Mule Train, Part the Fourth

And one more (hopefully final) Mule Train Postcard update!*

Regular readers of this infrequently updated blog may remember these posts and discussions about the postcard depicting a Mule Train headed down Monroe Street in Waterloo, Wisconsin: 

• Mule Train 
• Mule Train: Part the Second 
• Mule Train: Part the Third

In the third blog regarding the Mule Train postcard, I had declared the photo to be a fake, in the absence of any evidence to prove otherwise. Well, I am happy to report that I now have that evidence, and can declare the postcard TRUE!

Just to jog your memory, here is the postcard in question:

And now for the proof that a mule train did, indeed, wander through little downtown Waterloo, Wisconsin *cue fanfair*:

From the Waterloo Journal, dated October 5, 1905, Page 1.

* Edited to add:

Oh, but wait! There's more!

According to local newspapers at the time, the reason the Borax 20-Mule Team was in the area, was because it was making a rare appearance at the Dodge County Fair of 1905. They had appeared at the World's Fair in St Louis the year before, and at the Wisconsin State Fair earlier in the month, but this was THE first county fair to secure them.

From the Waterloo Democrat, October 6, 1905, Page 6.

 

From the Beaver Dam Argus, September 15, 1905, Page 4.

From the Dodge County Citizen, September 27, 1905, Page 1 (continued below).

From the Dodge County Citizen, September 27, 1905, Page 1 (continued from above).

From the Dodge County Citizen, September 13, 1905, Page 1.

Ta-daaaaaaaa!

* Quick update from the comments - here's a really cool web page describing how a mule team like this would turn corners, and other fascinating mule team tidbits. Wow! Thanks for the tip, Stamppy! http://www.muleteamkits.com/

Mule Train, part the third

Mule Train Postcard update! 

Regular readers of this blog may remember the posts and/or discussions about the Mule Train postcard HERE and HERE, in which it was speculated that this postcard may have been "Photoshopped." (Using whatever magical technology that was available nearly 100 years ago, in the early 1900s!) 

As anyone who has ever sent or received a postcard can tell you, "fake" or embellished scenes are quite common in postcards, even today. It adds an extra bit of whimsey, and who doesn't like that?

Well, this particular subject rears its horsey head again because in this week's issue of The Waterloo Courier (or just "Courier," as they like to call it, so the Marshall folks won't feel left out), they published a set of old-timey postcards, one of which was the infamous "20 Mule Team Borax" postcard:

As you can see, the blurb accompanying the photo discusses the history of the Borax 20-mule teams, but does not even question the authenticity of this scenario. The blurb also says the mule teams were used until 1989. Wait... What?? Surely that's a typographical error. I can't imagine that it would have been efficient (much less "politically correct") to employ the services of several teams of 20 live mules, rather than a fleet of big old trucks, in 1989.

I do wish someone could come up with a date when this supposed visit from the mule team occurred. Something this unusual would surely have made the papers! Would be nice to have some corroborating evidence to declare this photo authentic. Perhaps some bored intern at The Courier or a volunteer at the Waterloo Historical Society could use their resources to look into this. Until that happens, though, I'm declaring this photo a fake.

That's right. It's been declared. 

Mule Train, part the second.

Since Stamppy had so many interesting questions regarding the Mule Train photo I posted earlier, I thought I would make a whole new post for my answers, and include a modern-day photograph of that same section of town. Here is the "modern" photo and the mule photo again, followed by question and answer, yay!

Why isn't the lady on the right even looking at the horsies as they pass thru town? Oh, probably because she's seen mule trains before. Did you notice the horses aren't moving? They're just standing there for the photo.

Maybe lady on right was looking at them, but just happened to turn to speak to a friend at the moment the photo was taken. The mules appear to be waiting for something (I hope they're not Waiting for Godot, because, as I recall, he never shows up) -- maybe they're waiting for the bumper-to-bumper-to-buuuuuuumper traffic to ease up. There's a man walking in the back by the wagon -- maybe it's the driver, and perhaps he's stopped to pick up some sausages at the local locker plant.

The shadow of that tree looks a little suspicious, too. The angle of the shadow doesn't match with the angle of the man's shadow on the left.

The shadows all look to me like the sun is coming from the front and left. Note the mule in front with his head turned -- his shadow sticks out more, but because his head is stuck out more.

Have you identified any of the buildings? Would this photo be taken from the 4 corners, or looking in the direction of the 4 corners?

The view is looking up N Monroe, on the west/left side. The two buildings on the left are no longer there -- they are where the Wendt building (The Diner) and the something else building are now. The next long building with the pointies on top is where Raaaaaaay's Tog and Video are. The next building with the upward swoop and a diamond shape near the top is where Minuteman is now. And the next building with three windows is where Audrey has her Place. And that's as far as my "modern" picture goes to.

Why are there 2 different heights of electric poles? And they're so close to each other!

I don't know about the poles... maybe they had one set for telephone/telegraph, and one for electricity?

Mule Train

Here's a postcard showing a mule train going through Waterloo, Wisconsin. Judging by the buildings, clothing, and style of postcard (divided back, printed in Germany), it must have been printed sometime between 1907 and 1915. The only problem is, I can't seem to find any evidence of a 20-mule team traveling through this part of the country during those specific years.

I thought it might be the Boraxo Company's famous "20 Mule Team Borax" mule team on a tour (from what I've read, the mules were no longer working as borax haulers during that time, having been replaced by narrow-gauge railway in the 1890's), but the Boron Chamber of Commerce people tell me that they toured in the 1950's, going to parades. Clearly, this picture is from a much earlier time.

There is, however, some talk in this story by Joe Zentner of a mule team going to the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition (World's Fair) in St. Louis as part of an advertising campaign, and then touring the East Coast for the next few years, but the story also says that, in late 1906, "the mules were sold and the wagons returned to California," so that wouldn't quite fit, either. Unless the photo was taken previous to the "divided-back era" of postcards, and just postcarded up at a later time. Hmmmm...

------------------------------------------------

2008-July-15 Edited to add:
Another copy of this postcard was recently seen for sale on eBay, with a 1907 postmark.

Horsies.

Anton's horsies:

Smaller version of same:


Woah.