American Folk Figure. In 1856, 33 camels and caretaker Hadji Ali were procured in Syria and brought to the United States aboard a federal supply ship in an experiment with camels for freighting and communications in the arid Southwest. 41 were added on a second voyage, and all were unloaded at Indianola, Texas. Pronunciation problems resulted in him being dubbed with the nickname "Hi Jolly". He accompanied the camels on the most successful portion of the experiment. In an attempt to open a wagon road across Arizona to California known as the "Beale expedition", the camels proved their worth. Nevertheless, the project was abandoned as the animals were impossible to manage as well as uneconomical. Some of the camels were sold to circuses. and others were left in the Arizona desert to shift for themselves. The last descendant of this herd died at the Los Angeles zoo in 1934. He remained in the area near his camels, working as a scout for the army as well as mining. After some thirty years as a faithful aide to the United States government, serving as a camel driver, packer and scout, he died in Quartzsite, Arizona at the age of 64. The Arizona Highway Department constructed Ali's pyramidal tomb in the small cemetery in Quartzsite in 1935 from chunks of ore minerals, topped it with a metal silhouette of a camel, and further kept his memory alive by erecting a sign nearby which tells his story.
American Folk Figure. In 1856, 33 camels and caretaker Hadji Ali were procured in Syria and brought to the United States aboard a federal supply ship in an experiment with camels for freighting and communications in the arid Southwest. 41 were added on a second voyage, and all were unloaded at Indianola, Texas. Pronunciation problems resulted in him being dubbed with the nickname "Hi Jolly". He accompanied the camels on the most successful portion of the experiment. In an attempt to open a wagon road across Arizona to California known as the "Beale expedition", the camels proved their worth. Nevertheless, the project was abandoned as the animals were impossible to manage as well as uneconomical. Some of the camels were sold to circuses. and others were left in the Arizona desert to shift for themselves. The last descendant of this herd died at the Los Angeles zoo in 1934. He remained in the area near his camels, working as a scout for the army as well as mining. After some thirty years as a faithful aide to the United States government, serving as a camel driver, packer and scout, he died in Quartzsite, Arizona at the age of 64. The Arizona Highway Department constructed Ali's pyramidal tomb in the small cemetery in Quartzsite in 1935 from chunks of ore minerals, topped it with a metal silhouette of a camel, and further kept his memory alive by erecting a sign nearby which tells his story.
Bio by: Donald Greyfield
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