The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-11-11

Old time M0nCananS Will recall
stories of the enterprising freighter
who, in the early days, brought a
small herd of camels somewhere
from the southwestern part of the
United States to Montana with the
idea of using these 'ships of the
DESERT for the pupose of transport
ing freight from one section of Mon
tana to another.
But the plan was not successful.
The camels were all right as beasts
of burden, but when one strayed
away from the camp at night 1t was
shot by an Indian hunter. A second
camel went the same way, and the
owner concluded that the thing for
him to do was to get his animals out
of a country where they would be
mistaken for game. So he went
away and Montana knew him and his
beasts no more.
These camels were a part of a
small herd which had been brought
to the United States before the war
in an attempt of the government to
introduce a beast of burden which
would thrive in the Great American
desert, as a large portion of the
Rocky mountain country vas called
half a century ago, as old students of
geography will remember.
The skeleton of, a camel which
stands in a case at the National mu-
scum here, constitutes the sole relic
of two shiploads of camels brought
from the far east in the sos while
Jefferson Davis was secretary of war
in an effort to solve the problem of
transporting military supplies be-
tween the Mississippi river and the
posts scattered across the western
deserts.
Hostility of native mule drivers to
the ''ships of the DESERT and the be-
ginning of the Civil war are assigned
by. government authorities as the
reasons for the failure of the effort
to utilize camels as burden carriers
over the western plains.
Early I~mportations
DR.. Charles G. Carol of the de-
partment of agriculture has written
an official history of the importation
VI cnlCIS AAC odJ6 L1O 1ucd VI ITdUS-
planting the beasts to America orr
ginated with the Spanish after the
conquest of South America and to-
ward the end of the sixteenth GEN.
fury they we're introduced into Peru.
The camels were not looked upon
with favor by the ruling officials,
however, and they dwindled away
Some camels also were transported
to Virginia from Guinea in 1901, but
there is no authentic record of the
enterprise except that it failed.
Transportation troubles during
the stubborn Indian war in Florida
caused Major George H. Crosman to
advocate the use of the desert beasts
for military purposes, but nothing
came of the plan.
Congress Provides
Some years later Major Henry c..
ment and to members of congress a
plan for government Importation. His
ideas were Endorsed by Jefferson Da-
Wis, then chairman of the senate !
military committee, and after Davis
became secretary Of war under Prest- J
dent Pierce he pressed the project.
Finally, III December. 1854, congress
approved an amendment by Senator
Shields of Illinois to the annual army
appropriation bill providing $780, 900
to be expended under the direction of
the war department in the purchase
and importation of camels and drom-
edaries to be employed for military ;
purposes"
Secretary Davis at once sen Major
Wayne to the Levant to round up
the camels, the secretary of the navy
placing at the disposal of Mr.. Davis
the storeship Supply. with her crew,
under the command OF Lieut.. David
Porter (~afterward Admiral Porter
1t was ordered that the ship land at
a Texas port as it was supposed the