WI: Camels widely-adopted in the American West

[aluzinnu]

Howdy y’all, long time reader first time poster. This is a very rough concept as of yet, but I’ve had it on the brain and would like to develop it further, thought I would see if anybody has any ideas. Basically:

I’m envisioning a version of the American West in which the U.S. Camel Corps was not only more successful than in reality (even surviving the Civil War) but inspired the widespread civilian adoption of camels as draft-animals by about the 1870s-80s. As a consequence of this, several waves of Arab and African camel drovers migrating to the States with their families leaves a clear Muslim presence and cultural imprint throughout the frontier. I think even a small but distinct and visible Muslim minority in the Old West would have an outsized impact on the culture—cowboys wearing keffiyehs, Arabic expressions entering parlance, etc.

I don’t have a specific POD in mind, nor a precise roadmap in my head of the political events that would lead to this. It’s more the high concept of it—outlaws rustling camel trains, Bedouin nomads riding alongside Anglo and Hispanic cattlemen, little adobe mosques and the call to prayer filling the high plains—I think it’s very evocative and could make for cool Western stories. But I would love some help, if anyone’s interested in the concept, developing a timeline that could facilitate such a scenario. Points of divergence? New legislation? Cultural tensions? I’m open to any and all ideas.

Just some random ideas I’ve been mulling over, rapidfire-like: •Conflict between camel-ranchers and railway barons over long-distance freight? •How does a Muslim presence in the West affect Reconstruction-era racial dynamics? •Indian nations adopting use of camels? Mormons? •Camel Corps duties after their historical end? •Muslim-majority casbahs pop up in many frontier-towns, and even whole new villages founded by Arab immigrants? •Camels in Mexico?

Like I said, this is all rough, early-stages stuff, but I’d appreciate any ideas, particularly with developing the timeline that leads up to this “Arab Western” scenario.

 

[Comte de Geneve]

Look at the Red Center of Australia where Camels and Afghan minders were imported in the nineteenth century. The only major remnants of that are the large feral camel population in the central Australian Deserts, calling the South Australia - Darwin railroad the 'GHAN', and 'Breakfast with the Camels' camel rides down the dry riverbed in Alice Springs (just kidding about that being major but it is a pleasant little adventure).

 

[Kerney]

The re introduction of Horses improved the ecology of NA, by eating and spreading seeds that had been falling and rotting on the ground since the Ice Age.

There were indications that camels were doing this with mesquite and cactus, filling the niche Camalops did.

It would be very cool if ecologists picked up on this and someone, maybe the atl Teddy Roosevelt started introducing, say the African Elephant in the lower great plains. Paleontologists like Paul S. Martin suggested it in the 60s. If it were suggested earlier when things were less crowded, that could be fun.

Muslims in the SW, which has a lot of cultures living next to each other. Setting an earlier precedent of living within a democracy could have positive effects.

 

[Enigmajones]

IIRC in Turtledove’s TL 191 the CSA has an operating Camelry unit operating during the Second Mexican War in the alt 1880s.

If this is taken to account I could imagine camels going feral in Texas and OTL Oklahoma they could potentially then spread to the American west.

 

[Pesterfield]

Two other camel benefits are milk and hair.
Camels give milk 12 to 18 months compared to 6 to 9 for a cow.

 

[Arkenfolm]

How does a Muslim presence in the West affect Reconstruction-era racial dynamics?

Probably thought of as a mixture of Chinese and Jews--foreigners with weird non-Christian customs, but white enough they might pass for an Italian. Unless they're darker-skinned Arabs, then they could only pass for a Mexican. I don't think their community would become too prominent--without constant immigration to reinforce it (like the Chinese received), most men will likely either not marry (because no white man will let his daughter marry a foreign Muslim, and even Mexicans or converted Native Americans will have a problem with that) or will return home once they've made their money. The community will be disproportionately male, much like how in one Chinatown in California in the mid-19th century there were hundreds of Chinese men but only 7 (IIRC) Chinese women, all of whom were prostitutes. On the other hand, they might get that immigration since the elite loved cheap labour. So you might have a "Muslim Exclusion Act" to go alongside the Chinese one.

