AURORA, Mo. (KY3) – Just a block off the square in Aurora, in the shadow of a water tower, proudly stands a colorful mural.
In the bottom corner of the mural is the town’s mascot, the Houn Dawg.
“Someone with a lot of energy,” said senior Riley Morton.
“Tough, relentless, determined,” Ethan Whitlock also a senior said.
“It’s someone who is hardworking, determined, supportive of their peers,” senior Bri Karch said.
But how did the Houn Dawg come to be the mascot of the school? If you’re wondering, it predates the Elvis Presley song.
Aurora High School teacher, Kim McCully-Mobley can tell you.
Born and raised in Aurora Kim loves history. She says early records of the Houn Dawg date back to the 1800s.
The 2nd Missouri Infantry from southwest Missouri was considered a bunch of Houn Dawgs because of their relentless spirit and would often sing their fight song while deployed.
“Every time I go to town, folks, don’t kick my dog around. Makes no difference, he’s a hound. Please don’t kick my dog around,” Kim recited. “So the idea was that they were feisty.”
A judge from Nevada, Missouri, heard of their spirit and sent them a hound dog for moral support.
“The idea was that they always had him with them,” Kim said. “They used him to bolster their pride and their spirits and they would sing that fight song.”
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson sent the 2nd Missouri Infantry to the Texas border to capture Pancho Villa. A year later in June of 1917, some of those same soldiers were sent to France in World War I. Sure enough, a Missouri hound was with them both times.
“Through the years there was a great dane, a poodle, a beagle; all kinds of dogs,” Kim said, “they’ve always had a dog.”
By the early ‘20s, a former soldier became the director of the Aurora High School band. He used some of the infantry’s hand-me-down instruments. The problem was though they all had a Houn Dawg painted on them.
“By the 1920′s Aurora’s mascot had been the farmers, the merchants, something to do with the railroaders, the minors,” Kim said, “all kinds of things and nothing really stuck.”
And so, the Aurora Houn Dawgs were born.
“I think it’s cool how we do have a Houn Dawg,” Riley said.
“It’s definitely unique because not everyone just has a random dog,” Bri added.
“It’s great,” Ethan said, “I can’t think of another Houn Dawg in the area. Everything’s basic like; a cat or something.”
Kim McCully-Mobley is also the co-director of the Alumni Center. It’s the old Armory for the 2nd Missouri Infantry which later became the 203rd Battalion. The refurbished building has a lot of its history inside.
Another Houn Dawg history tidbit came in 1912. Missouri’s Champ Clark, who served as the Speaker of the House, used the ‘Quit Kickin’ My Dawg’ song during his failed presidential campaign. He lost the Democratic nomination to Woodrow Wilson who went on to become President.
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