the visiting kicker.

That Louie ran into trouble after being removed during stadium renovations in 2018. While sitting in storage, someone cut off and stole his head. The culprit and the original head were never found, but NAU eventually sculpted a replacement, restored the statue, and returned the old lumberjack to public view.

Skydome Lumberjack
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

UPDATE: Here are more photos of the lumberjack standing outside of the Northern Arizona University Skydome. As the official mascot of NAU, this lumberjack was built back in 1963. Originally standing in front of the Lumberjack Cafe on Milton Rd near downtown Flagstaff, the statue made it through the restaurant's renaming to Granny's Closet in 1973. 05-20

UPDATE: Both Louie the Lumberjack statues survive outside the Walkup Skydome. The original 1962 figure, considered the very first Muffler Man, greets fans near the main entrance. His restored companion now stands along the east side of the stadium, once again holding his axe and keeping his head. 09-26