Sunday Photos: Lone Star Long Necks
I drive by these guys on my way to town.
The owner of the Camel Farm keeps and trains a variety of exotic animals that wander the grounds happily with horses and donkeys. You never know what you’ll see as you cruise by.
The U. S. military kept camels in the Texas Hill Country for a few years before and during the Civil War, stationed at Camp Verde between Bandera and Kerrville. For more history of camels in Texas and the Old West, see here.
This big long-necked guy has taken up residence about a quarter mile down the road from the camels. He must be aggressive – they’re keeping him fenced in and strapped down.
Despite the obvious commercial advantages, I was sorry to see the old Camp Verde store go modern. In the old days (say, mid-1980s) sitting on the steps with a bottled Coke pulled from ice in the old cooler on the front porch was pure pleasure.
I visited the Camp Verde Community cemetery, but didn’t try to gain access to the old Fort Cemetery. Have you been there? I spent a week roaming and researching, and wrote a three part series about the camels myself. It was great fun, and terrifically interesting.
Have you heard about Copano Bay Press? They’re in Corpus, and they specialize in publication of out-of-print books about Texas history. I bought Forrest Johnson’s The Last Camel Charge from them — really good.
The new Camp Verde store is a let-down. It feels like just another roadside attraction, as Tom Robbins might say. I’ve never been to the cemetery. I’m always on the way to somewhere when I drive by. I need to make a special trip and take a look. The book and Copano Bay Press sound interesting – I’ll check them out.