From the interview with William McIlroy of Rio Vista, CA conducted by Rick Martinez at the Fort Worden History Center on July 11, 2002.  Mr. McIlroy, the youngest child of Chief Warrant Officer Fred W. McIlroy, spent part of his childhood living on Non-Commissioned Officers Row at Fort Worden in the 1930’s.  Here he discusses Army mules and their uses on the base at that time:

“A lot of the post transportation was by mules.  The bread got delivered by mules, the garbage got picked up by mules, the coal got delivered by mules. That also led to another thing—out by the mule barn there used to be a huge community garden where people had certain plots. They would take the leavings out of the mule barn and put them in the garden and everybody had wonderfully amended soil.  Very nice produce came out of that.”