n.a
reference to the teams of twenty mules used in the
late 1800s to
pull wagons of borax out of
Death Valley in
California, USA, where it was
mined. Borax is a white crystalline substance or powder found in areas of the desert. It is used as a household cleaning
agent and is an ingredient of some soaps. It is also used in making glassware, tiles and
similar items, in tanning leather (toughening and preserving it in
order to prepare it for
use) and as a mild antiseptic. Borax was first discovered in
Death Valley in 1873. In
order to
transport it to
market, teams of 20 mules were used and the owner of the
company used this
fact to give his
product the
trademark of "Twenty-Mule
Team Borax."