Sal, usually in the mule barn next to Erie House, made a debut, I’m told, at the annual Port Byron American Legion Block Party, a fundraiser. Many thanks to Darrin Rooker for sending this photo. I pondered the photo for a while, not knowing what to say about it.

I’m not sure whether this image is still up outside the mule shed in Port Byron. I saw the above Sal in the mule shed in July when I stopped by the Park, but failed to photograph it. I asked myself at the time whether Sal ever got out. I’m told that the image of Sal above dates to a time that tug Urger was used to promote NYS history and environmental awareness with their “connect the drops” program.

I wonder what the Van Dettos called their mule at the Erie House.

The longer I pondered about what to write about the image at the top, the more ideas emerged, and since I take photos of nearly everything, I decided to use the search feature to find “mule” photos in my photo library. This photo came up, which led me to this online: “The invention by which William Avery is best known was the rotary engine, for years believed to be the simplest and cheapest in the world. In 1822, he built a small steamboat, which operated on Lake Cazenovia, and finally on the Erie Canal. He afterward built the machinery for the first steamboat on Lake Ontario, and was the first white man to navigate the St. Lawrence River from Kingston to the Sault Rapids. In 1837-38, the State of Illinois awarded him the contract to take the rock out on the summit of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. While completing this great undertaking, by which the water-sheds of Lake Michigan were calculated to be diverted to the Mississippi River, he was attacked by a fatal disease.” More rabbit holes lie there.

The search feature got me to the next two photos, which were the ones I hoped to find.

Around that same time, private mule statues appeared in Waterford gardens as well.

Near lock 13 at the NYS Thruway stop/Mohawk Valley Welcome Center are these mules, which made me wonder what other names got assigned to mules back in that era. The song alluding to Sal wasn’t written until 1912, wnen the time of mules was nearly if not entirely over. And Sal was just assigned because it rhymed with canal. Val rhymes with canal too. Folks, I need some help with research here. Along the I&M Canal, the mules are called Larry and Moe. Maybe a different song is in vogue there with different rhyming words?

The search feature also needs help. May this form of AI search needs more training because the photos below showed up in the mule search too.

Call this revenge of the feral hoggees? Maybe now we know what became some of the runaway boys, the ones that ran away from having to drive mules. Sal was surely not their pal.

And maybe the NYS Canals could look to sponsor a nationalwide mule fest. This image showed in my search: I took it just outside Big Bend National Park near the Texas/Coauhila border. And once my rabbit hole led me in this direction, I recalled a recent conversation with some nice folks from Bishop CA, one of whom was wearing a Mule Days t-shirt. You have to read this link. If Bishop CA is celebrating 250 years of long ears–as they put it–maybe NYS needs to broaden their horizon, lift their sights?

I’m always looking for relevant photos and text from correspondents or just plain canal fans.