Indian nations adopting use of camels?

If the US Camel Corps is your POD, then it's too late for Amerindians to adopt camels. It's especially difficult since the nations with the most need for camels like the Utes or Western Shoshone are also among the least capable of making a shift to using camels because they lived a very precarious hunter gatherer lifestyle. The only way I could see it is if someone at the Bureau of Indian Affairs gets the idea to teach desert Indians about the use of camels to match Plains Indians and horses and tries to "make them productive" by teaching them camel herding skills. It might work, it might not.

Mormons

I could definitely see this.

Camels in Mexico

It would likely result since people crossed the border all the time back then and this was the era Western businessmen would also make huge investments in Mexico. There is also an earlier POD where the Spanish grab camels from North Africa in the 16th century and use them to explore the area. That's the POD you need if you want Indians to adopt camels in large numbers. Like Arabia, you'd have both horses and camels co-exist.

And don't forget Canada, since much of British Columbia away from the coast is a semi-arid plateau--they actually brought in Bactrian camels to that area in the mid-19th century to transport supplies for the gold rushes there, but the program failed because the camels scared horses meaning too many people got frustrated with the whole thing.

There were indications that camels were doing this with mesquite and cactus, filling the niche Camalops did.

Source? I thought camels had difficulties with cacti because they have a very particular sort of thorn not found in the Old World.

 

[aluzinnu]

Look at the Red Center of Australia where Camels and Afghan minders were imported in the nineteenth century.

Funny, I’ve always known about the Afghan cameleers but for some reason my brain never made the connection to use them something as a model for this project, so thank you!

There were indications that camels were doing this with mesquite and cactus, filling the niche Camalops did.

It would be very cool if ecologists picked up on this and someone, maybe the atl Teddy Roosevelt started introducing, say the African Elephant in the lower great plains. Paleontologists like Paul S. Martin suggested it in the 60s. If it were suggested earlier when things were less crowded, that could be fun

I’ve read this also, that one of the draws of camels was their ability to subsist on thorny, bitter growth—mesquite, greasewood, creosote, etc. I’ve heard other reports that their feet couldn’t handle the thorns or the hard earth, but the primary sources I’ve read all seem to err on the side of favoring the camels in this regard.

The African elephants are a really cool idea, that’s inflaming my brain right there! I’ll keep that in the dome although at the moment naturalizing camels is priority

If this is taken to account I could imagine camels going feral in Texas and OTL Oklahoma they could potentially then spread to the American west.

Ultimately, this is the endgame I seek. I’m thinking if the US approves the importation of another 1,000 camels in 1858 (which it neglected in OTL), plus an uptick in commercial importation of camel herds (in OTL there were at least three cases that we know of, so more is feasible), that could ba a sizable population right there. The scenario I’m envisioning sees maybe 2,000-2,500 head of camel in America by the close of the Civil War; I’m not sure how long a feral camel population would require to take root, but I’ll keep plugging at my research and of course an guidance is appreciated.

Two other camel benefits are milk and hair.
Camels give milk 12 to 18 months compared to 6 to 9 for a cow.

A camelhair fashion boom back east was one idea I had, but milk hadn’t even crossed my mind! That’s great, and the 12-18 months info very useful as well, thanks mate!

Arkenfolm, your points were so useful I will address them in another post momentarily (also because I’m still figuring out the quote system here lol), but before I do let me say all very good thoughts and all very appreciated!

 

[aluzinnu]

Probably thought of as a mixture of Chinese and Jews--foreigners with weird non-Christian customs, but white enough they might pass for an Italian. Unless they're darker-skinned Arabs, then they could only pass for a Mexican. I don't think their community would become too prominent--without constant immigration to reinforce it (like the Chinese received), most men will likely either not marry (because no white man will let his daughter marry a foreign Muslim, and even Mexicans or converted Native Americans will have a problem with that) or will return home once they've made their money. The community will be disproportionately male, much like how in one Chinatown in California in the mid-19th century there were hundreds of Chinese men but only 7 (IIRC) Chinese women, all of whom were prostitutes. On the other hand, they might get that immigration since the elite loved cheap labour. So you might have a "Muslim Exclusion Act" to go alongside the Chinese one.

