Re-enactment of the “camel experiment” at Fort Davis National Historic Site
Linda Harvey
Our Speaker Series continued on Oct. 2 with a discussion on two National Park sites: Fort Davis National Historic Site (NHS) and Blackwell School NHS.
Fort Davis NHS is located in west Texas. This fort was built in 1854. At the time it was one of the largest posts on the frontier with 400 men. The fort mainly provided protection for the U.S. mail; and acted as a staging area for the establishment of other military posts in the region.
In 1855 the Army conducted an unusual experiment involving the importation of camels from Egypt. In the first year, 74 dromedary camels were brought to Texas. With Fort Davis serving as a base of operations, the camels proved to be superior “beasts of burden” as they were able to carry heavier loads than horses, mules, or oxen, and they required less water and food. The “camel experiments” were championed by Jefferson Davis, but the experiment was short-lived and ultimately forgotten with the onset of the Civil War.
From 1867-1891 Buffalo Soldiers occupied the fort as the fort grew to 700 enlisted men with more than 500 horses and mules. With the growth, more officers came with their families. Some of the descendants of those at the fort still live in the area. The fort was a centerpiece of the area with a hospital that served the community outside the fort.
Fort Davis NHS is a wonderful place to see original buildings as nothing has been rebuilt. Today the fort remains a source of information for what life was like in the 1800s as several thousand letters from soldiers and family members have been recovered.
Blackwell School NHS in Marfa, Texas, is south of Fort Davis about 20 miles. It is one of the newest National Parks. The Blackwell School tells the story of Texas school districts that established separate elementary schools for Mexican American children through the practice of de facto segregation, which was when students were separated from their white peers even though there wasn’t legislation that required it.
Many Texas school districts followed this practice starting in the 1880s. The Blackwell School was opened in 1909. By 1940 there were 600 students in attendance. After 1954, students were not permitted to speak Spanish. One former student recounted holding a mock funeral for the language. The school closed in 1965 when a new elementary school opened and Marfa’s schools achieved integration.
The story of how this became a National Historic Site is an interesting one starting with alumni that formed the Blackwell School Alliance to preserve the school in 2006 when the Marfa Independent School District proposed demolishing it. Their efforts led to the school’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.
The SaddleBrooke Ranch National Parks Club thanks Ranger Chelsea Rios, Chief of Interpretation at Fort Davis NHS, and her staff for arranging and leading the discussion on Fort Davis NHS and Blackwell School NHS.