PIONEER TRAILS ADVENTURES

Meet Our Wagon Master

 

At first, all Ralph dreamed of was a simple ride around the Independence Square; "carriage therapy," a bit of relaxation in a hectic world.

 

But it didn't take him long to realize Independence visitors and residents had access to the site of Harry S Truman's first job. Not to mention, the courthouse that the future president built. Just a block down was the jail that held "the most dangerous outlaw in the world," Frank James. Nearby was a marker commemorating the tremendous 2nd Battle of Independence. Names like "William Clark Quantrill" and "George Caleb Bingham" kept popping up. Who were they? As he began researching, Ralph discovered a vein of historic gold as rich as anything struck in California.

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So in 1999 Pioneer Trails Adventures was born - an educational wagon ride through history!

 

But something was missing....

 

The more Ralph read about the history of Independence, Missouri the more he realized that in spite of all the horses in the old Hollywood movies, it was actually mules and oxen that mainly pulled the wagons west.

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The mule is a hybrid, a cross between a male donkey and a female horse. Full of curiosity, Ralph bred "Harry A Truman" (the meaning of the "A" is left to your imagination!)...his first mule.

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Ralph quickly discovered that Harry's outlook on the world was very different from any horse. With a little persuasion, Harry decided to tell the stories of Independence with Ralph and encouraged him to hire even more mules to help carry the load. With Harry's expert supervision, Ralph built by hand several covered wagons to capture the pioneer spirit.

Pioneer Trails Adventures now has three teams of mules and can make an impressive wagon train of three wagons and six mules - of which Harry, according to himself, is the handsomest.