As a manuscripts librarian, sometimes I come across items in our collections which point to bizarre and bemusing events in our nation’s history. What’s the old adage? Fact is stranger than fiction. Recently, I discovered a document relating to one of those historical oddities: The so-called Great Camel Experiment of the 1850s.

The Document

On Feb. 5, 1850 in Boston Charles Wilkins Webber—journalist, author and adventurer—drafted a circular “to the Young Men of America.” He hoped to entice young go-getters to invest in his new venture: the importation of 50 “long-legged, sure-footed, steady, but swift moving ‘ships of the desert.’”

In the missive, Webber provided several examples for the potential utility of camels in the United States, ranging from the impractical (camel expresses for delivery in the upper Midwest) to the disturbing (the extermination of Native Americans in the Great Plains). However, the most convincing proposal and primary aim of his endeavor was to use camels to establish a “shorter, safer and a cheaper route” overland to California.

Gold Feverish and Footsore

Two years after the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848, the California Gold Rush was in full swing. Thousands charged to California in the hopes of plucking easy fortunes from the territory’s auriferous rivers. The first transcontinental railroad wouldn’t be completed for 16 years and the two transportation options—by ship and by hoof—were almost equally problematic, arduous and treacherous.

The southwestern route, the Gila Trail (also known as the Southern Emigrant Trail), traversed great stretches of desert which killed pack animals by the score. There were also other hazards—accidents, exhaustion and diseases among the most prominent. Webber himself, intent on leading an expedition to the Colorado and Gila rivers in Arizona Territory, lost his party’s horses to Comanche raiders at Corpus Christi, Texas less than a year before proposing his camel enterprise.

By 1855, approximately 300,000 people had migrated to California lured by the promise of gold, nearly half of whom had traveled overland from east to west. And all those people needed supplies—food stuffs, clothing, prospecting and mining gear and other goods—which had to travel the same routes as the ‘49ers. Is it any wonder businessmen and pioneers saw an opportunity for new means of transportation?

Why Camels?

Webber was not the first American to propose the use of camels in the U.S. As far back as 1836, the army had flirted with idea of the dromedary’s application for military transport, but it was only in 1848 that they began giving it serious consideration.

Camels’ adaptions for thermoregulation and high water retention made them well-suited to high temperatures and arid conditions. Moreover, the ungulates could bear loads several times those of pack mules. These capabilities made them appear ideal for crossing the deserts of the Southwest and the idea was surprisingly popular with many Americans.

An article in the Wabash Courier of Terre Haute, Indiana on July 26, 1856 described the camels as “uncouth and awkward to the extreme,” bearing “a resemblance to the stupid turkey.” Despite their opinion of the camel’s homeliness, the authors finally concluded the enterprise would prove successful, with camel caravans “thread[ing] the weary wastes of the West, and the rugged defiles of the mountains connecting our Eastern and Western fields of enterprise and empire.”

Under Secretary of War Jefferson Davis (yes, that Jefferson Davis), 33 dromedaries (one-humped camels) and Bactrian camels (two-humped) were imported for the army’s use. In 1857, Edward F. Beale led the U.S. Camel Corps (no joke) from San Antonio to Fort Defiance, Arizona and then on to California to test the animals’ potential for military supply transport. At the terminus, Beale reported the experiment as a triumph and avowed he would prefer one camel to four mules for transportation in desert conditions.

Why It Failed

A handful of other army expeditions employed camels in the 1850s, but the U.S. Civil War put an end to the camels’ use in military operations. It certainly didn’t help the camel’s case that one of its biggest proponents, Jefferson Davis, defected from the Union to become president of the Confederacy. After the war, camels were largely viewed as irrelevant as modes of transport while the focus shifted to completing the transcontinental railroad.

As for Webber’s enterprise, four years after he wrote his circular, it seemed his dream would be realized. The New York State Legislature passed an act to incorporate the American Camel Company on April 15, 1854 with Webber listed as one of its commissioners. However, the endeavor died in 1855 and was never resurrected. The California Gold Rush had peaked in 1852 and the company failed to get over the hump (ba-dum-bump).

