Pack Mules - The Most Important Animal in History

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Clipart Courtesy of OCAL on Clkr.com

Typically, mules are defined as belonging to a certain market class, a term originally used by the auction houses from which mules were sold. The height, weight, and conformation are the primary factors in deciding to which class a mule is assigned. When we speak of draft mules, pack mules, farm mules, cotton mules, sugar mules, railroad mules, mine mules, and so forth, the terms we are using describe those market classes. The market class to which a mule is assigned depends largely on the donkey-horse combination used in the breeding process.

Pack mules are usually large, heavy-boned, compactly built, rugged and possessed of a very strong constitution. They may be anywhere from 12 to 16 hands high and generally fall within the 600 to 1350 pound weight range. Mules of about 15 hands and 800 to 900 pounds were the ones most commonly used in the early days of the development of America. Draft mules have basically the same conformation but are usually taller and heavier with greater chest muscalature.

In my article, Army Mules, I presented a fairly detailed list of the characteristics common to all mules. Pack mules were:

• Extremely intelligent
• Cautious, avoiding unnecessary risks
• Brave, not easily startled
• Patient and long-suffering
• Sure-footed, hooves suited to steep, rocky, muddy terrains
• Load bearers, capable of carrying immense burdens
• Tolerant of extreme heat and cold
• Light eaters, requiring less food than horses and eating forage when necessary
• Tolerant of long periods without water
• More resistant to diseases and disease-bearing insects
• Very low maintenance, seldom needing even shoes
• Longer life spans than horses

Pack mules, pack mule teams, and pack mule trains were used in situations where no other animal would suffice for carrying heavy burdens. The packs carried by the mules were generally between 250 and 300 pounds. However, they were often required to carry more. There is one documented case where a single mule was used successfully to carry an 800-pound load in rough terrain.

Mules are truly unique animals, and they deserve a place of honor in our history. Without the stalwart, hard-working mule, the development of our country would have taken much longer and may have had an entirely different outcome.

Remixed Image from Economy of Mule Production, Copyright Expired.

Before railroads, pack mules were the primary means of transporting everything from one place to another in all situations where movement by wheeled vehicles was not possible. The railroad, as we know it, did not exist until early in the 1800s. Previous crude railways utilizing carts and wagons pulled by horses were not closely related to what we know as a railroad. Early in the 1800s, the steam engine was invented, furnishing an adequate power for true locomotives. Thus, began the history of our modern railroad systems.

In some parts of the country, constructing railroads required nothing more than materials and hard labor by men and horses. However, when the time came to expand the railroad system across deserts, steep mountains, and raging bodies of water, another source of power had to be used. That was the power of pack mules.



Most railroads employed the use of a construction locomotive which followed along as the railroads were constructed. These were used to haul the massive amount of ties and iron rails across the country. However, the construction locomotive required tracks to be built in front of it. Therefore, it fell to the pack mules to actually move whatever the men needed to complete the rails in advance of the construction locomotive. The pack mules hauled the drill steel and railroad iron, cog-wheels, shovels, axles, and dynamite wherever needed. The men also relied on the pack mules for provisions–water, food, medical supplies, tents, blankets, and everything else they needed to survive in the hottest deserts or the steep mountains that were often covered in snow.

The beds for the railroads had to be cut through the mountains, raised on trestles above the bodies of water (sometimes unbelievably high) and through densely wooded areas. It was the work of the pack mule to deliver whatever was needed to wherever it was needed and perform whatever tasks were assigned to him in building the great railroads which would eventually make him almost obsolete.

Images of train and railroad clearing are from publications whose copyright has expired. The image of men laying tracks is used courtesy of the National Archives.

Eventually man discovered that the mountains of the West, soaring above hundreds of miles of barren deserts, hid vast amounts of precious metals, minerals, and ores. Stories of the vast riches to be had there sent people into that region in droves, seeking untold fortunes.

Entering this hostile land where none but Indians had ever trod, the fortune-seekers faced almost insurmountable problems in getting themselves, the necessities of life, and the tools required to harvest the great riches into those far reaches. This monumental movement of people and goods was the burden of pack mules, sometimes in long mule trains over treacherous mountains and through scorching deserts, often facing the fury of nature.