Yeah, my assumption would be that the Muslim migrant community would be relatively (compared to, say, Anglo and Hispanic cowboys) small and more self-contained on religious grounds—which could be cool, almost a parallel Islamicate culture in the West. I will say I think religious intermarriage tends to be more common than we give it credit for, and I also foresee a not-negligible amount of conversions both from and to Islam—lots of Europeans in the colonial MENA lands adopted it, and I could see that sort of unpretentious desert ethos being resonant for a lot of frontier folk. This is the aspect of the scenario that requires the most thought, imo, so I’m still not concrete on anything.

If the US Camel Corps is your POD, then it's too late for Amerindians to adopt camels. It's especially difficult since the nations with the most need for camels like the Utes or Western Shoshone are also among the least capable of making a shift to using camels because they lived a very precarious hunter gatherer lifestyle. The only way I could see it is if someone at the Bureau of Indian Affairs gets the idea to teach desert Indians about the use of camels to match Plains Indians and horses and tries to "make them productive" by teaching them camel herding skills. It might work, it might not.

Yeah, I should clarify I didn’t mean widespread adoption necessarily—I’m thinking of this scenario in like a “What Western short stories could I tell?” way, and I was thinking “Maybe an Apache warband or something rustles a camel-train and has to figure it out”, more of a small-scale occurrence. That said, I really like the idea of the Bureau of Indian Affairs trying to introduce camel husbandry—don’t know how well it would work, but could make for an even more interesting story if it doesn’t!

It would likely result since people crossed the border all the time back then and this was the era Western businessmen would also make huge investments in Mexico. There is also an earlier POD where the Spanish grab camels from North Africa in the 16th century and use them to explore the area. That's the POD you need if you want Indians to adopt camels in large numbers. Like Arabia, you'd have both horses and camels co-exist.

For sure! I know there were businessmen who actually did use the old army camels to haul freight to Mexico City (namely Bethel Coopwood), so this is totally gonna expand in ATL. I’m also interested in the Mexican government’s response to this—I can see, say, Porfirio Diaz trying to tamp down on the camel trade to prioritize industry, while maybe the Governor of Chihuahua or Sonora is thinking “screw that!” and building up a big camel hacienda.

And don't forget Canada, since much of British Columbia away from the coast is a semi-arid plateau--they actually brought in Bactrian camels to that area in the mid-19th century to transport supplies for the gold rushes there, but the program failed because the camels scared horses meaning too many people got frustrated with the whole thing.

Didn’t know that, but fascinating and useful stuff, will look into it! Bactrians in cold climes is definitely something I wanna work with. I can see a frontier where the Southwest is all dromedaries and up north it’s all Bactrians.

Source? I thought camels had difficulties with cacti because they have a very particular sort of thorn not found in the Old World.

Like I mentioned in my previous post, I’m not sure about this. In my reading it’s been mostly secondary sources that make this assertion, while the primary sources speak favorably of the camel’s hardiness and ability to eat things other animals will not. But this will, like the rest of it, require me to do some more research.

You’ve given me much to thank about, thank you!

 

[Kerney]

Source? I thought camels had difficulties with cacti because they have a very particular sort of thorn not found in the Old World.

Paul S. Martin's book Twilight of the Mammoths, about the extinction of North American Mega Fauna. In it, he goes through the reports of US Army Officers who were in charge of the Camel Corps.

He argued this was because Camels mimic recently extinct Camelops so closely to essentially allow introduction with little to no negative ecological effects and some positives, much like wild horses and donkeys.

One thing, the Camel Corps was a pet project of Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, and for some reason, the US government lost interest in any of his projects in 1861. The Camels ended up in Confederate Hands. If enough officers in Confederate Service could be found who were familiar with them, you could have fun using them in the invasion of New Mexico. That could be a good PoD, with a successful Confederate conquest of New Mexico having camels 'proving their worth'.

