Camels Once Roamed The American Southwest - And One Inspired A Terrifying Arizona Legend

Rachel Souerbry
Updated September 23, 2021 42.4K views

We all know tales about the Wild West: Cowboys and Native Americans fought, adventurous settlers fanned out into the frontier, prospectors struck gold. But where do camels fit into that chaotic American landscape? As it turns out, Arabian camels were a big - yet forgotten - part of the settlement of the Southwest and the foundation of a classic Arizona campfire story. 

The camels were initially imported to Texas for use as Army pack animals, due to their suitability to the desert climate. Their story was full of twists and turns that led some to traveling circuses, some to glory as war heroes, and others to become treasured riding animals long after the Army's "Camel Experiment" was over.

Many of those camels ended up loose in the desert, with camel sightings occasionally reported throughout the region. So why did the camels disappear from the United States, and who was the Red Ghost? The answers prove fact can sometimes really be stranger than fiction.

  • The Red Ghost Terrorized Arizona Settlers
    Photo: Bernard Gagnon / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

    The Red Ghost Terrorized Arizona Settlers

    The legend of the Red Ghost began in Arizona in 1883, when a woman discovered the trampled body of her neighbor after hearing a bloodcurdling scream. She found a tuft of red fur near the body. Soon other settlers claimed to have seen a red-furred, horselike beast roaming nearby.

    For 10 years, the Red Ghost terrorized the residents of the Arizona desert. Sightings were reported by frontier families, miners, teamsters, and ranchers. At least one report claimed the creature was a camel, but most people simply knew the Red Ghost as a huge beast with long red hair, cloven hooves, and a skeletal rider.

  • The Red Ghost Rider's Identity Is A Mystery
    Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

    The Red Ghost Rider's Identity Is A Mystery

    Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of the Red Ghost story is what people reported seeing strapped to the camel's back: a headless human body. But whose body was it?

    Some believe it was a young soldier from the Camel Corps days, who was afraid of the camels and strapped onto one so he could overcome his fear. But the camel got loose and escaped, dooming him to die of dehydration in the desert without a way to cut himself down. Terrified settlers supposedly found the man's skull after startling the Red Ghost one day.

    The camel was finally shot and killed in 1893. The rider's body was gone, but the camel wore a saddle and bore scars supposedly showing where the strips of rawhide tied the man down.

  • Congress Set Aside $30,000 To Buy Camels In 1856
    Photo: State Library of Queensland, Australia / Wikimedia Commons / No Restrictions

    Congress Set Aside $30,000 To Buy Camels In 1856

    In the mid-1800s, the idea of using camels to expand into the more arid regions of the Southwest was met with enthusiasm by many military officials and politicians. After they petitioned for the funds, Congress set aside $30,000 to purchase 50 camels and hire 10 camel drivers. In 1856 the first group arrived in Texas. A herd of dromedary camels was established in Camp Verde, TX, in 1857, when a second shipment brought their number to 75.

  • The Camels Were Originally Used As Beasts Of Burden
    Photo: Bernard Gagnon / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

    The Camels Were Originally Used As Beasts Of Burden

    In the 1830s surveyors of the American West noticed the territory was similar to the land in the Middle East and Northern Africa - the home of the camel. The country's borders were expanding rapidly, and explorers needed pack animals that were hardier than the traditional horses, burros, and mules.

    Camels consumed much less water and food than the other animals, and they were faster, too. They were incredibly well-suited to both the terrain and the climate, and soon proved their usefulness on surveying and supply trips.

  • Hadji Ali Was The Army's Star Camel Driver
    Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

    Hadji Ali Was The Army's Star Camel Driver

    Hadji Ali was one of the camel drivers hired by the United States Army when they first purchased the camels. He was an excellent camel driver and an invaluable part of the corps, assisting Edward Fitzgerald Beale with many missions. The soldiers reportedly had a hard time pronouncing Hadji Ali, so they called him "Hi Jolly."

    Ali continued to live in the Southwest after the camel experiment ended, and he died in 1902 while out looking for a stray camel. A true camel lover until the end, he was found with his arms around the animal's neck; they had both died in a sandstorm.