Coda

Was the failure of the Great Camel Experiment really a “calamity?” No, not really (the alliterative assonance of “camel calamity” [camelamity?] was just too good to pass up).

Overall, the use of camels for military transportation proved more efficient than pack mules and might have had more widespread appeal if the Civil War hadn’t completely diverted the military’s attention. But ultimately, it was the steam engine that obliterated any practicality of using camels as a means of transportation in the United States. As for the fate of those camels imported to the U.S., many were sold to entrepreneurs who used them to carry supplies to remote mining operations, while some went free and presumably roamed the Southwest until they died off. Residents of Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Utah reported sighting camels in the desert as late as the early 1900s. (In contrast, for an example of a thriving, wild, non-indigenous camel populations, see this article on the feral camels in Australia).

What ever happened to the camel crusader, C.W. Webber?

After giving up his camel endeavor, Webber joined notorious filibuster William Walker in the invasion of Nicaragua and was killed in action at the fourth battle of Rivas on April 11, 1856.

Webber had lived in an interesting life, having dabbled in all sorts of careers from medicine to theology, but his ultimate success lay in writing. He was a successful journalist and wrote several books based on his experiences working with the Texas Rangers and traveling the West, which are in the public domain and freely available online. Webber’s flair for the dramatic really shines in his camel circular. You can view the full circular here in the Indiana State Library Digital Collections (http://digitalcollections.library.in.gov).

For more information on camels and their connection to Indiana, check out this blog post from Hoosier State Chronicles.

This blog post was written by Rare Books and Manuscripts Librarian Brittany Kropf. For more information, contact the Rare Books and Manuscripts Division at (317) 232-3671 or “Ask-A-Librarian” at http://www.in.gov/library/ask.htm.

If you were unable to attend the ILF presentation “Geekspotting 1.0” given by Jocelyn Lewis (Indiana State Library) and Alex Sarkissian (Morrisson-Reeves Public Library) you missed a discussion on how libraries can create programs around tabletop gaming. Since there seemed to be a lot of interest in this topic by those in attendance, here are some more resources that may be of interest to librarians:

Board game night basics — This site will walk you through everything you need to know to host a board game event at your library.

10 great tabletop games that can be played in under 30 minutes — This site will direct you to some quick and fun tabletop games. Many of these games are also rather inexpensive.

11 literary board games to win over book-lovers at your next game night — Not all board games involved fantasy realms or zombies pandemics. These games neatly tie-in to the books on your shelves.

International Games Day @ your library — Although IGD16 has come and gone, ALA has a lot of good information on this site to help guide you through the realm of modern tabletop gaming.

Game and gaming roundtable of the American Library Association — Gaming is so prevalent in libraries that ALA has an entire roundtable devoted to it!

Games explained — One of the more time consuming aspects of gaming is learning how to play. This YouTube channel walks you through the rules for many major tabletop games.

The Indiana Young Readers Center at the Indiana State Library was officially opened on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016 at an event featuring special guest speakers and an open house for attendees.  The evening began with State Librarian Jacob Speer welcoming guests and introducing the speakers. Dr. Robert Barcus spoke on behalf of the Indiana State Library Foundation, a large contributor of funding for the center. Executive Director of the Indiana Bicentennial Commission Perry Hammock spoke about the many Bicentennial Legacy projects across the state, including the Indiana Young Readers Center. Karen Jaffe, head of the Library of Congress Young Readers Center, read aloud a letter of congratulations from Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress. Indiana author April Pulley Sayre performed the “Indiana Chant,” which she penned in honor of the state’s 200^th birthday and is featured in the Indiana Young Readers Center. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz concluded the speaking ceremony by sharing her support and enthusiasm for libraries and the promotion of literacy to our state’s youth.

Superintendent Ritz and Dr. Barcus then officially opened the Indiana Young Readers Center following a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Guests enjoyed an open house with refreshments and music by harpist Abigail Acosta. Children got their pictures taken with Garfield and Clifford characters and received gift bags that included a free book, bookmarks and more.

