Twenty Mule Teams
For more than a century, the 20 Mule Team
has been the symbol of the borax industry-
on product labels, in history books, and on
television. The status is well-earned; mule
teams helped solve the most difficult taks that
faced Death Valley borax operators -- getting
the product to market.
The mule teams pulled loads
weghting up to 36 tons (33,113 kg)
including 1,200 gallons (1,515 l) of
drinking water.
The rear wagon wheels were seven
feet (2.1 m) high, and the entire
unit with mules was more than
100 feet (30.5 m) long.
The 20 mule teams traveled south through Death
Valley out Wingate Pass, then across the desert to
Mojave -- 165 miles of forbidding terrain.
