Showing 3 results for mules ...
Old Spanish Trail Road Trip
- Type: Lesson Plan
- Grade Levels: Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
We’re off on a grand adventure: a road trip across the famous Old Spanish Trail! The Old Spanish Trail was an arduous 1,200 mile route between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Los Angeles, California, which served traders who loaded their pack mules with woolen goods from Santa Fe each fall and returned from California each spring with goods, mules, and horses. The Old Spanish Trail linked two provinces of Mexico separated by difficult topography and climatic extremes.
Juan's Draft Pick Lesson Plan
- Type: Lesson Plan
- Grade Levels: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade

Whether by pulling a wagon, cart, or saddle bag, animals powered the goods to be traded and transferred to their destination. The fur trade era simply could not have taken place without the aid of horses, mules, and oxen. The lesson examines the pros and cons of using these animals as transportation based on their characteristics and biological needs.
Fauna: Draft Animals, Buffalo, and Rattlesnakes
- Type: Lesson Plan
- Grade Levels: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
If you had to travel over 2 months to reach your destination, which animal would you depend on to get you there? In this lesson and activity, students will predict and experience the three common modes of transportation along the Santa Fe Trail as a relay. They will consider the role of animals in commerce and Westward expansion during the fur trade era.