The Indiana State Library is the first state library to open such a center for youth. The Indiana Young Readers Center houses a collection of print and Braille books by Indiana authors and illustrators. The newly installed exhibits include interactive activities for visitors to learn more about Indiana authors, genealogy, Indiana history and more!

New large print books have been streaming in to the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library for the past two weeks. In total, about 110 new titles have been added to the collection this week. You can borrow these books either by signing up to be a patron of the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library or by using your Evergreen library card.

Here is just a sample of the new books we have received this week:

The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (Miss Marple, #1)

The murder of Colonel Protheroe — shot through the head — is a shock to everyone in St. Mary Mead, though hardly an unpleasant one. Now even the vicar, who had declared that killing the detested Protheroe would be “doing the world at large a favor,” is a suspect. But, the picturesque English village of St. Mary Mead is overpopulated with suspects and Miss Marple, in her first appearance, is on the case.

Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d by Alan Bradley (Flavia de Luce, #8)

In spite of being ejected from Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy in Canada, twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce is excited to be sailing home to England. She is greeted on the docks with unfortunate news; her father has fallen ill and is hospitalized. Looking for something to do, Flavia is eager to run an errand, delivering a message from the vicar’s wife to a reclusive wood-carver. Flavia stumbles upon the poor man’s body hanging upside down on the back of his bedroom door. The only living creature in the house is a feline that shows little interest in the disturbing scene.

American Heiress by Jeffrey Toobin

On February 4, 1974, Patty Hearst, a sophomore in college and heiress to the Hearst family fortune, was kidnapped by a ragtag group of self-styled revolutionaries calling itself the Symbionese Liberation Army. The already sensational story took the first of many incredible twists on April 3, when the group released a tape of Patty saying she had joined the SLA and had adopted the nom de guerre “Tania.”

The saga of Patty Hearst highlighted a decade in which America seemed to be suffering a collective nervous breakdown. Based on more than a hundred interviews and thousands of previously secret documents, “American Heiress” thrillingly recounts the craziness of the times (there were an average of 1,500 terrorist bombings a year in the early 1970s). Toobin portrays the lunacy of the half-baked radicals of the SLA and the toxic mix of sex, politics and violence that swept up Patty Hearst and re-creates her melodramatic trial. “American Heiress” examines the life of a young woman who suffered an unimaginable trauma and then made the stunning decision to join her captors’ crusade. Or did she?

Killing the Rising Sun by Bill O’Reilly

World War II is nearly over in Europe, but is escalating in the Pacific where American soldiers face an opponent who will go to any length to avoid defeat. The Japanese army follows the samurai code of Bushido, stipulating that surrender is a form of dishonor. Emperor Hirnhito refuses to surrender. In Los Alamos, New Mexico, Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team of scientists are preparing to test the deadliest weapon known to mankind. In Washington, D.C., FDR dies in office and Harry Truman now faces the most important political decision in history: whether or not to use that weapon.

Interested in hearing about the latest trends in geek culture and how they pertain to your library? If so, join Alex Sarkissian (Morrisson-Reeves Public Library) and Jocelyn Lewis (Indiana State Library) at the Indiana Library Federation’s annual conference.  They will be presenting “Geekspotting 1.0” on Wednesday, November 9 at 3pm.  Topics will include Pokemon Go, trends in tabletop gaming and a discussion of the new Star Wars canon.  They will also check-in on popular superhero film franchises and make graphic novel recommendations.

To register for ILF16, visit: http://www.ilfonline.org/?page=2016annualconference

If you can’t make it to the conference but want to know more about how libraries can promote and nurture geek culture, visit Cosplay, Comics and Geek Culture in Libraries at ccgclibraries.com.

On Tuesday November 8th, 2016 we have some serious choices to make when it comes to our government leaders, including the president.   This choice has been the privilege of the citizens of the United States since our county began and it is a serious one. Each president becomes a part of American history as shown in the books American Heritage Illustrated History of the Presidents: more than two centuries of American Leadership by Michael Beschloss, Our Assassinated Presidents: the true medical stories by Stewart M. Brooks, Power Play: the Bush Presidency and the Constitution by James P. Pfiffner,  and The President’s Position: Debating the issues – Presidents Reagan Through Clinton 1981 by Lane Crothers and Nancy S. Lind, which is part of a series of books on our presidents.

