Camels at Coronado Information
Camels at Coronado is funded by the Town of Bernalillo Lodger’s Tax
WHAT: For the first time ever, Coronado Historic Site is partnering with Texas Camel Corps to host “Camels at Coronado” - an interactive opportunity for the public to learn about the use of camels in New Mexico during the Gold Rush in the mid 1800s. The event will take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, and will simulate what it was like around 1850, complete with tinsmith and leather demonstrations, storytelling, and kiva tours throughout the event. Additionally, Doug Baum, owner/operator of Texas Camel Corps, will lead talks every few hours about the history of camels in New Mexico.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
11 am-12 pm: Tour docents: Linda Stiles, Michael Delongchamp, and William Jacobson; Assistant: Pam Bosma
2-3 pm: Tour docents: Patricia Fernandez and Dottie Noe; Assistant: Judith Larson
Below is the general schedule for the event:
10 AM – 2 PM: Artist demonstrations on Visitor Center Portal
10:20 – 11 AM: Texas Camel Corps presentation on the history of the US Army Camel Corps
11 – 11:30 AM: Montie Avery tells the story of a Muleskinner working in NM during the 1850s
11 AM – Noon: Site tour with kiva visit
12:30 – 1:15 PM: Texas Camel Corps presentation on the history of the US Army Camel Corps
1:15 – 1:45 PM: Storytelling with Montie Avery
2 – 3 PM: Site tour with kiva visit
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: In the mid-1800s, the U.S. military experimented with using camels in the arid Southwest since camels are capable of carrying heavy loads without requiring as much water as mules or horses. In 1855, with a $30,000 budget, the U.S. Army imported 75 camels from Syria and housed them at Camp Verde, Texas. By 1858, soldiers were trained to use the camels for expeditions, including both the Echols expedition which supplied 20 camels to map new supply routes, and the Beale expedition which mapped a wagon road from New Mexico to California.
New Mexicans likely caught their first glimpses of camels during the Beale expedition when the camels came by way of El Paso to the Jornada Del Muerto, passing through what's now Las Cruces, Los Lunas, Albuquerque, on west through Laguna Pueblo, Cubero, and what's now El Morro National Monument. Despite their advantages, the experiment ended by 1869, and the camels were eventually auctioned off.
TICKET AND ENTRY ENTRY: Tickets for the event are $10 for those 17 and older; free to anyone 16 years of age and younger, along with Friends of Coronado and Jemez members, Museum of New Mexico Foundation members, native/tribal affiliations, disabled veterans, and foster families.
Tickets are available for advanced purchase online at https://my.nmculture.org/32482/43386 or at the event. For a full schedule, visit https://www.coronadojemezfriends.org/events-1
Parking is available in the lots on Site property.
MORE INFO: Camels at Coronado is funded by the Town of Bernalillo Lodger’s Tax in coordination with the Friends of Coronado and Jemez Historic Sites and in cooperation with Dept. of Cultural Affairs. Coronado Historic Site is located at 485 Kuaua Rd in Bernalillo, NM.