THE GREAT CAMEL EXPERIMENT

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Alison Leonard
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1 THEGREATCAMELEXPERIMENT I.CONTEXT OfalltheimmigrantswhobecameTexansuponarrivinginoldIndianola German, Czech,Polishandmore perhapsnoneweremoreexoticthantheseventy fivethat cameashorein1856and1857fromalgeria,tunisia,egyptandturkey.butthese newarrivalsweren ttobeaddedtothecensus.theywerecamels. FollowingtheendoftheMexicanWarin1848,theTreatyofGuadaluperesultedin the United States purchase of a vast Mexican territory, much of it spanning the southwesternu.s.fromnewmexicotocalifornia. 1 Beforethetimetrainsandeven roads ran through this area, a creative means was proposed for traversing this harsh frontier. In what would become known as The Great Camel Experiment, SecretaryofWar,JeffersonDavis,proposedtoCongresstheusingofcamelsaspack animalsinthedesertsouthwest.congressapprovedtherequestandappropriated $30,000 tobeexpendedunderthedirectionofthewardepartmentinthepurchase ofcamels tobeemployedformilitarypurposes. 2 II.OVERVIEW Asearlyas1836,theyearTexasfoughtforandwonitsindependencefromMexico, politicians,militarymenanddiplomatswerealreadyconsideringtheimportationof camels for use in North America s desert wastelands. It wouldn t be until 1853, though, the year Mississippi Senator, Jefferson Davis, ascended to the position of

2 SecretaryofWar,thattheprojectwasgivenamuch neededboost.davishadseen theharshdesertconditionsfirsthandwhenheservedasanofficerintheu.s.army andrecognizedthemilitarypotentialofthecamel.althoughdaviswasunsuccessful inhisinitialattempttoreceivetheblessingandfundingfromcongressforhisbold experiment,theappropriationbillforthepurchaseandimportationofcamelswas approvedonmarch3,1855. Afterathree monthvoyagefromthemediterranean,onapril29,1856thesupply droppedanchorinthegulfofmexicooffthepasscavallobaratthemouthof MatagordaBay.Itwaspreplannedthatitsuniquecargowouldbetransferredtoa smallersteamer,thefashion,whichcouldcrossthebarandlandthecamelsat Indianola,thenreferredtoasPowderHorn.Afterseveraldaysofheavyswellsin thegulfandoneattempttotransferacamelbetweenshipswasabortedforsafety reasons,itwasdeterminedthatthesupplyandfashionwouldrendezvousincalmer watersinsidethesouthwestpassofthemississippirivertoeffectthetransfer. 3 Afterasuccessfultransferofthecargo,theFashionreturnedtoMatagordaBayon April13 th andlandedthecamelsatthewharfatpowderhorn.onthatmaydayin 1856,thirty fourcamels:twobactrians,thetwo humpedvariety,thirty one Arabians,themorecommon,one humpedversion,andonehybrid crossofthe BactrianandArabiancameashore.MajorHenryC.Wayne,inchargeofthecamels, wroteinhisjournal, thecamelsweresowildtoagainfeelsolidearthbeneath them,theybecameexcitedtoanalmostuncontrolleddegree,rearing,kicking,crying

3 out,breakinghalters,tearinguppicketsandbyotherfantastictricksdemonstrating theirenjoymentofthelibertyofthesoil. 4 American taxpayers might be forgiven if they doubted the Congressional appropriation, had they witnessed the camels less than graceful entry into Texas. TotheresidentsofIndianola,thecamelscreatedquiteanimpressionand thesight of the camels being led through the streets of Indianola, bells tinkling, was an experience to be remembered by the spectators for the balance of their years. 5 Years later, Mrs. Amelia Lewis recalled that day: Yes, we remember the first camels. They were decorated with red blankets. My sisters and I ran after them. Wheredidtheycomefrom?Idon tknow.weweregirls,onlylittlegirls.wecould not appreciate what it all meant. O! How the people were scared of them. On Sundays,thepeoplewouldwalktoHuck sgarden,tothelake.everybodylookedat thecamels.agreatsight! 6 By February of 1857, a second government shipment of forty one camels would arrive in Indianola, more than doubling the herd, and military camel caravans becamecommoninthetexashillcountrybetweenthecamels homeofcampverde (nearmodernkerrville)andsanantonio,whichwastheheadquartersforthetexas DepartmentoftheArmyatthattime.Camelsroutinelycarriedsupplies,alongwith their military coworkers, the mule, horse, donkey and ox, but a true test of its capabilitieshadyettobeundertaken.inthesummerof1857thatwouldallchange.

