Defending St. Louis from Attack Saves STL
The Colonial Days His Bride
Valles Mines, Missouri, U S A
Founded in 1749 by Francois Valle in the French Upper Louisiana before Lewis and Clark. 275 years later the Valle Mining Company's 4000+ acre property every year absorbs 21,000 tons of carbon dioxide and generates
14,000 tons of oxygen, enough to meet the needs of 63,000 people. [USDA Forest Facts]
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The old Mule Barn - Its Foundation is Still Intact

14160 Valles Mines School Road

Our former Mule Barn 1978 in the heart of Winter
What little remains of our Mule Barn above ground is memories but its stone foundation is still in its original location, waiting for its restoration. The nearby Tractor Shed is all that remains of how things got hauled around in the old days.
The Missouri Mule, once legendary, has fallen from favor along with the Cavalry and the horse-drawn cannon. However, for the better, in 1995 the Missouri mule was designated as the official state animal.
Some have chosen to keep the tradition of this sturdy animal alive and tack and gear for them is still available. Many are fond of this unusual animal and even show their Zebra Hybrids and 'Zorses'.
The Missouri Mule
For more info, see the State of Missouri's helpful webpage. The last mule to work on the property belonged to the late Tom Jarvis, our logger in 1986, who used a pink-nosed mule to skid logs out of tight places in the forest and to help position the sawlogs for easy loading onto the log trucks on the landings. Fortunately, just as we were getting lonely for more mules, we were visited not too long ago by Mr. Larry French who was kind enough to bring his mule wagon and mules to visit. If you have a mule or pictures you want to share, please let someone at the Museum.
This pennant hung in my room as a child. My dad started his Army career in the U.S. Cavalry but he was a student of 'good horseflesh" as well. He respected the Missouri Mule and said they were admired and famous all over the world. They were a lot bigger back then as I recall [see below]. In those days they pulled cannons.
Harry Truman with a Missouri Mule