Indianola, Texas: Camels and Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de la Salle - Saturday, January 5, 2019

After my big fall in 2012 in Corpus Christi, we have not spent a weekend in the area, except one day with my mom and sister in Corpus six months after my fall, and one day with friends doing a Volksmarch and lunch in January 2014. It is nice to come back for a weekend so we can do more walks.

The weather cooperated. We have a great RV site at Ransom Road RV Park in Aransas Pass, Texas. Even though the sites are close together, the park is clean and neat, has friendly people, and is convenient to everything we need. The price was much more reasonable than a highly popular RV park in Port Aransas. To us, the closeness of the rigs in this park didn't matter. We were out walking and exploring outside the park, and returned to the rig to sleep.

We made camp on Saturday afternoon, January 5. Bob wanted to drive to Point Comfort, Texas, to look at a big job Southwest Electrical Contracting Services is working on. I have to admit, the place is huge. It's called Formosa Plastics and is the second-largest plastic-producing company in the world. How about them (plastic) apples? [My apologies to the movie "Good Will Hunting."]

From the plastics plant, we headed to Indianola to find the history markers Bob knew had to be there. I am clueless about all these history things he knows about, but I go along for the ride.

We drove and drove, but finally got close to where he thought the markers should be. I was feeling doubtful by this point. But, the sunset was spectacular so I was happy to have that to look at.

Indianola, Texas sunset.

Signs, signs, everywhere a sign.

A more unobstructed sunset view.

After Bob indulged my sunset photo shoot, we drove a few hundred feet and, voila, a historical marker about The Great Camel Experiment.* 

"On a New Shore," steel silhouette sculpture
by Brian Norwood of Jal, New Mexico

Once you hear a piece of history you never knew before, you start seeing signs about it everywhere. We first saw the camel signs in Camp Verde, Texas (just outside Kerrville). We also saw the camels exhibit at Fort Davis National Historic Site. Now, here is the U.S. origin of the camel story. [NOTE: On a trip to Louisiana later in January, there was a reference to the camels there as well.]

To sum up this story: besides the human immigrants to Texas from Czechoslovakia, Poland, Germany, Italy, etc., 75 camels were brought in as well. They were imported through Indianola in 1856 and 1857. Talk about a sight that got tongues wagging...can you imagine living along the coast in Texas and all of a sudden camels are traipsing though your town? Wow. People had their memories of that throughout their lives.

Following the end of the Mexican War in 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe resulted in the United States' purchase of a huge amount of land from New Mexico to California. Before trains or even roads ran through this area, a creative means was suggested for crossing this harsh frontier. It was thought camels could be used for this task, as well as for military purposes.

The Great Camel Experiment was to test camels in the harsh terrain and climate of the Texas Hill Country, south Texas, and west Texas. Around 1848, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis proposed to Congress using pack animals in the desert Southwest. As an officer in the U.S. Army, he realized the military potential of the camel. These camel caravans carried supplies from Camp Verde to San Antonio, Texas (which was the headquarters for the Texas Department of the Army at the time).

After the routine of carrying military supplies back and forth, some of the camels were put onto a new assignment with Lt. Edward F. Beale: survey the "Great Wagon Road" between Arizona and California. Many gold-seeking 49'ers were traveling that way and needed protection from Native Americans and a reliable route. The new, reliable route that Lt. Beale surveyed, later became known as historic Route 66 and includes parts of U.S. Interstate 40.

Camels were also used to help survey routes to the U.S./Mexico border which was some of the harshest terrain they faced on their sojourn in the United States. Lieutenants Hartz and Echols, U.S. Topographical Engineers in charge of the border route survey, both commented on the hardiness of the camels and thought their performance was "all that could be desired" of the animals.

The experiment lasted until about 1861 when the Federal forces were pushed out of Texas at the start of the Civil War. The Confederate troops inherited all U.S. Military assets in Texas, including the camels. With sea trade blockaded at all southern ports except Brownsville, in deep south Texas, the camels were used to haul salt and cotton from the Hill Country of Texas to that port.

After the Civil War, the camels were auctioned off to private enterprises. Camels were used for freighting and were used to haul supplies for the building of the railroad which eventually put them out of business. Some camels were then sold into circuses. It was interesting to learn this great experiment started in Indianola, Texas!

Farther down the waterfront, we also found the historical marker** and sculpture of Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de la Salle. He was born in Rouen, France in 1643 and traveled to Canada in 1668. He founded a first settlement near Montreal. 

From Montreal, he lead several expeditions on the Great Lakes and the Ohio and Illinois Rivers. He completed the exploration of the Mississippi River in 1682. He returned to France. 

La Salle then sailed from France in July 1684 to establish a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River. He landed at Matagorda Bay in February 1685. There he established Fort St. Louis. While on his way back to Canada, he was murdered near the Trinity River in March 1687.

Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de la Salle

Our great exploration is now complete and we can return to the RV park. It was dark when we got back. Bob wanted to watch the Cowboys vs. Seahawks football game and it was time to eat. The RV park recommended Mickey's Bar and Grille two blocks down the street next to the marina.

I'm not a football fan, but the place was comfortable and fun with lots of fans of the Cowboys on hand. I had a side salad and a bowl of their clam chowder. Hands down, that is the best clam chowder I have ever had in my life, even better than places on the Oregon coast. What made it good, in my opinion, was it had huge chunks of clams, perfectly bite-size pieces of potato, not too salty, and a smooth, creamy consistency. Oh, and no gritty sand in it. Bob had fish and chips which was also very good, according to Bob. While Bob watched the game, I read a stack of magazines I had brought. 

What a fun first day of our weekend get-away.

Travel Bug out.

* Historical references about the Great Camel Experiment came from the local historical marker and a research paper by Rhonda Cummins, Coastal and Marine Resource Agent for Calhoun County. In an email with Rhonda, she stated the credit belongs to the Calhoun County historic committee: http://www.calhouncountyhc.org/Camel.html.  

**Information in this blog on Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de la Salle is paraphrased directly from the base of the sculpture. It was too hard to read in the photo.