On April 29, 1856 the first shipment of camels arrived in Indianola, Texas. During the early summer the camels were driven to Camp Verde via Victoria and San Antonio. Reports from initial tests were largely positive. The camels proved to be exceedingly strong and able to move quickly across terrain which horses found difficult. Their legendary ability to go without water proved valuable. With the outbreak of the American Civil War, the Camel Corps was mostly forgotten. Handlers had had difficulty with their camels spooking the horses and mules. Many of the camels were sold to private owners and others escaped into the desert throughout the West. Feral camels continued to be sighted in the Southwest through the early 1900s, with the last reported sighting in 1941 near Douglas, Texas.
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