Especially in the mountains, mud was a frequent problem for the prospectors and miners. During flash floods, enormous canyons and steep valleys at the bottom of the soaring mountain ranges would be filled with raging waters. Melting snow from the tops of the mountains also contributed to creating areas where both men and animals struggled to move forward. Pack mules were best suited to hauling in these situations because of their ability to withdraw themselves from the mud. The slow, cautious, and patient nature of the mule would guide him to lift each foot in turn and slowly but surely pull himself and whatever was loaded on his back to safety, while men and horses were frantically trying to get themselves out of the muddy muck.

Those who sought their fortunes in the mountainous regions soon discovered that getting there was no easy task. The trails were unbroken, steep and rugged, and often covered in snow. The trip up one side of a mountain and down the other, seeking just the right vein of ore, could take many months. At times, the scant trails would have snow drifts of 20 feet or more upon them. To make matters worse, ice would sometimes crust over one snowfall and then be covered by another. When other men and pack mules had gone before a traveler, there would often be deep holes beneath the topmost snow. These were created by the hooves of the pack mules who had gone before. Many men and mules fell victim to these holes. Breaking through the topmost snow and ice and stepping into one of these holes could leave a man or mule severely injured.

At times, the snow was so deep and the ice on top so slippery that not even the mules could maintain their footing and would go sliding down the slopes in a helter-skelter manner. Few of the pack mules ever lost their packs or were seriously injured. The men who had brought them on such a perilous journey, however, often did not fare as well.

Many of these adventurous men (and, yes, some women) did eventually make it to where they were going and even began to build camps and small communities in various places throughout the valleys and canyons. Many of them became supply stations for those who were traveling through the region. The accommodations provided by these stations and the outrageous prices charged by them are, in themselves, a worthy story. And, of course, whatever supplies they had to offer to the those traveling through, they, themselves, had received by pack mules and pack trains.

Images in this section were originally published in a magazine whose copyright has expired.

Pack Mules were perhaps the most important members of armed forces around the world for several centuries—second only to the soldiers themselves. Even in World War I and World War II, the military used pack mules for carrying heavy burdens into regions where more modern, wheeled equipment could not go. Mules were known by the military to have much stronger backs than horses. Therefore, pack mules were much more suited to carrying the vast supplies needed to support military operations.

The pack mules also were much better for use in uncertain and often difficult terrains, being much more sure of foot than horses. Most men learned in the ways of battle knew that pack mules could work for many long hours, often through whole days and nights, without just laying down and giving up.

Today, with our transport planes and ships, we think little of what is required to support military forces in the field. In other times, however, it was of the greatest concern; especially when battles were fought in rough country and unexplored regions where few if any trails were available for them to use. Although railroads were in common usage in some areas, during our Civil War, even they could not be depended upon because enemies often blew up the tracks for the express purpose of cutting off supply lines.

Imagine, if you will, what was required to support an army of 75,000 soldiers for several weeks or months.

• Enough food and water to feed the men and animals at least twice a day for several weeks, or even months.
• The pots, pans, plates, cups, coffee pots, and utensils—even firewood in the barren mountains.
• Clothing for the troops - including rain gear and heavy coats for the winter months, high in the mountains.
• Multiple thousands of blankets and tents.
• Medical equipment and supplies
• And, of course, the necessities of any war - weapons and ammunition.

Sometimes, all this was hauled by draft mules in teams pulling wagons. However, in situations where the wheeled wagons could not go, pack mules made it possible to go wherever the troops needed to go and keep them supplied with necessities.

Pack mule image from magazine published in 1900; free of copyright.

One of the most important services of pack mules during wartime was the movement of wounded soldiers. In "good" battle conditions, draft mules were used in teams to pull the ambulance wagons, carrying the sick and wounded back to wherever the camp hospital had been set up. However, many battles were fought in places were wheeled wagons simply could not go. Where it was not possible for the wheeled ambulance to go, the pack mules were responsible for getting the injured men back to the camp hospital for treatment.

Through many conflicts, soldiers who became ill, suffered an injury, or were wounded had to be taken back to the field hospital strapped across the back of a horse or mule. That trip in itself had to potential to end a soldier's life. Therefore, developing the ideal way of transporting the sick and wounded without causing them further injury was a continuous goal of those responsible for our military forces.

