1955
Former President Harry Truman and a Missouri mule at the state fair on August 23, 1955. As a young man, Truman worked on his family’s farm for eleven years where he plowed many fields with mules. The sturdy animals were first brought to Missouri by traders along the Santa Fe Trail in the 1820s. Mules soon became a staple of Missouri farms. Despite rapid advancements in military technology, the surefooted mule was indispensable for hauling equipment on the Western Front in World War I. The demand for mules on the farm and overseas grew rapidly. Guyton & Harrington in Lathrop became the largest mule dealership in the world. Although replaced by tractors for farm work in the 1930s, the mule remains an important symbol of Missouri’s history and culture
Object Details
Categories: Agriculture, Business & Economy
Date: 1955
Subject: Harry S. Truman; Mules
Contributing Institution: Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
Accession Number: 58-643
County: Pettis
Region: Central
Type: Photograph
Latitude: 39.102947
Longitude: -94.421569
Photographer: Harris B. Dickey