image mules and wagon
      Famous Mules and Burros too!

      They are half horse and donkey, United States president, George Washington promoted this. Mules have been an important part of history. From mining, prospecting and transportation. Imagine the heat, drought, cold, snow, rain, mud, sand storms of the desert winds the animals had been through - just to help man. Here are a few promotions for the mules. They have been in the movies, amusement parks, parades, celebrations, traveling shows, coal - gold mines, and plowed the farms, only to be nameless? They are smart, have a good disposition and very hard workers.



      If you plan to go into the Grand Canyon in Arizona. The mules are sure footed that journey on the trails. The Brady Bunch filmed in the Grand Canyon in the episode "Grand Canyon Or Bust" riding the mules in the canyon. "Bessie" was the name of the the pack mule of prospector in the ghost town portrayed by Jim Backus in one of the episode called "Ghost Town USA" in 1971.



      Gus the mule was an Award Winner
      of the 1977 patsy award for equine in motion pictures

      image Gus the mule
      Gus in football jersey
      The Disney movie call Gus is about a mule named "Gus" who was the teams football place kicker star. Bobby Davenport was the animal trainer. Gus did all kinds of stunts in this comedy. image Guss the mule
      Tom Bosley and Gus the mule

      "GUS" from the Walt Disney Movie was the Grand Marshall of the 1976 Bishop California Mule Days Parade !


      Cupcake the mule
      Cupcake appeared in 1977 TV series Thunder . Cupcake was trained to "Burp" on cue by owner/trainer Bobby Davenport. The program was filmed near Bishop, California.

      Mules were in the silent movies and comedies of the Marx Brothers, the 3 Stooges and Laural & Hardy before "Francis, the talking mule" .
      "Ruth" was the mule Festus rode on Gunsmoke and "Blue" was the white mule of The Waltons TV series. "Jeanette" was the pack mule in a John Wayne movie. All the westerns had mules and some we will never know the mules names, they are extras with no starring roles or hipe.

      Image Ruth the mule and Festus
      "Ruth" the mule
      with actor Ken Curtis "Festus"
      ""


      Bright Angel ... Brighty for short.click mp3 button to hear

      Not a mule... but a burro starred in the 1967 movie " Brighty of the Grand Canyon ". Disney has had the movie televised on the original Wonderful World of Disney then and on the satellite cable Disney Channel of this era. It is on video tape, but may be hard to find today.

      It is an award-winning novel by Marguerite Henry, then was made into the movie. The adventures of a free-spirited, shaggy little burro, named Brighty, who actually lived in the Grand Canyon for almost thirty years in the early 1900's.

      The Breyer plastic molding company made a Brighty burro in the sitting position. A gift set with burro and the book was sold during early 1980's

      There was a statue made of Brighty that once stood at the entrance to the Grand Canyon Park.

      Brighty says a few words

      uses Real Audio Player

      image Brighty the burro

      image Brighty book
      "Brighty of the Grand Canyon" book by
      Marguerite Henry



    20 Mule team of Death Valley Days

      animated image borax mule toy A collectable of one the famous Mules was made. It is about a foot tall plush and stuffed .image mule kit toy
      Also a replica plastic model kit with all the mules, 2 wagons & water tanker . It was offered from the borax company and the TV series.

      The mules of the desert in California really were rough and tough to with stand the heat (back and forth) of desolate Death Valley mining the "Borax Works" mills to the shipment area. It's very hot in the summer, but has cooler nights in the high desert region.
      The mules are the icon of " 20 mule team " Borax company, the advertiser of "Death Valley Days" a western program that ran 1951 to 1969. It had a new story about the old west each week and the mules were shown at the start of the show. The former United States President, Ronald Reagan had been the host of "Death Valleys Days" Because of the popularity of the mules the Borax company have put out products besides the powder cleaner. Various collectables have been turning up through the years. The original famous team is really 18 mules and 2 horses. The mules were given the well deserved break from years of work and only appeared at special events after the railroads took over the job.

      image borax mules1 image borax mules 2
      The borax wagons and mules of the past
      Notable appearances of the Mules
      Year
      St. Louis World's Fair , Missouri
      President Woodrow Wilson's Inauguration
      Featured as a sound effect in the radio program, "Death Valley Days"
      San Francisco Bay Bridge Dedication
      A 40-city tour to promote Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's movie,"Twenty Mule Team"
      Rose Parade Pasadena California
      The mule won first place in the 1917 parade

      1904
      1917

      1930

      1937

      1940


      1917-1999
      Names of the 1999 mule team
      Leaders
      Swing team
      pairs
      Jumping team pairs
      Wheelers
      Spare tire
      Kate and Maggie
      Pattie and Nattie, Ralph and Gus, Clyde and Indiana, Red and Abby, Norton and Tattoo
      Sid and Rick, Rooster and BJ, Bonnie and Donna
      Mary and Luke
      Roger

      January 1, 1999 the mules have retired from appearing in Pasadena California Rose Parade but the wagons will be on permanent display at the Borax Visitor Center in Boron, California. California's largest mine. The company office is located in Santa Clarita, California.


      image borax wagon
      The Borax cargo wagon
      image mules in mojave desert
      The Mojave Desert - the 20 mule team trail

          The summer temperatures are as high as 136 degrees in the desert. The mules traveled 16 to 18 miles per day to complete 162 miles of the Death Valley trail. Furnace creek in Death Valley, to Baker, Mojave, & Daggett, California from the old Borax mines to the nearest railroad. The trip took about 10 days.

          image wagons and mules


          Eagle Borax Works started in 1876
          Harmony Borax Works started in 1877
          July to October work stopped due to temendous heat in the desert Early made wagons had to be redesigned being the wooden spokes of the wheels dehydrated. Wood had to be seasoned before use on the trail.
          The mule skinner had to be a
          veternarian - to care for the mules if they became ill,
          blacksmith - to shoe the mules if need be,
          carpenter - for repairs on the wagon to take on the challenge of the job.

          image 20 mule trail book A 36 page booklet was published in 1955 by Harlod O. Weight, titled "Twenty Mule Team Days In Death Valley". It contains black and white pictures, and a map of the old borax trails of the Mojave desert, Old Death Valley, history of mules, mule skinners, and the mining of desert borax.

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        established October 25, 1999
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        Movie 20 Mule Team (1940)
        Death Valley National Park
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