The mission of the American Mule Museum and Heritage Center is to tell the story of the contributions of the unsung hero, the mule, and the people who have worked with mules throughout history, with focus on the West, California, and the Sierra Nevada. The museum will inform, educate, and entertain the public with information on the heritage, versatility and value of the American mule.

Mules were used almost exclusively to pull coal cars before mechanized vehicles, because Percheron’s and Clydesdale horses were too expensive and too large to maneuver in the tight quarters of the mine.	The mule packing industry in the eastern High Sierra had its beginnings in the  early 1860’s. The valley meadows were discovered by cattlemen and sheep men in  the 1860’s and livestock owners moved their herds into the natural pastures for  summer grazing.	Every year during the Memorial Day Weekend, more than 700 mules compete in 181 events at the Bishop Mule Days Celebration. There is no way to actually describe Mule Days. It is part mule show, part test of skills, and part Wild West show.