Page 6 - spring 2016 flip

6 Friends oF red rock canyon

Sharon’s Slant By Sharon Schaaf

Southern Nevada Surprises

amels crossing the southern authorizing the purchase of camels
tip of Nevada. A lake not on for Army use to make travel easier
C any current Nevada map. for the troops assigned to protect U.S.
Dinosaur fossils in the Red Rock citizens.
Canyon National Conservation Area.
These are just a few of the surprises Thirty-four camels were purchased
readers will dis- from Turkey and Egypt
cover in books and sailed across the
by local historian ocean, landing in
Forrest Bryant Texas in April 1856.
Johnson and Californian Lieutenant
local geologist Edward Beale was put
Nick Saines. in charge of organiz-
ing an expedition to
Volunteers dedicated to the preservation of Red Rock Canyon
Forrest Bry- map out a wagon road
ant Johnson is a that would safely get
Las Vegas resi- troops, supplies and
dent originally citizens to southern
from Kentucky. California through
“The Last Camel Texas, New Mexico,
Charge: The Arizona and Nevada.
Untold Story His orders were to
of America’s take the camels on the
Desert Military expedition to see how
Experiment” is they would do on long
his eighth book and takes us back trips in the southwest desert. The
to the mid-1800s. The United States camels did better than the horses or
Army was dealing with Indian at- mules. Beale completed his mission
tacks on emigrants heading to Cali- in 1857, even getting the camels to
fornia, trouble brewing between pro swim across the Colorado and spot-
and anti-slavery groups in Kansas ting our own Mt. Charleston along
and clashes with Mormons in Utah. the way.
On March 3, 1855, a law was passed

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the Rock - Volume 6 Issue 3