Product Code Database
Twenty-mule teams were teams of eighteen and two attached to large that transported borax out of Death Valley from 1883 to 1898. They traveled from mining across the Mojave Desert to the nearest Rail transport spur, away in Mojave. The routes were from the Harmony and Amargosa Borax Works to Daggett, California, and later Mojave, California. After Harmony and Amargosa shut down in 1888, the mule team's route was moved to the mines at Borate, east of Calico, back to Daggett. There they worked from 1891 until 1898 when they were replaced by the Borate and Daggett Railroad.
The wagons were among the largest ever pulled by draft animals, designed to carry 10 (9 tonne) of borax ore at a time.
The twenty-mule-team wagons were designed to carry of borax ore at a time. The rear wheels were high, and fitted with iron . The solid oak wagon beds measured long by deep, and weighed empty. Due to their rugged construction, none ever broke down in transit. The first wagon was the trailer, the second was "the tender" or the "back action", and the tank wagon containing water brought up the rear. With the mules, the caravan stretched over . When loaded with ore the total weight of the mule train, wagons and all, was .
The water tank held , Desert Magazine, June 1940
The teams hauled more than of borax out of Death Valley in the six years of operation, with Pacific Coast Borax shipping their borax by train starting in 1898.[1] Buckboard Days in Borate, Desert Magazine, September 1939
The teamster drove the team with a single long rein, known as a "jerk line", and the aid of a long blacksnake whip. The teamster usually rode the left wheeler, but he could also drive from the trailer seat, working the brake on steep descents. The swamper usually rode the trailer, but in hilly country, he would be on the back action available to work the brake. From the trailer, armed with a can of small rocks, he could pelt an inattentive mule and send it back to work. Both men were responsible for readying the team, feeding and watering of the mules, and any veterinary care or repairs that needed to be done. There was a mid-day stop to feed and water the mules in harness. The night stops had corrals and feed boxes for the mules. A day'
Desert Magazine June 1940 There were water barrels on the wagons for the teamster and the swamper. Water supplies were refilled at springs along the way, as it was not possible to carry enough water for the entire trip. Feed and water for the return trip were dispersed at camps along the road by outbound teams from Mojave pulling empty borax wagons. At one point on the route an additional wagon was added to the outbound train to take water to a dry camp, which was used by a return team and the cycle repeated.Of Myths and Men: Separating Fact from Fiction in the Twenty Mule Team Story, by Ted Faye, Proceedings Fifth Death Valley Conference on History and Prehistory
Team
Horses were the wheelers, the two closest to the wagon. They were ridden by one of the two men generally required to operate the wagons and were typically larger than their mule brethren. They had great brute strength for starting the wagons moving and could withstand the jarring of the heavy wagon tongue, but the mules were smarter and better suited to work in desert conditions. In the Proceedings Fifth Death Valley Conference on History and Prehistory, two articles discussed freight operations in the Mojave with specific details on the use of mules and horses. In "Of Myths and Men: Separating Fact from Fiction in the Twenty Mule Team Story", author Ted Fave discussed how the teams were assembled, trained, and used. "Nadeau's Freighting Teams in the Mojave", based on Remi Nadeau's historic accomplishments hauling freight throughout the desert region, gives further insight as to the superiority of mules for general use.
Desert Magazine, "Giant Wagons of Death Valley," by Richard A. Bloomquist
Joe Zentner wrote of the origins of the advertising campaign on the Desert USA website in "Twenty Mule Teams on the move in Death Valley". Bill Parkinson, formerly a night watchman for the company, had to learn quickly how to drive the team when he was given the role of "Borax Bill". He was the first, but not the last, driver known by that name. The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair was the maiden appearance for the team and was such a success that Parkinson went on tour.
The team eventually made its way to New York City, parading down Broadway. After that showing, the mules were sold, and the wagons shipped back to California.http://www.desertusa.com/mag05/jul/borax.html 20-Mule Borax Teams on the Move in Death Valley, DesertUSA.com The mules also appeared at the Golden Gate Bridge dedication, according to "The Last Ride, the Borax Twenty Mule Team 1883–1999".
A short item in the June 1940 edition of Desert Magazine mentioned that two of the original borax wagons were en route to the New York World's Fair. The item followed with the note that muleskinner "Borax Bill" Parkinson had driven an original wagon from Oakland, California, to New York City in 1917, spending two years on the journey. The mule team also made periodic re-enactment appearances on hauls into Death Valley.
Desert Magazine September 1961, by Lucille Weight Other appearances for twenty-mule teams included President Wilson's inauguration in 1917.http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5382/is_/ai_n21436005 Borax Twenty Mule Team takes its final ride, Engineering and Mining Journal, Feb 1999
Promotional team appearances ended with an outing in the January 1, 1999, Rose Parade. The team had a shakedown outing in a 1998 Boron, California, parade. The company spent $100,000, refitting the 115-year-old wagons and obtaining harnesses and mules for the performance. There were no plans for additional public appearances for advertising purposes, as the company no longer had a retail product line.
U.S. Borax put out a paperback publication titled The Last Ride, the Borax Twenty Mule Team 1883–1999 that included many details about the history of the team and the preparation for the Rose Parade outing.The Last Ride, the Borax Twenty Mule Team 1883–1999 There is a photo of Borax Bill driving the team down Broadway in New York City with bells on every animal. Most of the time, only the leaders wore bells. Another picture shows the team in San Francisco in 1917. This picture clearly shows the teamster on a horse. Another historic picture shows a working borax freight team with a mix of horses and mules.
A road that somewhat follows the route of the twenty-mule teams through California City, California is named Twenty Mule Team Parkway. The main street in Boron, California, a former alignment of California State Route 58, is named Twenty Mule Team Road.
|
|
