Edward Fitzgerald Beale, who blazed the Beale Wagon Road in the late 1850s, reportedly claimed that the inspiration for using camels came to him while exploring Death Valley with Kit Carson. But, there is no corroborating evidence in his diaries or papers to support this account.
However, in 1836, the U.S. Army studied whether to introduce camels as pack animals, an initiative championed by Major George H. Crosman, Major Henry C. Wayne, and Senator Jefferson Davis, who later became the Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce.
Using camels for military transportation gained traction when Davis assumed his position as Secretary of War in 1853. He recognized the need for improved transport in arid and desert regions.
Davis emphasized the advantages of employing camels for military purposes in his 1854 annual report, leading to Congress allocating funds for the project in 1855. Eventually, the camels were brought to the U.S. and used in the Southwest for military purposes. However, they proved unsuitable.
Transitioned from Army pack animals in 1860 to packing ore and supplies up and down the Comstock Lode in Virginia City, the high desert terrain of the area, once thought to be a suitable environment for the camels, was too rocky, and they proved to be cumbersome and unsuitable for mining operations. Moreover, their presence scared horses and women because of their appearance, smell, and noise, leading to their eventual release to roam freely in the mining camps around Virginia City.
Locals rounded up their offspring and sold them to traveling circuses and ranches in California, ending the ambitious camel experiment marking the end of the camels’ brief stint as pack animals in Virginia City and the surrounding mining areas. Locals rounded up their offspring and sold them to traveling circuses and ranches in California, ending the ambitious camel experiment.
The Old Blog in the Desert 