The folklore of North America is full of tall tales and wild stories from the North Woods and the Wild West -- most of them too fantastical to be believed. But as with a lot of oral tradition, some of those stories are actually rooted in true figures from history. Can you separate fact from fiction? Test your knowledge with our "real or not" folklore quiz!

This quiz was researched in part with the Library's online databases, including the Literature Resource Center, Biography in Context, American History, and American National Biography. 

Sources & Further Reading

The Encyclopedia of American Folklore. Linda S. Watts. New York: Facts on File, 2007. 

Was Paul Bunyan a Real Person? Sarah Pruitt. History.com, A+E Networks, 2015.

"Bunyan, Paul." Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature, Merriam-Webster, 1995. Literature Resource Center. Accessed 28 June 2017.

The Strangely True Tale of Johnny Appleseed. Kee Malesky. NPR, 2012. 

Taking Swings at a Myth, with John Henry the Man. William Grimes. New York Times, 2006. 

On the Trail of the Real John Henry. John Garst; response by Scott Nelson. History News Network, Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, George Washington University, 2006. Accessed 28 June 2017.

Molly Brown: Unraveling the Myth. Kristen Iversen. Boulder: Johnson Books, 1999. 

Just Who Was The "Unsinkable Molly Brown?" Mario Ritter. VOA News, 2010. 

Pecos Bill. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014. Accessed 28 June 2017.

Joaquin Murieta. Outlaws, Mobsters & Crooks, vol. 5, Gale, 2002. Biography in Context. Accessed 28 June 2017.

Who Was the Real Ichabod Crane? Michael Pollak. New York Times, 2015.

David Crockett. Encyclopedia of World Biography, Gale, 1998. Biography in Context. Accessed 28 June 2017.

Buffalo Bill Cody. American History,  ABC-CLIO,  2017. Accessed 28 June 2017.

Earp, Wyatt. Vernon Maddux. American National Biography Online, February 2000. Accessed 28 June 2017.

Wyatt Earp. Anne Blaschke. American History, ABC-CLIO, 2017. Accessed 28 June 2017.

Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp. Encyclopedia of World Biography, Gale, 1998. Biography in Context. Accessed 28 June 2017.

Brave, Courageous... and Crooked? Allen Barra. American History, vol. 51, no. 5, 2016, p. 20+. Biography in Context. Accessed 28 June 2017.