Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-04-27


between Helena and Diamond City al
the files Of the Montana Post.
sale for camel meat just then, al
though the meat was probably mucl
better fare than the horse meat som,
/ frontiersmen were existing on at TIT
time.
The late Duncan Mcdonald of Pa.
valh recalled that in 1866 he and hi
brother saw a pack train of camels II
the vicinity Of the Kootenai river.
The camels which arrived in Virgins
City in 1865, probably came from Ne
vada. Speaking OF the camels which
hauled freight out of Helena, William
S. Lewis of Spokane, wrote: ''They
then carried merchandise to gold
producing g1lcheS In the western anc
southern part of the territory, anc
gold miners IN the camps on Bear
gulch, Gold creek and Deer Lodge
soon became accustomed to the ar
rival and departure of the camel pack
trains. The camels also packed a lot
of gold dust while in service in Mon
tana. One camel could pack a good
many thousand dollars worth of gold
Among the first famous loads OF gold
dust they carried In Montana was the
first gold shipment from the Bonanza
claim In Alder gulch-a claim which
the original locator, Edgar, Is said to
have sold for $14.85 and a plug of
tobacco.
AFTER being used in Helena for
some months this camel pack train
was placed on the old Walla Walla run
out Of Hell Gate or MisSoula, and
thereafter made regular runs to the
western country, instead of doing local
packing among Montana camps. The
herd was then reduced to but six
animals"
In 'aThe Bozeman Trail" DR.. He
bard the well known Wyoming his
torian, has noted the use OF camels
on the Helena-Missoula-W alla Walla
run.
SINNERS Cussed En-
For a time frequenterS Of MiSSoula
saloons had occasion TO cuss the
camelS, for on the trail a train of
camels stampeded a pack train Of
mules. The awful thing about this situ-
alton was the fact that the mules
were laden with Missoulals, or Hell
Gates regular supply Of liquor. The
containers were sprung In the stam-
pede and the beverage leaked out
This caused many q parched throat IN
AfiSSoula and some Of the townspeople
were reduced to drinking water for the
first time in years.
The camels that carried goods across
the southwest were purchased with q
appropriation OF $4,000
and a Mai Henry G. Wayne was sent
10 Egypt to buy the government camel
nerd. OF Major Wayne's job, another
army officer has said: THE history OF
he army aboundS In unusual duties
performed by its officers, but few COM
pare with Major Wayne's mission. 1T
'equired an international diplomat, an
accomplished aucttoneer and an obedi-
mt soldier, and most OF all the pa
ience Of job"
Major Wayne landed IN Tlnis in
August 1856 The camel market was |
lot good at that place and he Sue
,eeded In purchasing only three ami
nails. He set sail for another port and |
~ this time word of his mission had |
pread throuhgout North Africa. There |
S nothing good Mohammedan enjoys |
more than he enjoys beSting an un- |
believer In a deal, and at every port |
he major visited he was greeted by |
laleSmen with the most ancient camelS |
,hey could find The camelS had been |
1octored up but Major Wayne saw
through the Moslem tricks and took /
lis time In buying. Finally he had |
purchased "a camels and he set sail |
or America.
BY the time Indianola, Tex, was
cached 1t was hard to tell which were
more irritable, the camels or the At /
ican attendants who had been hired !
20 take care of them on the voyage.
There had been four deaths and six \
births among the animals on the voy- |
lge. The camels and their drivers were |
,lad to see dry land.
A great crowd had gathered to watch |
he camelS dtSembark and one who |
witnessed the scene has described it: |
The animals, led by their American |
md Oriental guides, marched down the |
yangplank in a most doctle manner. !
As soon as they hit solid earth, how
,ver, their manner changed. They be- |
anne excited and uncomfortable. They /
cared, kicked, cried, broke their hall |
ers, tore up the picket lines, and en-
lged In other fantastic tricks. such |
IS paving and biting each other The |
Texans, at first amused at these antics,
)ecame panic-stricken and fled"
The Civil war brought an end to |
he camel experiment in the southwest |
after the animals had only been In I
ervice for a short time. Most his |
orians agree that but for this and |
he coming Of the railroads the camel /
night have become 8 common beast /
# burden in that part Of the country. /
Many of the animals ran wild In the /
deserts for years and as
ate as the year 1905 the Apache In I
Iians organized regular camel hunts. |
some Of the animals were eaten, 9TH I
rs were sold 10 circuses. AS all the |
.amels in army service had been 1
marked with q government brand, this /
brand was commonly seen In circus /
nenagerfes for many years.
Camel, Mirage OF AlcohOl9
al a. a
nitely dead news, but Ia the southwest 4
{ Is 3 perennial and there are regular 1
vports Of oaunels ska91ted here and