The Legend of Mammoth Jack - Plano, TX
N 33° 01.147 W 096° 42.027
14S E 714792 N 3655755
A gray, granite sidewalk marker stands in front of the building at 1410-12 J Ave, Plano, TX, honoring the memory of a donkey, "Mammoth Jack", who literally was quite the stud back in the city's early days.
Waymark Code: WM15938
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 11/11/2021
Views: 4
The City of Plano has placed these markers in historical locations throughout the Downtown area. Flanked by stars on each side, "The Legend of Mammoth Jack" reads:
In 1858, Clint S. Haggard made the trek from Kentucky to Texas, a journey that would forever change this area. Behind his covered wagon trailed a large male "Jack" donkey. This incredibly large animal became known as "Mammoth Jack," and was forefather to a strong class of mules and jacks bred in Plano, giving the city widespread recognition.
An article from the March 23, 2020 Dallas Morning News, entitled "Plano's Rise to Becoming 'The City of Excellence'", references Mammoth Jack. Showing a pair of mules in an undated photo, it notes that these two were entered into the Texas State Fair by J.W Shepard, who operated a mule barn at this site, and the accompanying text provides some background:
By 1886, Plano was dubbed "The Mule Capital of the World," according to the book "Hidden History of Plano". The abundance of mules aided in the agricultural expansion that Plano was experiencing.
The book examines the importance of the Plano mules in detail.
"Even with improved machinery, mulepower and horsepower were the engines of agricultural industry at the time. Mules were so profitable that everyone in Plano, even the barber and the postman, took to trading them. But for a few of Plano’s founding fathers, mules weren’t just a sideline; they were big business."
Resident C.S. Haggard broke records with an usually large mule that would be known as "Mammoth Jack."