The average cost of gasoline jumped upwards last month. With the outbreak of new warfare in the Middle East, we are preparing for yet more drama at the gas pump.
Photo by Charles Pierce from the C.C. Pierce Collection at Los Angeles Public Library.
Circa 1863. Photograph of U.S. Army Drum Barracks in Wilmington. There is a camel standing outside the warehouse, ready to be loaded for a trip to Fort Mojave, located on the Arizona side of the Colorado River. In 1861, the first of these camels arrived at Drum Barracks as part of a U.S. Army experiment to employ camels for transporting supplies across American deserts. Officers at Drum Barracks, however, found that they had no idea how to use them. Tried-and-true mules could cover the same ground as a camel in half the time. For two years, Drum Barracks camels ended up mostly idle, with the government still burdened with the cost of maintaining them. The Army Quartermaster in California tried to salvage the experiment with a plan to use the camels to carry mail between Drum Barracks and Fort Mojave. The commanders at both ends of this mail run, however, objected. In 1863, finding no further use for camels, the Army sold them off, including the 35 stationed in California. Most ended up at menageries or zoological gardens.
Also see: Civil War Camps and Barracks in Los Angeles County.
For a period of time, some Angelenos who wanted to enjoy a day at the beach had very limited options.
