Post by Muleskinner on Sept 9, 2012 10:23:27 GMT -8
Ive been asked the question" What is a Muleskinner?" many times so here is a brief history from the logging side of what I've been told and read from various sources.
The term Muleskinner actually started back in the Civil War days when the supply wagons which were used by the North, became short on drivers in the early years due to the need for fighting troops on the ground. It was later found that with the entry of the black slaves into the North by way of the Underground Railroad, they were found willing to do anything to help the North in the defeat of the south. So they volunteered for the supply wagon details thus freeing up the much needed fighting forces.
Each supply train usually consisted of thirty or more wagon and the same number of Black teamsters, a guard unit of white cavalry and a white officer, who was usually a captain. When they were bringing up supplies they were constantly in running battles with confederate Cavalry who would sneak behind the Northern lines and make raids against the supply units. The Outrider Black teamsters, who rode the lead horse on the left hand side, would run their teams of mules by using a whip or their spurs to edge them on. If there were four horses in the team, there were two outriders on the left to control them.
This manner of running a team, would usually leave deep and bloody gouges in the animals and sometimes peel back the hide. After a while it was termed Skinning a Mule and then changed to Mule skinning and thus the black teamsters became known as Mule Skinners. These men would answer to only one officer who was the Captain in charge and always addressed him as Captain using his military rank as title instead of his given name.
In Logging in the early days, they used Oxen and Mules to skid turns on a washboard road cleared through the trees and then small pecker poles stripped of their bark were laid across it at intervals with dirt thrown between them. These small buckskin logs had to be constantly mopped with water by a very young logger, usually between the age of 12 to 15 years who was getting broke into logging, carrying a rag wad mop and a bucket of water who would mop water over the logs to make the turn of logs slide easier down the road. His Title pertained just to his job as Water boy. Later on when they began to use different types of greases for lubricant, his title was changed to greaser.
The Oxen teams were lead by a logger with a whip who would follow along beside the team and prod them along. Oxen being a stubborn animal by nature would some times require the teamster know as a Bull Whacker to get up on their backs and walk from lead animal the lead animal using his cork boots to add to the prodding. Like most species of the Bovine family these animals in the lead were equipped with a bell and when they began to pull harder to following animals would follow suit and pull harder. Lead animals were rotated to the rear of the team from day to day so as to give them a rest from cork prodding, until the whole team became aware that the crack of the whip meant move or the spikes on the teamsters boots were next.
When mules became in a abundant supply to the logging crews it took a special kind of person to control them and get them to work. Having a little more intelligence than an Oxen, they would turn in a days work much like an Oxen or even better, depending on the skill of the Teamster who had an abundance of tricks up his sleeve to make em move.
One trick with a new team was to carry a .44 or .45 caliber pistol with blanks loaded into it so if the team began to lag, all that was needed was to fire it in the air and as some of us know from experience what load noises will do to a herd of animals, they would try to stampede in fright down the logging road dragging the turn behind them. The teamster to keep from getting left behind would jump on the lead log of the turn and ride it down until the team settled into a more workable trot. This technique became know as shooting the turn.
Another trick used was to carry a fresh piece of bear or cougar hide on a stick, in a leather sack, over the shoulder and when the team began to lag, he would with draw the piece of hide from the sack and pass it under the noses of the lead team. Since Bears and Cougars are natural enemies of the Mules, thinking there was one around they would instinctively begin to run, and once more the the teamster would have to jump on the lead log of the turn to keep from getting left behind. This technique I've been told from various long past loggers I met in my early experiences with loggers and logging in the Pacific North West is where the term Muleskinner was once more tacked on to the teamsters. And yes all these teamsters answered to the Captain of the group, who was usually the oldest and more experienced of the Mule skinners.
the term skinner was carried over to the Cat operator when the cats began to appear in the woods and the ultimately became Cat Skinners. If you ever get a chance listen to the Song: Muleskinner blues and you will hear most of the terms mentioned there within the song. Here are a couple of verses to the song, where as when I was playing music in the local bars and taverns, which I changed a few of the words to reflect logging and I had many a request for.
Good Morning Captain
Good morning to you!
Do you need and old Muleskinner
out on your skid road run!
Well I'm and old Muleskinner
(yeah you are!)
From down on the gypsy runs.
And I've been making me a livin,
and loggings where I want stay.
Well Hey!
(Hey!)
Little Water Boy
(Get that Water Boy , Man)
Bring your mop and Bucket round.
Well if you don't want the job,
Put your mop and bucket down.
Now Hey!
(hey!)
Little Greaser boy,
Get that washboard slickered down
This is last turn I'm makin
then I'm catchin the Lokie into town!
There are many variation of the song by different artists but this is the version I love the best, which is the rock-n-roll version from the fifties where I changed a few words to make it more my personal logging song, for the area I live in. If you get a chance to hear the original, (not Mine!) I highly recommend it. Not just for the song but for the historical value mentioned in it.
I hope this answers the many questions about my screen name and where the term came from.
William
The term Muleskinner actually started back in the Civil War days when the supply wagons which were used by the North, became short on drivers in the early years due to the need for fighting troops on the ground. It was later found that with the entry of the black slaves into the North by way of the Underground Railroad, they were found willing to do anything to help the North in the defeat of the south. So they volunteered for the supply wagon details thus freeing up the much needed fighting forces.
Each supply train usually consisted of thirty or more wagon and the same number of Black teamsters, a guard unit of white cavalry and a white officer, who was usually a captain. When they were bringing up supplies they were constantly in running battles with confederate Cavalry who would sneak behind the Northern lines and make raids against the supply units. The Outrider Black teamsters, who rode the lead horse on the left hand side, would run their teams of mules by using a whip or their spurs to edge them on. If there were four horses in the team, there were two outriders on the left to control them.
This manner of running a team, would usually leave deep and bloody gouges in the animals and sometimes peel back the hide. After a while it was termed Skinning a Mule and then changed to Mule skinning and thus the black teamsters became known as Mule Skinners. These men would answer to only one officer who was the Captain in charge and always addressed him as Captain using his military rank as title instead of his given name.
In Logging in the early days, they used Oxen and Mules to skid turns on a washboard road cleared through the trees and then small pecker poles stripped of their bark were laid across it at intervals with dirt thrown between them. These small buckskin logs had to be constantly mopped with water by a very young logger, usually between the age of 12 to 15 years who was getting broke into logging, carrying a rag wad mop and a bucket of water who would mop water over the logs to make the turn of logs slide easier down the road. His Title pertained just to his job as Water boy. Later on when they began to use different types of greases for lubricant, his title was changed to greaser.
The Oxen teams were lead by a logger with a whip who would follow along beside the team and prod them along. Oxen being a stubborn animal by nature would some times require the teamster know as a Bull Whacker to get up on their backs and walk from lead animal the lead animal using his cork boots to add to the prodding. Like most species of the Bovine family these animals in the lead were equipped with a bell and when they began to pull harder to following animals would follow suit and pull harder. Lead animals were rotated to the rear of the team from day to day so as to give them a rest from cork prodding, until the whole team became aware that the crack of the whip meant move or the spikes on the teamsters boots were next.
When mules became in a abundant supply to the logging crews it took a special kind of person to control them and get them to work. Having a little more intelligence than an Oxen, they would turn in a days work much like an Oxen or even better, depending on the skill of the Teamster who had an abundance of tricks up his sleeve to make em move.
One trick with a new team was to carry a .44 or .45 caliber pistol with blanks loaded into it so if the team began to lag, all that was needed was to fire it in the air and as some of us know from experience what load noises will do to a herd of animals, they would try to stampede in fright down the logging road dragging the turn behind them. The teamster to keep from getting left behind would jump on the lead log of the turn and ride it down until the team settled into a more workable trot. This technique became know as shooting the turn.
Another trick used was to carry a fresh piece of bear or cougar hide on a stick, in a leather sack, over the shoulder and when the team began to lag, he would with draw the piece of hide from the sack and pass it under the noses of the lead team. Since Bears and Cougars are natural enemies of the Mules, thinking there was one around they would instinctively begin to run, and once more the the teamster would have to jump on the lead log of the turn to keep from getting left behind. This technique I've been told from various long past loggers I met in my early experiences with loggers and logging in the Pacific North West is where the term Muleskinner was once more tacked on to the teamsters. And yes all these teamsters answered to the Captain of the group, who was usually the oldest and more experienced of the Mule skinners.
the term skinner was carried over to the Cat operator when the cats began to appear in the woods and the ultimately became Cat Skinners. If you ever get a chance listen to the Song: Muleskinner blues and you will hear most of the terms mentioned there within the song. Here are a couple of verses to the song, where as when I was playing music in the local bars and taverns, which I changed a few of the words to reflect logging and I had many a request for.
Good Morning Captain
Good morning to you!
Do you need and old Muleskinner
out on your skid road run!
Well I'm and old Muleskinner
(yeah you are!)
From down on the gypsy runs.
And I've been making me a livin,
and loggings where I want stay.
Well Hey!
(Hey!)
Little Water Boy
(Get that Water Boy , Man)
Bring your mop and Bucket round.
Well if you don't want the job,
Put your mop and bucket down.
Now Hey!
(hey!)
Little Greaser boy,
Get that washboard slickered down
This is last turn I'm makin
then I'm catchin the Lokie into town!
There are many variation of the song by different artists but this is the version I love the best, which is the rock-n-roll version from the fifties where I changed a few words to make it more my personal logging song, for the area I live in. If you get a chance to hear the original, (not Mine!) I highly recommend it. Not just for the song but for the historical value mentioned in it.
I hope this answers the many questions about my screen name and where the term came from.
William
