Bobby Tanner 2024

Bobby Tanner 2024

There went a mule man

By Christina Reed
The Hired Pen

“Mules are always boasting that their ancestors were horses”–Proverb

Eastern Sierra, CA—Every once in a Blue Moon there are folks we’ve all met, who are just the last of their kind. An individual who is so much a part of our landscape, our weekly routines, that we don’t notice their quiet, depth of presence, until they are no longer with us. Bobby Tanner has passed away, but he’s not forgotten.

Bobby Tanner, a life-long resident of the eastern Sierra, left many accomplishments for all of us to share. His “mulemanship” was only preceded by his horsemanship, and the range of his knowledge about the Sierra Nevada mountains, history, trails, backcountry, skiing, resorts, and the packing industry was a direct reflection of the pioneers / mentors, and his family.

“He who is born a mule can never be a horse”—Corsican Proverb

Living history was his brand, as a mule man, and the Tanner family’s legacy at Mule Days this year, was the last time we all got to see this mule man in action…riding out front of the iconic 20 Mule Team Borax® wagon. In 2022, Bobby finished the task his father, Bob Tanner (a founder of the famous Bishop Mule Days) started a decade earlier, and Bobby was on hand, with his son, Bo, to open the long-time project.

Here’s a brief review, from The Sierra Reader, May 30, 22:

It’s taken the better part of two decades to create from idea / inception and inspiration to the cash to build / construction, and completion, but the American Mule Museum came to life on a lovely afternoon in the the Owens Valley (May 25, 2022). It’s the newest exhibit at the Laws Railroad Museum and Historic site, outside of Bishop, CA, about six miles north on US Highway 6.

An official ribbon cutting, by American Mule Museum President, Bob Felkel, and opening of the lively exhibit was followed by a tour through the history of The Mule in America, which was curated and produced by Gold Creek Films, and designed by Dimensional Images. The new museum (www.mulemuseum.org) was completed with the assistance of the Borax Twenty Mule Team® (from mule nose to tail end, this train of mules and wagons extends to nearly 165 feet!) and Mule Days’ founders / High Sierra mule teamsters and pack station owners Bobby Tanner and Bob Tanner’s visions of where to house the world famous working (replicas) Borax wagons; the Death Valley Conservancy, which preserves early mining history in the area, and the Laws Railroad Museum and Historic site, which allows people to experience a frontier town recreation with trains and exhibits.

Mules, Men, Mountains, Mule Days and the Tanners

“A mule will labor ten years willingly and patiently for you, for the privilege of kicking you once”—William Faulkner
Bobby Tanner was a part of the famous Bishop, CA Mule Days celebration from its inception in 1969-1970, when he was just 10 years old, and every single summer of his young life was spent working with his family at Red’s Meadow Pack Stations (near Mammoth Lakes, CA), which were owned and operated by his parents, Jean and Bob Tanner, of Bishop, CA. Bobby’s early days in Mule Days, as his father Bob related to me for many months in 2013 (while working on a Mule Days book), were filled with injuries / accidents incurred before Mule Days (like skiing), but Bobby’s parade moments always seemed to go forward. Many remember Bobby’s somewhat crazy mule, “Wrong-Way Ringo,” and the two of them seemed to have quite an audience for the unexpected. And, in 1977, Bobby pulled off the feat of leading 50 mules in the “World’s Longest Pack Train.”

In 1980, Bobby made his first public appearance with the 20 Mule Team (the 20 Mule Team hadn’t been seen in public for 30 years), and he used the original harness and 100-year-old wagons, which had been used in Death Valley. At the time, Bobby was quoted as saying, “I learned a lot from that. Red’s Meadow and George Chamberlain provided the mules, and Leaky Olivas provided the brains.” Bobby also remembered some of his outstanding moments at Mule Days in 1988, and one of them was “Racing out of control on Ringo.” The Tanner family joined the Rose Parade in 1999, and Bobby became one of the Rose Parade Muleskinners, a popular parade entry in every spot they showed up at, for many years. The 20 Mule Team became Bobby’s hallmark, and everyone knew when the big wagon came down Main Street, it was going to be a show! Today, Bobby’s son, Bo, is riding and driving wagons in Mule Days, and waving at the parade goers.