Bob Piper's Corner - July 20, 1986

July 20, 1986

GROWING UP WITH JENNY AND JACK MULES

Out home was on one corner of our big lot. Horse barn on another, bakery and the lard and sausage building on the other two corners. We had four teams of small mules that we delivered with. I often wonder what became of this herd of mules as I don’t see them anymore, mainly because there is no need for them. With the advent of trucks and more paving they weren’t needed. The men at the barn always told us boys to look after the mules as they were no bother. This is true. They will not overeat. You could leave the grain bin open and they would eat only so much, would not drink too much, never get overheated and would never strain to pull more than they should.

They seldom kicked from the back and if they did they got ready for several seconds giving you time to move. However, they did reach out front with shod hooves. This was an unlooked for trick and they had to be watched. Strangers had to beware. One mule wouldn’t move without the other and when one stopped the other did too. They were afraid of nothing alive or dead.

On the intersection where Sid Larson lived they were laying the brick pavement. A steam roller was in use to roll the bricks down level into the sand base. We came along with a mule team and wagon. Bill Baster, boss of the gang, stopped the roller and came over to lead the team by. We warned him not to come up to the front of the mules. One mule reached out and split his shirt and pants from top to bottom. Didn’t put a scratch on him. The mules went up to the roller which was hissing and shaking, smelled it and ambled on as though it was nothing.

We sold the teams over a time as we had less mud streets and more trucks. The last team we sold to Howard Culbertson. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church. His wife wanted a quiet team to drive around their farm. The jack wouldn’t stay and came home time after time. Father gave them their money back and brought the team home.

The jenny died, and the jack loafed around home for years. Didn’t get into much trouble. Got into someone’s garden now and then and Father would pay thirty-five or fifty cents to take care of the damage.

The jack went swimming with us and watched out clothes. He wouldn’t let you ride him. He went to the football games because my brother Joe and myself were playing. He ran in in spite of everything and ate grass along the corners of the field. Had to be chased off the field now and then.

When I went away to school he was still there at home. I’ll write more about this mule later. After no more boys were home Father thought the mule went to look for us and had a brush with the switch engine which ended his life.

Sunday, July 20th, George Dunshee, Charles Prior and myself took off at 2 p.m. for a ride. Went south first to look into the location of a little settlement west of the Slab Castle area where five or six families lived, now gone for years. We went south on Highway 14 to the second road running east. If that road ran clear through it would come out on the Confidence road or the road that goes by Salem Cemetery. The west end was closed when the Rock Island went through. It was near the junction of Wolf Creek and the Chariton River. It was north of Frank Ambelang’s farm, east of Braden School, south of the Joe Shore farm and west of Slab Castle. Hupps had a saw mill on Wolf Creek and Cumpston had one on the Chariton River. It’s hard to find anyone old enough to clue us in on all this. More later on this. Went from this area to the crossing where people were killed Sunday a.m. Talked to Burlington Northern investigators a moment and then headed for Stephens Forest out by Thousand Acres to check on flowers, especially Joe-Pye-weed. We found plenty and it was beautiful. Had a lesson on the difference between Joe-Pye and boneset. Plenty of selfheal and germander, but no blazing star. Checked out the strip mines and headed back to Chariton. We were on low maintenance roads we had never been on before. One joke about this is we pick up Charles Prior in town and haul him back to the country where he lives.