Jack train

Abstract

Photograph showing a man standing next to part of a jack train or pack train, which was hauling wood timbers (probably for a mine) up a rocky hillside. These pack trains played an important role in mining operations especially prior to the arrival of the railroads. They were used to haul wood, machinery, supplies, food and water to the mines, and ore from the mines to the mills. Both horses and burros were used for packing, but burros can carry more weight, work longer hours on less feed, and are more sure-footed on narrow rocky trails. Each burro could carry at least 200 pounds. Depending on the terrain, the pack trains could travel up to twenty-five miles per day.