Camel ancestors first appeared in North America about 40 million years ago, but modern camels migrated to Asia and camels became extinct in North America about 9,000 years ago. After the United States gained Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California from Mexico in 1848 and sought to map the newly won territory, the U.S. Army first used horses and mules in southwestern surveys. In 1856, Jefferson Davis, serving as Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce, promoted importing more than 70 camels from North Africa and the Middle East. After arriving at Indianola, Texas, they were taken to Camp Verde, northwest of San Antonio, where the U.S. Army tested them for western desert travel. Early results were largely positive: camels were extremely strong, crossed some terrain more efficiently than horses, could carry 600 to 800 pounds compared with 150 to 300 pounds for horses and mules, and could survive more than a week without water, though they performed less well on rocky ground and sometimes needed leather foot covers. Expeditions from Camp Verde included Edward F. Beale's 1857 route-finding journey west along the 35th Parallel, a 1859 survey by Lt. Edward L. Hartz and Lt. William B. Echols through the lower Trans-Pecos and southeastern Big Bend in search of critical water sources, and an 1860 survey under Lt. Echols across territory between the San Antonio to El Paso Road, the Rio Pecos, and the Rio Grande, where camels carried much of the food, gear, and all the water. The experiments were disrupted by the Civil War, and as control of headquarters shifted, some camels passed between Union and Confederate troops. After the war the animals lost favor, partly because of the negative attitudes of soldiers and mule skinners, and the remaining U.S. Army camels in California and Texas were sold at public auction in 1864 and 1868 to individuals, zoos, circuses, and mining and freighting companies. The last captive offspring of the government camels died in 1934 at Griffith Park Zoo in Los Angeles, California.