 

[Byzantion]

Maybe let the Spaniards introduce Camels early on and they multiply like Camels in Australia.

 

[Meordal]

I am back and as in the past I will keep writing long posts !

Introduction

I would personally have the US military experiment with camels as early as possible. OTL U.S. Camel Corps occurred to close to Civil War and Americans hadn’t enough time to get accustomed to camels. Even worse this unfortunate Camel Corps was envisioned and supported by then Senator Jefferson Davis of Mississippi who lobbied the US military to attempt it … prior to Civil War (1850’s).

Being silly, I would use the first instances in which US soldiers (actually Marines) encountered camels : The Barbary Wars, 1801–1805 and 1815–1816. It would provide roughly 40 more years and epic tales to get American population and the military used to camels

From the shores of Tripoli

I would probably use the first Barbary War as it’s the most epic one and featured a long camel journey. Following a 600-mile trek across the Egyptian and Libyan deserts, Marine Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon, under the command of William Eaton, led his men in an attack on Derna to restore a friendly ruler to the throne of Tripoli. The Marines took the city, planting the American flag on foreign soil for the first time in history.

Marine Corps history states that a Mameluke sword was presented to Marine First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon by the Ottoman Empire viceroy, Prince Hamet, on December 8, 1805, during the First Barbary War, in Libya, as a gesture of respect and praise for the Marines' actions at the Battle of Derna.

An unusual present was offered with this sword. Twenty pairs of camels with a dozen calves and 10 Bedouin caretakers (slaves) were presented to O’Bannon. Those were carefully selected by Prince Hamet and were to be given to King (sic) Jefferson of the United States.

O’Bannon, according to his diary, repeatedly hesitated to either give this burden of beasts back to the Prince or to sell them to the nearest merchants. Unfortunately for his initial plans, he quickly learnt that articles had quickly been published in United States and Europe about the arrival of those camels in USA.

Ô’Bannon discussed this issue with Eaton, the commander of the expedition, both were in agreement that the numerous camelids couldn’t be directly sent to USA due to a lack of proper accommodation and supplies in their frigates. Further talks with the Bedouin caretakers reinforced their common opinion, an intermediate station was needed before crossing the Atlantic.

Eaton initially wanted to bring the camels to France and more precisely Marseilles, while O’Bannon was wishing to move back to Egypt. The Elder of the caretakers surprisingly suggested another destination : El Andalus. It took a while for the Americans to understand that he was actually speaking of Spain. The reluctant animals were embarked on the frigates and a few barbarian vessels and transported to Spain, where they were to be covertly disembarked in the port of Mallagga.

To the despair of both O’Bannon and Eaton, thousands of onlookers, journalists, officials and a fanfare learnt about their not so secret expedition. A camel procession was hastily and forcibly organized once the camels were blessed by local clergy. It slowly moved to Sevilla, accompanied by thousands of Spanish soldiers, in order to meet the Spanish Crown local representative.

After this journey, most of the camels quickly got used to Spanish climates and, once installed in a local hacienda, multiplied, augmenting the initial herd. The day of their departure, a few dozens had to be left in Spain. Some of their descendants are still roaming the southern part of the country nowadays.

The return to the United States was carefully organized with specialized ships built to transport the camels. Fortunately, despite suffering of seasickness, all 98 animals safely arrived in NYC on 1st April 1806. Similarly to Mallagga, the arrival of camels in NYC turned into a Roman triumph with half of the city population coming to meet those long awaited Oriental marvels.

Thankfully, no New Yorker was hurt by camels. It wasn’t the case in Philadelphia when a drunk passerby punched one of the Bactrian camels and got trampled. The rest of the journey to Washington DC was relatively peaceful, but repeatedly proved that horses had to be accustomed to camels.

