| Marker Number |
12800 |
| Atlas Number |
5465012800 |
| Marker Title |
U. S. Army Camel Corps |
| Index Entry |
U. S. Army Camel Corps |
| Address |
Moore Park, east side of San Felipe Creek between US 90 and Union Pacific Railroad tracks |
| City |
Del Rio |
| County |
Val Verde |
| UTM Zone |
14 |
| UTM Easting |
317245 |
| UTM Northing |
3250164 |
| Subject Codes |
animals; military topics |
| Marker Year |
2002 |
| Recorded Texas Historic Landmark |
No |
| Marker Location |
Moore Park, east side of San Felipe Creek between US 90 and Union Pacific Railroad tracks
|
| Private Property |
No |
| Marker Condition |
In Situ |
| Marker Size |
18" x 28" |
| Marker Text |
U. S. Army Camel Corps The proposal to use camels for commerce and transportation in the arid southwest came about in the 1830s, but it was under U. S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis that the idea became a reality. The first shipment of camels arrived on the Texas Gulf Coast in 1856, and they were taken to Camp Verde (150 mi. NE of here) for training. Several expeditions made their way west through Del Rio, and this park was the site of one of their camps. Although the officers in charge wrote favorably of the Camel Corps, the Civil War brought the experiment to a close. Confederate troops stationed at nearby Fort Hudson found camels still in the area, and confirmed sightings of wild camels continued into the mid-20th century. (2002) |
