Tales of Texas Horses and Mules and Camels? Oh My! By Steve Hathcock and Kay Lay As early as 1836,  Maj. George H. Crosman urged the United States War Department to use camels in Indian campaigns in Florida because of the animals' ability to keep on the move with a minimum of food and water. But  twenty years passed before the great experiment began. May 14, 1856: Thirty-four camels, two Arabs and one Turk, hired to teach the soldiers how to handle the humped-beasts, were led ashore at Indianola, Texas, (north of Corpus Christi). The caravan caused a near riot. Business came to a standstill as the local population gathered near the shore to view the arrival of the dromedaries. The creatures from the east were foul smelling and made loud raucous braying sounds as they plodded along the docks. Horses and teams bolted at the sight of the strange beasts. Finally, a rider was sent ahead. “Get out of the road.” He shouted at the teamsters and whomever else he encountered. “The camels are coming! Several successful experiments were conducted at Camp Verde, Texas. Major Wayne, of the United States Camel Corps, reported mixed results. On the positive side, camels rose and walked with as much as 600 pounds without difficulty, traveled miles without water and ate almost any kind of plant; a very desirable trait indeed, when in hot pursuit of renegades. But there was also a downside. The soft-footed camels didn't take to the West's rocky soil. Prospectors' burros and mules, even Army mules, were afraid of the odd-looking creatures and would sometimes panic at their sight. The great experiment came to an end with the first shots of the Civil War. The Confederates used some of the animals while others escaped and bred in the wild. Most were shot by prospectors and hunters as pests. Descendants of the camels could be found wandering the deserts of the west for the next half-a-century. Camels and llamas initially evolved in North America in the late Eocene. In the Pleistocene they emigrated to Asia and Africa (camels) and to South America (llamas) but went extinct in North America. One tooth, excavated from the Laguna Madre a few years back is currently on display at Beachcomber's Museum of Local and Natural History at 104 West Pompano Street on the Island. Beachcomber's Museum is open 12-6 Tuesday-Sunday and closed Monday. Daily presentations hosted by Steve Hathcock and Kay Lay from 2-3 pm. Copyright 2005 Steve Hathcock Inc.