The 13 April 1806, the camels finally arrived in the American capital and were met by President Thomas Jefferson on his birthday. The Camel day became one of the rare public holidays in Washington DC in 1906. You can still admire two camel statues erected in front of the US Capitol the same year.

To West Point

Taking care of the camels was complicated and a long legislative debate soon erupted to decide who had to pay for them. A hard decision was finally taken,, the camel herd had to be dispatched to various locations in the care of the military, even if a few camels were kept in Washington DC new zoo .

Half of the now 120 camels were sent to the new academy of West Point, Virginia that was established in 1802. The other half was given to the former Discover Corps that was originally to be disbanded in September. It was renamed Camel Survey Corps (CSC).

A handful camels were given to the Marines Corps as souvenirs of the battle of Derna. Their offspring would be the basis of the future US Marines Camel Expeditionary Corps that fought in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) with the Army Camel Corps and regularly charged Mexicans.

The project of an official was considered an oddity in Virginia, but it became a reality in 1817, when Colonel Sylvanus Thayer became the superintendent of West Point.

Intrigued by those animals, Thayer read that Bactrian camels would normally be found in Afghanistan, packing supplies through the often cold, dry, rugged country in Asia. This territory that seemed awfully similar to the Rocky Mountains. He also clearly understood the usefulness of desert camels, if a conflict against Mexico had to erupt.

He also remembered that during the war of 1812, a few Bactrian camels were briefly and successfully used during raids on the Canadian frontier mitigating supply difficulties, but It was only an unofficial initiative taken under the American Legion.

The big test

In 1818, he unoffficially asked the new Discovery and Survey corps to conduct a detailed and serious study that finally convinced the War Department to attempt using camels for transportation and as units of cavalry in 1820.

Those camels passed the supreme test when they were pit against packers’ mules on a 60-mile endurance race. Using six camels against twelve mules, a 2.5 ton load was divided among the camels and two Army wagons, each drawn by six mules. The camels finished the race in two and a half days while the mules took four. Each camel was packing 700 pounds, twice what the mules could carry. At one point the camels went 26 hours without water while the mules and horses suffered. The camels didn’t falter. On the contrary, they gazed at the frenzied animals with disrespectful contempt.

A report was written with the suggestion to create an ACLC (Army Camel Logistics Corps) divided in three geographic sectors and receiving adequate animals.

The ACLC was later widely and successfully used in all conflicts with Native Americans (from the Seminole Wars to the end of the Texan-Indian War in 1875).

In 1832, Congress formed the "Battalions of Camel Rangers" to protect settlers along the east bank of the Mississippi River and to keep the Santa Fe trail open. Those three battalions comprised volunteers organized into eighteen companies of 100 men. Those volunteer battalions were later amalgamated with the former Camel Survey Corps (CSC) into the Camel Scouts and Mounted Rangers Regiment (CSMRR), a new regiment specialized in Indian warfare.

The halls of Moctezuma

Camels participated to all campaigns of the Mexican-American War from Northern Mexico to Mexico with the landing of Veracruz executed by the US Marines who brought their own camels.

As the United States began expanding westward, particularly after the Mexican-American War from 1846 to 1848, the nation acquired territory that had a different terrain than the east coast. It included many desert and arid regions where U.S. Soldiers established forts after the war with Mexico and the 1845 annexation of Texas.

After the creation of this unit and until the beginning of Civil War, thousands of new camels were privately and officially imported to explore the new territories and to protect settlers. States created their own Camel militia units. In Southern States some of them were even used to police and hunt slaves

Many of the privately owned camels were turned loose to graze and wandered away. Feral camels did survive in the desert, many are still roaming the US and Mexican deserts.

Shared in a Civil War

Camel cavalry units widely served during Civil War on both sides, mainly in the West and South West. Bactrian camels were also used during winter campaigns.

…

More details on American-Mexican War and Civil War are getting compiled if you liked that. I plan to end the timeline with War on Terror, Afghanistan and Iraq.

I may add more socio-politcal events later, including the opening of the first US mosques in Washington DC and West Point, followed by NYC and Richmond. The effect of Islam among freed slaves after Civil War.

