In 1857, under orders to survey a wagon road from New Mexico to California, General Edward Beale followed the 35th parallel along paths opened by Francis Aubry and Lt. A.W. Whipple. His orders required the importation of camels and drivers to experiment with carrying freight to the Southwest. The camels outperformed mules, carrying 700 pounds and going for three days without water. Their feet adapted to rocky-sandy soil, and they succeeded in both summer and winter, though they were not popular with mules or drivers. As the Civil War was brewing, the use of camels ceased. The railroad and later Route 66 followed Beale’s route.
