Williams News Logo
Grand Canyon News Logo

Trusted local news leader for Williams AZ and the Grand Canyon

New critter livens up the mule barn

The newest addition at the mule barn.

The newest addition at the mule barn.

Two of the stories I have written for the Grand Canyon News were my favorites. The first one was about Buddy, our wonderful dog, and the second was about Madonna, also known as Trinity, the mule. Well, lo and behold there is another story about a couple of critters right here in the Canyon. I'm talking about the brand new baby colt born last week at the mule barn. It is the talk of the South Rim. Everywhere I go, whether it's at work or in restaurants or on the bus, the question I keep on hearing is "Have you seen the new baby colt in the mule barn?"

The first time I heard it was at the Books & More Store at Canyon View Information Plaza, when a tour bus driver named Ruth came in the break room and asked me if I saw it. This was the day after it was born. I thought she was kidding, because we have never seen a baby anything in the mule corral. The Paul Revere drivers were very good at pointing out the new arrival whenever they pass the corral. Of course we hear all the oohs and ahhs as the bus goes by. The children especially are so excited to see it.

There is a DVD that we play at the store called "Mule Ride," and of course Madonna/Trinity is on the cover. This is a DVD about the mules who go down into the Canyon, and it's a great DVD. It has a cowboy song and it goes something like this: "Hey, Mister Cowboy, this I want to know. They say mules can't have children, so tell me where little mules grow." Well being so curious (some call it nosy), I decided to take Buddy for a walk and feed Madonna/Trinity some apples and see for myself what all the talk was about. The mother and the baby are in the first corral as you're going toward Maswik. Buddy and I walked up to the fence and of course, the baby was standing next to the mother. All of a sudden, Buddy stopped and looked at this baby in the pen and the baby started to run around the corral. Buddy thought it was another dog and wanted to run with it. The baby came over to the fence and Buddy and the baby touched noses. If I only had my camera.

We then went to the office and I talked to one of the wranglers and asked if it was a little mule or a little horse. He said it was definitely a horse and no one knew that she was pregnant. He was as surprised as everybody else at the South Rim. But what a wonderful surprise. I hope they keep it here all summer so everyone that comes to the Canyon can see it for themselves and we who live here can watch it grow.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a little contest for all the children who live here to name the baby? The wrangler who owns the horse or the Fred Harvey Co. could pick out the best name. Maverick and I would gladly donate $100 for the best name. Wouldn't this be fun for the children here and that something so beautiful was born right here at the Canyon?

We've seen newborn baby animals all the time, and sometimes we take them in our stride. But this one was such a surprise. We have all taken notice - residents and visitors alike. What a great place to live!

Thought for the week: "We act as though comfort and luxury are the chief components of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about." - Charles Kingsley


Donate Report a Typo Contact