If you ask me I found an historical way to convert Jefferson to Islam after his presidency.

I may write about the camel caravans and nomadic Muslim sects wandering in the deserts. Intermarriages with natives may occur with Comanches on desert camels or Mormons riding Bactrian camels

…

 

[Contrary]

I may add more socio-politcal events later, including the opening of the first US mosques in Washington DC and West Point, followed by NYC and Richmond. The effect of Islam among freed slaves after Civil War.

If you ask me I found an historical way to convert Jefferson to Islam after his presidency.

I may write about the camel caravans and nomadic Muslim sects wandering in the deserts. Intermarriages with natives may occur with Comanches on desert camels or Mormons riding Bactrian camels

I would be very interested to hear about all these things.

Also, if you're thinking about adobe mosques, have you seen the Dar al-Islam Muslim Educational Center in Abiquiu, New Mexico? It looks like a blend of North African and southwestern architecture.

 

[aluzinnu]

I am back and as in the past I will keep writing long posts !

Introduction

I would personally have the US military experiment with camels as early as possible. OTL U.S. Camel Corps occurred to close to Civil War and Americans hadn’t enough time to get accustomed to camels. Even worse this unfortunate Camel Corps was envisioned and supported by then Senator Jefferson Davis of Mississippi who lobbied the US military to attempt it … prior to Civil War (1850’s).

Being silly, I would use the first instances in which US soldiers (actually Marines) encountered camels : The Barbary Wars, 1801–1805 and 1815–1816. It would provide roughly 40 more years and epic tales to get American population and the military used to camels

From the shores of Tripoli

I would probably use the first Barbary War as it’s the most epic one and featured a long camel journey. Following a 600-mile trek across the Egyptian and Libyan deserts, Marine Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon, under the command of William Eaton, led his men in an attack on Derna to restore a friendly ruler to the throne of Tripoli. The Marines took the city, planting the American flag on foreign soil for the first time in history.

Marine Corps history states that a Mameluke sword was presented to Marine First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon by the Ottoman Empire viceroy, Prince Hamet, on December 8, 1805, during the First Barbary War, in Libya, as a gesture of respect and praise for the Marines' actions at the Battle of Derna.

An unusual present was offered with this sword. Twenty pairs of camels with a dozen calves and 10 Bedouin caretakers (slaves) were presented to O’Bannon. Those were carefully selected by Prince Hamet and were to be given to King (sic) Jefferson of the United States.

O’Bannon, according to his diary, repeatedly hesitated to either give this burden of beasts back to the Prince or to sell them to the nearest merchants. Unfortunately for his initial plans, he quickly learnt that articles had quickly been published in United States and Europe about the arrival of those camels in USA.

Ô’Bannon discussed this issue with Eaton, the commander of the expedition, both were in agreement that the numerous camelids couldn’t be directly sent to USA due to a lack of proper accommodation and supplies in their frigates. Further talks with the Bedouin caretakers reinforced their common opinion, an intermediate station was needed before crossing the Atlantic.

Eaton initially wanted to bring the camels to France and more precisely Marseilles, while O’Bannon was wishing to move back to Egypt. The Elder of the caretakers surprisingly suggested another destination : El Andalus. It took a while for the Americans to understand that he was actually speaking of Spain. The reluctant animals were embarked on the frigates and a few barbarian vessels and transported to Spain, where they were to be covertly disembarked in the port of Mallagga.

To the despair of both O’Bannon and Eaton, thousands of onlookers, journalists, officials and a fanfare learnt about their not so secret expedition. A camel procession was hastily and forcibly organized once the camels were blessed by local clergy. It slowly moved to Sevilla, accompanied by thousands of Spanish soldiers, in order to meet the Spanish Crown local representative.

After this journey, most of the camels quickly got used to Spanish climates and, once installed in a local hacienda, multiplied, augmenting the initial herd. The day of their departure, a few dozens had to be left in Spain. Some of their descendants are still roaming the southern part of the country nowadays.

