The West . . . everybody knows that out here the deer and the antelope played, and the buffalo roamed. But few people know that camels too were once at home on the ranges of New Mexico.

More in a moment . . .

In the years before the Civil War, thousands of United States Army soldiers were stationed across the West, charged with protecting transient pilgrims from the perils of the frontier.

Supplying these soldiers by the usual means -- pack-mules or wagons pulled by mules and oxen -- was difficult and expensive. But Jefferson Davis, the U.S. Secretary of War had a different idea, an exotic alternative -- the camel. At his urging, Congress appropriated $30,000 to import camels on an experimental basis. In the late 1850's, about 75 dromedaries were brought into the American Southwest, scuffing their hooves along the plains of Texas and the high deserts of New Mexico.

The camels earned the respect of Army officers. The animals could carry as much as 400-600 pounds for 25-30 miles per day. They performed well in mountains and desert, on mud and rock, and ate plants other animals refused to eat.

But the hump-backed camels never really caught on as a Western animal. Settlers and soldiers were bound up in more than 2000 years of equestrian tradition. And the sight and smell of the camels often sent other animals stampeding in terror.

Soon, the Civil War intervened, ending the experiment. After the war the railroad came west at a rapid rate. And neither horses nor camels could compete with this progress.

To learn more about frontier New Mexico, visit the Palace of the Governors history museum in Santa Fe.