The calendar days and years have flown by since I moved to this area in 2006. Seldom have I come across books which are able to offer such detailed information that is factual. Not a mere story told to me which I can not fully offer concrete evidence of it’s occurrence.
I recently had the opportunity to read a copy of Texas Camel Tales by Chris Emmett. During my conversation with George Anne Cormier, the Calhoun County Museum’s director she mentioned the camels that arrived via ship to Indianola in the late 1800s. While I’ve heard this before, I have to admit I did not know much about the subject.
I was able to borrow a copy of the book, Texas Camel Tales, which was originally published in 1932 from the museum. This made me very happy since most of these books are categorized as reference books in our local libraries and one isn’t allowed to check them out. This particular edition was copyrighted and produced a second time by another publisher in 1969 due to it’s popularity.
Apparently a first edition in the early 70s could go for $75.00. In 1932, the book was sold for $2.50 and was sold out prior to it’s official printing. Today the first editions can sell for up to $1,500. You can see my eagerness to read the book which talked in depth about the “interesting and most novel experiment” in Texas.
Every time I first start studying a new subject I usually get frustrated since I’m not familiar with the new “characters” but within pages of beginning the book I was deep into learning about the government project which began in 1855.
The camel appropriation bill was approved by Congress on March 3, 1855 in the amount of $30,000. The bill’s existence was primarily introduced and supported by the Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis. He proposed to purchase fifty camels for military use. Major Henry C. Wayne of the US Army became very important in the project taking great care of the camels and the project seemed to take on a personal meaning as you read further into the chapters.
Nearly one year later, on April 29, 1856, Major Wayne and several “camel conductors” brought thirty-three camels to Texas via Indianola on the U.S.S. Supply. They traveled on the sailing ship in search of the dromedaries to England, the Gulf of Tunis, Smyrna, Constantinople, Alexandria and Cairo in search of the camels. They brought multiple types of camels, including pehlavans which were prize-fighters or fighting camels. Major Wayne even joked that they could be used for “the love of novelty” and not only military use.
While they arrived in late April, the continual and unanticipated issues of loading and unloading the camels from The Supply persisted. It was not until May 13th that the first load of camels came up to the wharf at Powder Horn. Many of the animals were happy to have ended their voyage via the sea and enjoyed their liberty on the soil. They had swollen feet, boiles on their legs and suffered what the camel conductors referred to as “the itch.”
The circus came to Indianola in celebration of the arrival of Uncle Sam’s Camels and the locals recollected the day but I noted that many did not know where they came from in later interviews. Which was a question that I often wondered early on in the book.
Major Wayne’s first and number one concern was the acclimation and breeding of the camels when they first arrived in Indianola. Their adjustment to the environment was his main concern as it would govern the mission’s success. At this point in the book it was evident how much the Major looked after the well-being of the unusual Oriental cavalcade.
Meanwhile the locals were somewhat scared of the animals yet amazed by their strength. The camels were able to carry 12,000–15,000 pounds for short distances. Many of the locals were in disbelief until actually witnessing such an event. The mules and horses were absolutely terrified of the mere scent and sight of the camels. The Arab attendants had to be extremely careful to advise the locals of the camels’ location to minimize incidents with the other animals. They often ate the “prickly pear fences” and would suffer whippings from the local muleteers as punishment.
The camels along with the Major and attendants left Indianola on June 4th enroute to San Antonio. The smaller camels quickly tired and Major Wayne sought to find a place for rest. He finally found a prairie on the outskirts of Victoria; they camped there from June 7th to 11th. The green, luxurious grass revived the camels and attracted much attention. The book contains several interviews from youngsters who met the camels. One young girl, Miss Pauline Shirley (later became Mrs. Robert Clark) even was invited to ride on one of the camels by Major Wayne. She was ten years old at the time and vividly remembers the day. Her mother, Mary A. Shirley even made a pair of socks for President Franklin Pierce with some of the camel hair that Major Wayne gave her. The caravan finally arrived in San Antonio on June 18th.
As I turned the page to Chapter IV, I read the title, Wayne’s Wisdom Ignored and I felt disappointment. I always get attached to the “characters” in the stories. And although it is history, it read as a story to me… I could see the camels grazing in my mind with the beautiful sunsets we’re lucky to see near the coast. I could feel how much the Major cared for the animals and I rooted for him that he would find them safety.
This book is very well written and evident why it was reprinted so many times. It was Chris Emmett’s first book and he went onto have a very successful career. In the introduction he is quoted to have said, “my curiosity quickened into a consuming fire” when he first discovered the experiment with the camels.
So where did the camels end up? Was Major Wayne able to execute the military project? Did the animals survive? You can find out at one of our libraries or purchase a copy of Texas Camel Tales online, even a personalized copy for $89.95 or a Kindle version for $8.99.