The return to the United States was carefully organized with specialized ships built to transport the camels. Fortunately, despite suffering of seasickness, all 98 animals safely arrived in NYC on 1st April 1806. Similarly to Mallagga, the arrival of camels in NYC turned into a Roman triumph with half of the city population coming to meet those long awaited Oriental marvels.

Thankfully, no New Yorker was hurt by camels. It wasn’t the case in Philadelphia when a drunk passerby punched one of the Bactrian camels and got trampled. The rest of the journey to Washington DC was relatively peaceful, but repeatedly proved that horses had to be accustomed to camels.

The 13 April 1806, the camels finally arrived in the American capital and were met by President Thomas Jefferson on his birthday. The Camel day became one of the rare public holidays in Washington DC in 1906. You can still admire two camel statues erected in front of the US Capitol the same year.

To West Point

Taking care of the camels was complicated and a long legislative debate soon erupted to decide who had to pay for them. A hard decision was finally taken,, the camel herd had to be dispatched to various locations in the care of the military, even if a few camels were kept in Washington DC new zoo .

Half of the now 120 camels were sent to the new academy of West Point, Virginia that was established in 1802. The other half was given to the former Discover Corps that was originally to be disbanded in September. It was renamed Camel Survey Corps (CSC).

A handful camels were given to the Marines Corps as souvenirs of the battle of Derna. Their offspring would be the basis of the future US Marines Camel Expeditionary Corps that fought in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) with the Army Camel Corps and regularly charged Mexicans.

The project of an official was considered an oddity in Virginia, but it became a reality in 1817, when Colonel Sylvanus Thayer became the superintendent of West Point.

Intrigued by those animals, Thayer read that Bactrian camels would normally be found in Afghanistan, packing supplies through the often cold, dry, rugged country in Asia. This territory that seemed awfully similar to the Rocky Mountains. He also clearly understood the usefulness of desert camels, if a conflict against Mexico had to erupt.

He also remembered that during the war of 1812, a few Bactrian camels were briefly and successfully used during raids on the Canadian frontier mitigating supply difficulties, but It was only an unofficial initiative taken under the American Legion.

The big test

In 1818, he unoffficially asked the new Discovery and Survey corps to conduct a detailed and serious study that finally convinced the War Department to attempt using camels for transportation and as units of cavalry in 1820.

Those camels passed the supreme test when they were pit against packers’ mules on a 60-mile endurance race. Using six camels against twelve mules, a 2.5 ton load was divided among the camels and two Army wagons, each drawn by six mules. The camels finished the race in two and a half days while the mules took four. Each camel was packing 700 pounds, twice what the mules could carry. At one point the camels went 26 hours without water while the mules and horses suffered. The camels didn’t falter. On the contrary, they gazed at the frenzied animals with disrespectful contempt.

A report was written with the suggestion to create an ACLC (Army Camel Logistics Corps) divided in three geographic sectors and receiving adequate animals.

The ACLC was later widely and successfully used in all conflicts with Native Americans (from the Seminole Wars to the end of the Texan-Indian War in 1875).

In 1832, Congress formed the "Battalions of Camel Rangers" to protect settlers along the east bank of the Mississippi River and to keep the Santa Fe trail open. Those three battalions comprised volunteers organized into eighteen companies of 100 men. Those volunteer battalions were later amalgamated with the former Camel Survey Corps (CSC) into the Camel Scouts and Mounted Rangers Regiment (CSMRR), a new regiment specialized in Indian warfare.

The halls of Moctezuma

Camels participated to all campaigns of the Mexican-American War from Northern Mexico to Mexico with the landing of Veracruz executed by the US Marines who brought their own camels.

As the United States began expanding westward, particularly after the Mexican-American War from 1846 to 1848, the nation acquired territory that had a different terrain than the east coast. It included many desert and arid regions where U.S. Soldiers established forts after the war with Mexico and the 1845 annexation of Texas.