4 Still following the Gold Rush of 49, immigrants were flowing west, but they required protection from Native Americans and lacked reliable routes. Lieutenant Edward F. Beale was given an assignment to survey the Great Wagon Road betweenarizonaandcalifornia.itwasalsodecidedbealeshouldutilizetwenty five camelsalongwiththerequisitenumberoftraditionallivestockontheexpedition. 7 The route Beale successfully surveyed would later be known as historic Route 66 andincludespartsofmodernusinterstate40. In 1859 and 1860 camels were used twice for reconnaissance in West Texas, surveying routes to the US/Mexico border, putting the camels in some of the harshestterrainthey dseeonthiscontinent.lieutenantshartzandecholsoftheus Topographical Engineers were in charge of the two expeditions and both commented on the hardiness of the camel. Hartz related, A rougher, more rocky, more mountainous, and rugged country, can scarcely be imagined. Descending by verysteepslopesintothebedsoftheravines,tumblingaboutforawhileamongthe rockintheirbeds,climbingthesteephillsides,forcingawaythroughthickets,and crossinganeminenceofanunusualheight theperformanceofthecamelswasall that could be desired. 8 Unfortunately, there were forces far greater than nature conspiringagainstthecamelanditschanceatbecomingfullyadoptedinamerica. In1861,upontheFederalforceswithdrawalfromTexasattheoutbreakoftheCivil War,ConfederatetroopsfoundthemselvesinpossessionofallU.S.militaryassetsin Texas,whichincludedthecamelsatCampVerde. 9 SeatradebetweentheSouthand

5 therestoftheworldwasblockadedatallsouthernportsexceptbrownsville,texas. ThecamelshauledsaltandcottonbetweentheTexasHillCountryandthesouthern tipoftexas,buttheuscivilwarwasenoughtodoomtheproject.evenbefore, Colonel John Rip Ford, who acquired command of the camels, didn t have much useforthem.fordwroteinonereport, ThecamelshavebeensenttoGuadalupe forcorn.twoarereportedtohavediedontheway.theycanlivebestongrass;itis notcertaintheywillliveoncorn. 10 Upon cessation of the Civil War, the camels were auctioned off and they found themselves in private hands, used for freighting. Many labored building the railroads that would ultimately put the camel out of work. Some of these camels weresubsequentlysoldintocircusesandtravelingmenageries. 11 III.SIGNIFICANCE AccordingtoBrownsonMalsch,authorofIndianola TheMotherofWesternTexas, The choice of Indianola as the landing point for the camels gave her a place in historyofuniqueimportance.onhersoiltherebeganoneofthemostextraordinary experimentsinthehistoryofthewardepartment 12 AlthoughthebeginningoftheCivilWareffectivelybroughtanendtothischapterof camel history in the U.S. still, today, from Indianola to Camp Tejon, California, historicalmarkersandmonumentsmarkthewayofthisboldexperimentacrossthe AmericanWestthatstartedatthefrontierseaportofIndianola,Texas.

6 IV.DOCUMENTATION 1 JohnD.Eisenhower,SoFarFromGod:TheU.S.WarWithMexico, , (UniversityofOklahomaPress,2000), ReportoftheSecretaryofWar,Communicating,inComplianceWithaResolution ofthesenateoffebruary2,1857,informationrespectingthepurchaseofcamels forthepurposesofmilitarytransportation,unitedstatescongress,washington, D.C.,A.O.P.Nicholson,Printer, ChrisEmmett,TexasCamelTales,(Steck VaughnCompany 1969),18. 4 EvaJoleneBoyd,NobleBrutes,CamelsOnTheAmericanFrontier,(Republicof TexasPress,1995),46. 5 Brownson Malsch, Indianola The Mother of Western Texas, (State House Press,1988), Emmett,TexasCamelTales,22. 7 Ibid., EvaJoleneBoyd,NobleBrutes,CamelsOnTheAmericanFrontier,(Republicof TexasPress,1995), ChrisEmmett,TexasCamelTales,(Steckcamel VaughnCompany), MurphyGivens,CamelsThrivedinSouthTexas,(CorpusChristiCallerTimes, March10,2010) 11 Emmett,TexasCamelTales, Malsch,Indianola TheMotherofWesternTexas,103.

Overland Stagecoach Service through Tucson If it weren t for stagecoaches, Tucson wouldn t have developed to be the town we see today!

Ring s Reflections by Bob Ring Overland Stagecoach Service through Tucson 1857-1880 If it weren t for stagecoaches, Tucson wouldn t have developed to be the town we see today! Let s set the stage (sorry).