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1 - In 1859 and 1860, camel caravans passed through Dog Canyon. Convinced that camels could help patrol the new southwest frontier, the U.S. War Department shipped thirty-three camels and their native handlers from North Africa to Texas. Each camel in the 1859 expedition carried more than 400 pounds of equipment, traveled at least 72 hours without water and survived on the ubiquitous creosote bush that no other stock would eat. The Civil War and a burgeoning railroad brought an end to the camel experiment. 13-Mar-2005 (TX - BigBend)

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