After the creation of this unit and until the beginning of Civil War, thousands of new camels were privately and officially imported to explore the new territories and to protect settlers. States created their own Camel militia units. In Southern States some of them were even used to police and hunt slaves

Many of the privately owned camels were turned loose to graze and wandered away. Feral camels did survive in the desert, many are still roaming the US and Mexican deserts.

Shared in a Civil War

Camel cavalry units widely served during Civil War on both sides, mainly in the West and South West. Bactrian camels were also used during winter campaigns.

…

More details on American-Mexican War and Civil War are getting compiled if you liked that. I plan to end the timeline with War on Terror, Afghanistan and Iraq.

I may add more socio-politcal events later, including the opening of the first US mosques in Washington DC and West Point, followed by NYC and Richmond. The effect of Islam among freed slaves after Civil War.

If you ask me I found an historical way to convert Jefferson to Islam after his presidency.

I may write about the camel caravans and nomadic Muslim sects wandering in the deserts. Intermarriages with natives may occur with Comanches on desert camels or Mormons riding Bactrian camels

…

I’m digging this scenario a whole lot, appreciate all the diligent thought and effort put into it! You’re setting my brain on fire. Would love to hear some more of what you’re thinking!

 

[Aussie]

Funny, I’ve always known about the Afghan cameleers but for some reason my brain never made the connection to use them something as a model for this project, so thank you!

I’ve read this also, that one of the draws of camels was their ability to subsist on thorny, bitter growth—mesquite, greasewood, creosote, etc. I’ve heard other reports that their feet couldn’t handle the thorns or the hard earth, but the primary sources I’ve read all seem to err on the side of favoring the camels in this regard.

The African elephants are a really cool idea, that’s inflaming my brain right there! I’ll keep that in the dome although at the moment naturalizing camels is priority

Ultimately, this is the endgame I seek. I’m thinking if the US approves the importation of another 1,000 camels in 1858 (which it neglected in OTL), plus an uptick in commercial importation of camel herds (in OTL there were at least three cases that we know of, so more is feasible), that could ba a sizable population right there. The scenario I’m envisioning sees maybe 2,000-2,500 head of camel in America by the close of the Civil War; I’m not sure how long a feral camel population would require to take root, but I’ll keep plugging at my research and of course an guidance is appreciated.

A camelhair fashion boom back east was one idea I had, but milk hadn’t even crossed my mind! That’s great, and the 12-18 months info very useful as well, thanks mate!

Arkenfolm, your points were so useful I will address them in another post momentarily (also because I’m still figuring out the quote system here lol), but before I do let me say all very good thoughts and all very appreciated!

Downloaded this to read weeks ago, but have been distracted by family illness. So someone beat me to mentioning Australia's Afghan Cameleers.
But I get another chance on the subject of camel feet, and hard ground.

A lot of inland Australia is semi - hard surface, with large areas of Gibber (small stones) plains. Hard on horses hooves, but seems passable for camels. That may be the way around one of your suitability issues.

There are occasional islamic type buildings, and graveyards, in these areas, but most of the Cameleers have moved on. It was largely a male population, with very few females, however, there was an amount of inter marriage with the local Aboriginals. I think your mentions in various posts, of the anathema of an Islamic / Christian union would have applied here as well.

There are some surviving communities, but for a large part, they have integrated / westernised, or moved on.

 

[Aussie]

In conjunction with this topic, I also downloaded "What if the Camel was domesticated camel was introduced in the Sahara in the 3rd Millenium BC" For later reading.​

Aspects of this thread may prove, or disprove, some of the arguments for the American West.

However, reading it also reminded me of another "Australianism" - the use of camels to pull mail coaches, and also construction wagons, on the Adelaide - Darwin Overland Telegraph, in the 19th Century.

In the early 20th Century, large numbers of camels were also used fro the construction of the Trans Australia Railway, across the Nullarbor.

 

[Skraea]

It makes a lot of sense considering camels evolved in the Americas much like horses. But if you'd want an earlier introduction of camelids how about the Spanish introduce llamas and alpacas in the 1600s? By then, they've conquered the Incas and have access to Andean livestock which also used guinea pigs.