Camels didn’t always thrive in 19th-century America, but people kept trying to integrate them into life in the U.S.  In fact, according to the first of the three stories below from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, the beasts were used by the United States Postal Service in the 1850s to deliver mail on the Great Plains.

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“The Camels Are Coming” (April 2, 1856): “The camel experiment over the plains (for mail and other transport), for which Congress made appropriation two years ago, will soon be tried. The camels are now en route from Asia Minor. The whole number is 33, viz: 9 male and 15 female camels; 4 male and 5 female dromedaries. The vessel and this cargo is expected to arrive in Texas about that time. Several of the animals are presents from the Viceroy of Egypt.”

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“Three Camels on the Bridge” (July 26, 1883): “This morning about four o’clock, three camels, on their way from Coney Island to Central Park, were being driven across the bridge by three young lads. When near the New York tower the camels got frightened and ran away, but Officer Dooley, who was stationed at the New York entrance, seeing the animals approach at a furious rate, closed the gates and thus captured them. One of the boys was knocked down and kicked by one of the animals, but his injuries did not prevent him from proceeding on his journey. These are the first camels that have crossed the bridge, and it seems rather unfortunate that their initial trip should have been attended with this little accident. Officer Dooley says that as long as he lives he should never forget the sight that these beasts presented as they ran at full speed toward him. It had been such a long time since he saw a camel and it being the last beast on earth that he expected to meet on the bridge, he said that they almost scared him out of his senses.”

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“Baby Camel Wears Boots” (July 23, 1902): “The baby camel born in Central Park several months ago was provided with a new pair of leather boots this morning by Superintendent Smith. The camel of of the double hump species, and is one of three of the species in the Park menagerie. When it was born Superintendent Smith discovered that the animal’s forelegs were very weak–so weak, in fact, that the camel was unable to stand up unless it stood on the ankle joints.”

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Camel ride, Luna Park, Coney Island, 1903: