Three people riding a mule-drawn wagon on a country road

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Riding a mule-drawn wagon along an unpaved country road, three passengers sit close together on the bench, the animals' harness and the open rutted track central to the scene. Wagons like this were a common sight across rural America well into the early twentieth century, when mules and draft horses still did most of the hauling for farms, small mills and general stores. Mules were prized for their stamina and surefootedness on hilly, muddy roads, and they were often preferred over horses for heavy work. Pictures of everyday travel like this one capture a way of getting around that was slowly giving way to the automobile.

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