Inyo County Points of Interest
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22 June 2009
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3 November 2012
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22 June 2009
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Coats Street
Tri-County Fairgrounds
Bishop
The Mule
A hybrid offspring of a male donkey, commonly known as a jackass and a female horse. Characterized by long ears, a braying voice and short mane, this patient and sure footed animal has been used as a beast of burden throughout the world.
Its size and strength gained from the horse and its stamina and intelligence inherited from the donkey made it the most widely used animal for hauling men and material from the east, thus allowing settlement of the west.
The mule was particularly useful in the eastern Sierra, where mining was done in steep mountainous terrain. In the late 1800's twenty mule teams hauled 36 ton wagons of borax from Death Valley to the railhead near the present day town of Barstow.
Dedicated June 21, 1997
Slim Princess Chapter 395
E. Clampus Vitus
Regarding the mule teams that hauled borax "from Death Valley to the railhead near the present town of Barstow."
In 1883, when Harmony Borax Works began operations, the borax was hauled out by eight and twelve mule teams to the railroad terminal at Daggett near Barstow. In 1884, the route was changed to Mojave, and the borax was hauled in larger wagons hitched to longr teams.