Ben Franklin said that to call an American an Englishman was like calling an ox a bull — he appreciates the compliment, but he’d rather have back what is rightfully his.If you understand what has to be removed from a bull to make it into an ox, you understand.Ben probably never commented about what the feeling is for horses that are called an ox, but presumably they would not appreciate it — especially if they were NOT geldings!At any rate, this past week the Tribune sort of called horses oxen in connection with the early farming monument that was initiated by late historian “Jiggs” Schulz.The Breaking the Sod monument will feature an early farmer and horses, not oxen, but who cares?Historians, that’s who.Oxen played a crucial role in the very early history of this region.This was an important point on the Santa Fe Train, which was a commerce trail and which brought freighters through this region. They would routinely stop here because there was reliable water and forage for their oxen.Because they were traveling such long distances over such a long period of time, oxen were preferable to horses, even if they did not move fast. They moved cheaply.Later, when farming began in earnest in this region, the area was served by the railroad.