We have a variety of other books in our collection that may be helpful in understanding the election process. There are books on choosing our presidential nominees, such as In Pursuit of the White House 2000: How we choose our presidential nominees, Edited by William G. Mayer. There are also books on presidential campaigns, See how they ran: the Changing Role of the Presidential Candidate, by Gil Troy; Packaging the Presidency: a history and criticism of presidential campaign advertising, by Kathleen Hall Jamieson; and The past and future of presidential debates, edited by Austin Ranney.  Knowing how the system works can be the first step in making the voting process less stressful.

If you would like to know more about the election process, and individual candidates visit the Indiana Election Division website.

As we approach the upcoming election, remember to use due diligence in researching your candidate; find out where they stand on the issues, and Get out and Vote!

By Dana Bohr, Librarian – Reference & Government Services Division

 

Pictured are some of the Indiana State Library supervisors ready to welcome guests at the Indiana Young Readers Center grand opening. You know there is a library event when all the supervisors come into work wearing black.

Paula Newcom, Northeast Regional Coordinator, recently visited with the new Director of the South Whitley Cleveland Township Public Library, Vicki Builta. She has worked as a school librarian for several years. In addition she has served on the Young Hoosier Book Award Picture Book Committee (2011-2013) and served as Co-Chair of YHBA from 2014-2016.

PN: Are you from the area?  If not, where are you from originally?

VB: No, I am not from the area. Until recently, I lived in Anderson, Indiana and attended Butler and Ball State Universities. I worked for the Anderson Community Schools as a school librarian for 33 years before retiring in June, 2011. I worked as Director at Daleville Community Library from August 2011 until April 2015. Then I worked in Adult Services at Tipton Public Library from April 2015 until October 2015, and became the Director at SWCPL as of November 2, 2015.

PN: What inspired you to work in libraries?

VB: Reading has always been a passion. Being able to share that passion with other literature lovers makes working in libraries an ideal job.

PN: What is your favorite thing about working for your library?

VB: I enjoy working with a great staff that strives to provide an outstanding variety of opportunities for the South Whitley community. We have a wonderful collection of materials and host amazing programs for all ages. The South Whitley Community Public Library is a local gathering place and a vital part of the area’s educational and cultural environment.

PN: What is your favorite book?

VB: I have many. Here are a few! Favorite Classic – Jane Eyre, To Kill a Mockingbird, Uncle Tom’s Cabin Favorite Juvenile Fiction – Tuck Everlasting, Echo, The Poet’s Dog Favorite YA Fiction (for right now!) – Salt to the Sea, Code Name Verity Favorite Adult Nonfiction (again, for now) – Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, H is for Hawk, The Wright Brothers, Shakespeare Saved my Life, Best. State. Ever: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland Favorite Adult Fiction (just a few…..) – A Little Life, All the Light We Cannot See, The Nightingale, The Nest, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, Fates and Furies, Best Boy, The Marriage of Opposites, Our Souls at Night, The Martian, A Great Reckoning

PN: If you could have dinner with any three famous people in recorded history, who would they be and why?

VB: 1. Amelia Earhart – I’d love to hear her discuss her adventures and her experiences as a woman working in a field that was dominated by men. 2. Steve Jobs – I’ve read so much about him, I’d be interested to listen to him discuss his visions for technology and the future of man’s changing relationships with it. 3. Sigmund Freud – I have always been interested in psychology and what makes humans do what they do, act as they act and say what they say. It would be fascinating to explore his work with him.

PN: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work?

VB 1. Read!  2. Puzzles – sudoku, crossword, jigsaw, cryptograms, all sorts of word puzzles 3. Crafts  4. Travel

This blog post by Paula Newcom, Professional Development Librarian. For more information, contact the Professional Development Office at (317) 232-3697 or email statewideservices@library.in.gov.