The conveyance shown above is a mule-litter developed by Dr. H. McElderry in 1877. Although it came too late for use in a lot of the wars, it did allow a comfortable transport for the wounded and offered advantages over other methods of transporting the sick, injured, and wounded. The apparatus could be folded up neatly onto the back of a pack mule so it could carry more supplies into the field when going from the hospital back to the field. Once unloaded, the mule-litter was unfolded and the injured man strapped onto it. Being fitted to the length of the mule and strapped over his center of gravity, this device allowed minimal swaying from the mule's movements and, thus, greater comfort to the soldier. Stabilizing the center of gravity also meant much less chance of both mule and soldier being pitched head-over-heels when descending steep mountain slopes. Because the mule-litter was no wider or longer than the pack mule, it was easier to navigate along narrow ledges with sharp curves than other types of conveyances.

Many other such devices, usually fitted to pack mules, were used throughout our military history. Some involved the use of two mules with a "bed" mounted between them to carry the injured soldier. Besides requiring two mules to transport one injured man, this device also had the disadvantage of being difficult to maneuver around sharp turns. It was also somewhat difficult because, if one mule stumbled, the other was also likely to do so, sometimes causing the soldier to be dumped to the ground and possibly harming him even more. Perhaps its greatest advantage was that the conveyance could be unstrapped from the mules and carried by hand if necessary.

Arguably the most often used means of transport for the wounded was via a travail, which is more commonly known as an Indian-litter. The military learned of its usage from the Indians and adapted it to their own needs. It was a type of "sled" mounted on long poles that were strapped to the pack mules. The ends of the poles rested on the ground as the sled was pulled behind the pack mule. The great advantage with this type of carriage was the fact that it, too, could be quickly unstrapped from the pack mule and carried by men when necessary. This was especially important when crossing streams and rivers. Another great advantage was that this type of carrier could be made very quickly by the soldiers, using branches and blankets. This was definitely a plus as the transports could become worn-out or broken. The disadvantage was, of course, the danger in making sharp turns where the travail could topple and possibly dump both the soldier and the mule over the edge of cliff.

Many hundreds of papers and detailed drawings were submitted suggesting various modes of transportation of the sick and wounded in difficult terrains. Ultimately, however, it was simply an argument over how to make the transports to assure the safe delivery of the sick and injured to the hospitals where they would receive life-saving care. And in moving those transports, the pack mule was of invaluable service.

Pack mule images from government publications or magazines whose copyrights have expired.

Horse Drawings in above gray boxes are Courtesy of OCAL on Clkr.com.

The mighty pack mule is no longer required to do all the heavy work in America. Industrialization has made him a much-loved memory. Although still used to some extent by the military in its operations around the world and still working on some farms in America, his days of glory have passed. Even his services in Grand Canyon trail rides is being questioned now because environmentalists are objecting the damage his small, sharp hooves do to the trails. His role today is primarily that of a show animal, participating in events that celebrate his illustrious history.

Yet, we must always remember the role this magnificent animal played in making our country what it is today. Songs have been written about him and great tales have been told to help us remember the contributions he has made. Let us never forget for he is quite possibly the most important animal in history!

Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons; free of copyright.

The mule image used in the table of contents and guestbook banners as well as the TOC link in each section is derived from an image whose copyright has expired.

Clipart Courtesy of OCAL on Clkr.com

guardianstar77 is a writer, graphics design artist, nature enthusiast and lover of everything that resembles a horse. She lives in Central Arkansas and shares her life with a husband of over 40 years, 2 sons, and 5 fabulous grandchildren. guardianstar77 is not domesticated, finding that spending time doing almost anything else beats doing housework. Her passions include recycling, frugal living, feeding the hungry, old-fashioned vintage everything, nature, reading, writing, flea markets and yard sales, Christmas, mystical creatures, carousels, and artwork filled with glorious earthy colors.

guardianstar77 is a devout Christian, a staunch conservative, a passionate American, and a defender of capitalism. Although she is, by her own definition, somewhat of a "professional hermit crab", guardianstar77 is deeply loyal to her family and those she chooses to have as friends. When not pursuing writing and artistic goals, she spends her time deepening those relationships.

Being born in the state of Missouri and having recently discovered a passion for the Missouri state animal— the mule—guardianstar77 developed yet another persona—that of a mule, specifically a Missouri Mule .

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