The 2026 Dixie Longears Wagon Train comes to Fentress County’s East Fork Stables this week to preserve rural heritage.
Event Organizer Cindy Odle said the upcoming trail ride features wagon masters Tammy and Keith Holley. Odle said the train typically travels between 15 and 22 miles per day, though the exact distance depends on weather conditions.
“It slows your life down, it slows that go-go-go down, the chains clacking and the feet hitting the ground on those mules is almost just like a rhythm that just puts you into a trance of a slower pace of life,” Odle said. “And I really think that’s why a lot of people go.”
Odle said the “longear” or mule industry functions as a social group where participants support one another through mechanical or navigational challenges on the trail. Odle said the group has previously unhooked large draft teams to help pull other wagons out of difficult spots to ensure no one is left behind.
“If the train stops, it stops so that everybody has time to learn, everybody has time to visit and be with others, and you won’t hardly ever see a scuffle or a bad tone with anyone on the wagon train,” Odle said. “It just simply takes them back to a time that is, it’s okay. It’s okay to be late, it’s okay to take your time.”
Odle said the experience allows people to disconnect from technology and the rigid schedules of modern life. Odle said the atmosphere is often like a large social event without time restraints, featuring shared meals and friendly chats between wagons.
“At lunchtime, pull over, some people cook on their wagon, it’s like a big smorgasbord of a lunch because they’ll pull over, everybody put their lunch out, go through and snack and try this and try that and visit,” Odle said. “And it’s just a social event without any boundaries and without time restraints.”
Odle said preserving this rural heritage is vital because the history of how draft mules built railroads and served in wars is being lost. Odle said the industry actively works to instill an appreciation for farming and animals in the younger generation to ensure these traditions continue.
“We have to have some kind of rural heritage, we have to have farming, we have to have land,” Odle said. “And if we don’t reserve it, preserve it, and hold on to some of that past rural heritage, I don’t really know who’s going to feed the world.”
Odle said the mule community is known for its generosity toward young families or farmers who show interest in the trade. Odle said experienced members will often give equipment, time, or even animals to help newcomers learn the necessary skills.
Odle said as technology has improved, many people have become disconnected with the nature and the past, both of which she said are highly important.
“City people don’t notice it, they’ll take a farm and it’s like a rat race to get a five-acre plot on it,” Odle said. “They’ll divide it up, they’ll put housing in there, you never see a garden, you never see animals in there. And it’s just… you’ve got to have that. And we hope that this instills some of that in our youngsters.”
Odle said the public is encouraged to visit the camp at East Fork in the afternoons to hear campfire stories and spend time with the participants.