From my understanding they did not work well due to the SW being more rocky then the desert they were native to.

Check out the Wiki articles. But there's something very compelling in the story.

I grew up hearing about the Camel Barns; they were pointed out every time we drove past them. As an adult, I was bummed to learn these fine buildings weren't built to house camels, but simply exquisite warehouse used to hold the camels until the Army could dispose of them.


These finely crafted sandstone Buildings were originally constructed for use as Warehouses. They gained their name and fame, however, during a brief period in 1863-64 when they were to stable a herd of camels imported by the U.S. Army for transportation in the American desert.


Today, they house a fine little museum.

Good to know

and the most informative. Benicia. I been there. Not all over but some places. never knew about the camels there. Kind of Huell Howserish.

And I never knew about the camels in the desert but always figgered that.

I grew up hearing about the camel barns. My son grew up hearing about and looking at a more famous Benicia attraction.

July 1996, this Dixie The Dinosaur was moved from out hometown to Benicia. There, she underwent a sex change and a name change - Benny the Dinosaur.



In 2004 it was moved again, to Napa, and then burned in a wildfire. Got all burned up!

which lived there for a few months on route to Benicia. They are a tad passionate about the whole thing, but they have lots of information and pictures.
http://www.forttejon.org/camel.html

Thank you!

This is why I love DU.

nt

are descendents of some of the wanderers from the camel corps. another version is:



Camels have long history in Virginia City, once being used as service animals for the gold mines in the 1800s. However, according to local legend, the animals' comical history came into play just over 50 years ago when Bob Richards, editor of the local paper the Territorial Enterprise, ran a fictitious news story about local camel races. Richards was notorious for his practical jokes, so he didn't count on being taken seriously. But the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle thought it was a real story and reprinted it. He was less than amused when he found out it was a hoax.

The following year, Richards ran an announcement of upcoming camel races, and the Chronicle editor decided to turn the tables on the trickster and said he would be sending a team to compete in the races. The Virginia City editor scrambled to make his joke a reality, and the International Camel Races were born. Hollywood director John Huston was the first race on a camel borrowed from the San Francisco Zoo.

http://www.sierranevadageotourism.org/content/virginia-city-international-camel-races/sie0E1B4B64882449EA5

54th Annual Virginia City
International Camel Races
September 6 - 8, 2013
Virginia City, Nevada.

The Virginia City International Camel Races is a tradition that has been taking place for over 5 decades. For the past 54 years, these Camel & Ostrich Races have served as a testament to the spirit of the Wild West, and the history of Nevada. This year's event expects to draw 30,000 people to our area. The camel races have always been an exciting fun-filled event receiving local, statewide, and national attention.
http://www.road-shows.com/camel_races.php

Though he preferred the Bactrian camel.

Josiah Harlan was the first American in Afghanistan - in 1826. He was likely the person that Rudyard Kipling based his story "The Man Who Would Be King".

Harlan was quite an adventurer. He was born in Pennsylvania a Quaker, left home to make his fortune but when his fiance married another while he was sailing the world, he vowed to never return. He hired on as a doctor, learning his trade from the books his brother gave him.

He was appointed Prince of Ghor, but then became so critical of the British behavior in the first Anglo-Afghan War he was thrown out of Afghanistan and India. On his way back to the US, he visited Russia. After his return home, he wrote a book critical of the British with