  • Edward Fitzgerald Beale Traveled To California With The Herd In 1857
    Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

    Edward Fitzgerald Beale Traveled To California With The Herd In 1857

    Edward Fitzgerald Beale was already an experienced surveyor when he took on the challenge of traveling to California with a herd of camels in 1857. The odds were against him; the camels had never been used for a long surveying trip like this one, from New Mexico to the Colorado River. What's more, most of the soldiers hated the camels.

    However, Beale completed the trip to the river along the California-Arizona border with his 25-camel herd. Although he initially shared the soldiers' opinion of the beasts in the beginning, he soon came around and realized just how useful they were.

  • The Mule Lobby Didn't Want Any More Camels Imported
    Photo: kalerna / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

    The Mule Lobby Didn't Want Any More Camels Imported

    Although Edward Fitzgerald Beale sang the praises of the Camel Corps in the late 1850s, not everyone was as enthusiastic. Their biggest and loudest opponent was the mule lobby in Missouri. They had numerous complaints about the newcomers and may have blocked further attempts to import camels in Congress.

    They were angry about the camels spooking the mules and horses of most pack trains, which stampeded and shied away at the sight of them. The lobby was likely also concerned about competition, since the camels could carry much more weight and travel longer distances than mules.

  • The Transcontinental Railroad Ended Any Hopes Of A Camel Freight Industry
    Photo: Bernard Gagnon / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

    The Transcontinental Railroad Ended Any Hopes Of A Camel Freight Industry

    The Camel Corps was initially intended to survey the potential route for a transcontinental railroad. The main problem for the Southwest was the "tyranny of distance" - a lack of a way to reach the outer frontier and connect it to the rest of America.

    Ironically, the camels' hard work was their undoing. Although people invested time and money into forming camel pack trains to send goods and travelers across the harsh desert, once the railroad was complete, there was no longer any need for the animals.

  • The Civil War Meant The End Of The Camp Verde Camels
    Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

    The Civil War Meant The End Of The Camp Verde Camels

    If the mule lobby didn't end the camel experiment, the Civil War certainly did. When the Confederate Army seized Camp Verde, TX, in 1861, the camels remaining there were either sold as army surplus or turned loose in the Southwestern desert to fend for themselves.

    Confederate troops took a few camels to carry supplies, instruments, and other baggage. One camel, known as Old Douglas, served with the 43rd Mississippi Infantry at the Battle of Vicksburg.

  • A Frontier Entrepreneur Bought All The Remaining California Camels At Auction
    Photo: Fairfax Archive / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

    A Frontier Entrepreneur Bought All The Remaining California Camels At Auction

    Samuel McLaughlin bought the remaining herd of camels in Los Angeles in 1864, with money he made by organizing a camel race. He was looking to make a profit off the animals and sold a few to a salt mine in Nevada.

    The rest of the camels he sold off to circuses, zoos, and other exotic entertainment venues. McLaughlin even sold some of them back to Edward Fitzgerald Beale, who used them around his homestead and for pleasure riding.

  • Most Of The Army Camels' Fates Are Unknown
    Photo: Toby Hudson / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

    Most Of The Army Camels' Fates Are Unknown

    While the US Army imported around 75 camels by 1857, they weren't the only ones who thought the animals could be useful. Private businesses brought hundreds of camels into the United States and bred them with the former Army animals. Because they were sold to traveling circuses and outfits of that nature, it became difficult to track down which camels came from the Army and which didn't; the same went for their offspring.

    Today we only know the fates of a select few. Said, Edward Fitzgerald Beale's prized riding camel, was killed by a herd mate at Fort Tejon in California. Old Douglas was killed during the Battle of Vicksburg in the Civil War and buried near the battle site.

  • Feral Camels Thrived For Decades

    In the years following their release into the wild, the camels thrived in the American desert. The average lifespan of a camel is about 50 years, but some lived much longer. One, named Topsy, trekked from Arizona to California. A zoo took her in, where she died at the age of 81.

    Reports of wild camel sightings came in steadily until around the 1940s, after which they dropped off significantly. People reported seeing the camels in Texas, Nevada, Arizona, and California, and some camels even made their way down to Mexico.

  • Camels Might Still Roam The United States

    The camels are generally considered long gone, but people still spot them from time to time. Most likely there just weren't enough wild camels to start a thriving population, even though the environment suited them. The last accepted sighting was in Douglas, TX, in 1941, but reported wild camel sightings happened as recently as the 1980s.