Where Highway 316 starts, near the State Park at Indianola, a new metal art silhouette now stands to commemorate the beginning of the “Great Camel Experiment”. Supported in Congress by Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis, the first load of 33 Camels landed at Indianola on May 13, 1856.

The camels created quite a stir among the residents at this once prosperous frontier seaport. Several weeks later the camels made a trek on foot to their headquarters at Camp Verde near Kerrville, Texas. More camels arrived later and several expeditions into the desert southwest were made to test their endurance. One major expedition crossed NM and AZ, and arrived at Ft. Tejon, CA in 1857.

The steel silhouette sculpture at Indianola, titled “On a New Shore”, by artist Brian Norwood of Jal, NM, was commissioned by the Calhoun County Historical Commission (CCHC) in 2011. “While the “Great Camel Experiment” was considered a success by many directly involved”, said Gary Ralston, CCHC member. “the beginning of the Civil War effectively brought an end to that chapter of camel history in Texas. Still, today, from Indianola to Camp Tejon, historical markers and monuments mark the way of this bold experiment across the American west that started at Indianola.”

Generously working with the Calhoun County Historical Commission to install this sculpture at Indianola were the Texas Dept. of Transportation, Calhoun County Pct. 1, the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority, and Adventure Machine & Fabrication in Port Lavaca, Texas.

– Gary Ralston
– Photos by Jennifer Schulte

Left to right: Steve Koch (CCHC), Roger Galvan (Pct 1 Commissioner), Gary Ralston (CCHC), Tommy Schulte (GBRA), Wesley Abraham (TXDOT), and Mary Belle Meitzen (CCHC).