The Beard Brothers Blue Ox

The American tall tale hero Paul Bunyan debuted in print in 1914 in a promotional pamphlet for the Red River Lumber Company. He was usually depicted with his sidekick Babe, a blue ox. 

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the Teton Peaks, the Beard brothers were making a name for themselves with their teams of oxen. It's too bad that more adventures of the Beard oxen have not been recorded, they might have taken on folk hero status like Paul and Babe.

Following the advertising campaign featuring Paul Bunyan, here are the oxen carting lumber from the Beard mill in 1923.

Great Uncle Joseph Beard with Ox Team

Beard Ox Team

The first mention of my Great Grandfather James Thomas Beard, Sr., working with oxen is in Coalville, Utah, shortly after his marriage to Mary Goodworth. When James and Mary moved to Idaho in 1900, they used their oxen to clear the sagebrush from the land. The next year the oxen were employed skidding logs into the river near Marysville.

Eventually the Beard family included seven sons and five daughters (Another daughter, Violet, died as an infant.). Surprisingly, the oxen are featured more prominently in Great Grandfather Beard's history than his offspring.

In 1910 the family moved their sawmill to Teton Basin, with a purported twelve yoke of oxen. In 1918 histories mention the oxen hauling boilers and sawmill equipment to the coalmine.

It becomes clear that the Beard family appreciated a good ox. They claimed that their oxen were the finest breed and extolled the following advantages of using oxen over horses:

• "Oxen are less nervous and excitable and less inclined to worry when at rough work, such as plowing in stony or stumpy ground."
• "There is a slight saving of time in hitching and unhitching as compared to horses."
• "They can be turned out to pasture with less care."
• "They can subsist on much coarser feed that horses."
• "They are best suited to heavy work that requires a slow and even gait."

Well known for their prime bloodline of oxen, the Beard brothers showed their teams in the local parades. The oxen were also used in several movies, with Thomas and his sons as handlers.

My Great Uncle Richard S. Beard

Paul Bunyan had super human strength and a blue ox to bring him fame. I am blessed with the rich heritage of the Beard family, and they are super heroes to me.