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United States Camel Corps

Camel-based pack-animal experiment by the U. S. Army in the mid-1800s.[1]

In the early 1850s, the vast distances across arid deserts across the West presented concerns in effectively transporting supplies between settlements and military outposts. An experiment was proposed to Congress to import camels from the Middle East for use as pack animals. It was considered that camels were more suited for long periods without water in arid conditions than other livestock.[1]

The imported camels proved useful to the Army from California to Texas in the late 1850s, but were considered nuisances by many.[1] From November 17, 1859 into April of 1860, Fort Tejon in California kept a shipment of camels, but were then removed to Benecia, California, and were sold at auction.[2]

The outbreak of the Civil War disrupted the experiment and the camels became ignored or neglected. In After the War, newly established reliable roads and improved transportation solved many of the the earlier supply problems across the West. The Army began to auction off the camels and the experiment came to an end.[1]

Relic of Fort Tejon: In 1878,[4] Bret Maverick was duped into buying a "full-blooded Arabian mount" that turned out to be a mangy camel named Fatima. Brimmer, who sold it to him, surmised Fatima was one of the last brought over by the Army for its experimental camel corps.[5]

"The Camel Express" (1857) by Carl Rakeman, depicting the camel experiment along Beale's wagon road.[3]