By Judith Deutsch

Western Tanager , Mar-Apr 2022, Vol. 88 No. 4

Yes, there are camels in California! It all started when the U.S. Army at Camp Verde in Texas imported several hundred camels from Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, and Greece to deliver supplies to the arid Southwest. The United States was on the cusp of the Civil War, and southwestern California was strategic, but had various local groups with questionable allegiance to the Union. A detachment of thirty-one camels ended up at Fort Tejon at the northern end of the Tejon Pass, also known as the Grapevine in Kern County, California. It was the western terminus of the experimental U.S. Camel Corps. From June 24, 1854, to its abandonment on September 11, 1864, Fort Tejon was home to U.S. Dragoons followed by California Volunteer Troops, including companies of the 2nd California Volunteer Cavalry.

Anyone brave enough to mount a camel knows that they are hardy, but temperamental, stubborn, spit, and at Camp Tejon they spooked the cavalry horses. From January 1862 to 1863, Fort Tejon shared their camels with the Drum Barracks, also known as Camp Drum, in Wilmington near the Port of Los Angeles. The Drum Barracks consisted of nineteen buildings and was home to the District of Southern California’s California Column. In 1870 the Drum Barracks finally fell into disrepair.

Fast forward to today. Fort Tejon is now a part of Fort Tejon State Historic Park with a number of the original twenty-eight buildings restored and a living history museum program on the first Saturday of every month. There is active recreation such as walking, nature hiking, running, and wildlife observation. Some of the huge oak trees are four hundred years old. Call ahead or visit their website for Coronavirus information. 4201 Fort Tejon Rd., Lebec, CA 93243. 661-248-6692. The Drum Barracks has one of its nineteen original buildings restored. The sixteen rooms of the officers’ quarters still exist and have been open to the public since 1987. The building is said to be haunted and has been the feature of numerous television programs. 1052 N. Banning Bl., Wilmington, CA 90744. 310-548-7509.

But if you want to visit live camels, you can make a trip to the Oasis Camel Dairy in Ramona, California, outside of San Diego. This family-owned farm has Dromedaries. It is a dairy where mother camels raise their own calves and shared milk becomes natural and organic skin care products. Oasis Camel Dairy is open monthly for public exhibition and interaction.

According to TripAdvisor, the camels have good feeding, good housing, good health, freedom of expression, and protection from fear—five freedoms originally developed by the Farm Animal Welfare Council (1979). Owned by Nancy and Gil Riegler, the farm is only open on select Saturdays and Sundays for a two-hour encounter beginning at noon. Encounters are by reservation only and have limited availability. 26757 Old Julian Highway, Ramona, CA 92065. 760-787-0983.