23 Camels

A colourful tale of the Gold Rush Trail

By 1860, the Fraser River gold had been traced to its source in the Cariboo. On William’s Creek, towns sprung up around the richest claims. Barkerville, Richfield & Cameron town. It was difficult transporting goods and provisions 600 miles inland to the Cariboo. Many schemes were tried: Pack mules, oxen, horses and so on. Then, a Victoria merchant launched an amazing scheme. Frank Laumeister used Twenty-Three Camels as beasts of burden on the Cariboo Goldrush Trail.

A couple of months before, these camels had been shipped from Arizona to San Francisco, and finally sailed to Victoria on the steamer Enterprise. They were then bought by a man named Calbreath of Victoria. The camels were shipped to Port Douglas on a barge towed in by a sternwheeler called The Flying Dutchman. Calbreath acted as the purchaser for Frank Laumeister and paid $6000.00 for the camels.

Frank Laumeister

In 1862, prominent Victoria merchant Francis Laumeister, brought 21 Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) to Yale from railroad construction camps of Arizona.

Frank Laumeister, photographed here in 1859.

*Courtesy of the BC Provincial Archives (A-02269)

It was assumed that camels could go six to 10 days without water and travel 50 to 70 kilometers a day with a 500-kilogram load. In fact, few of these expectations were ever met.The camels never carried more than 300 kilograms, and the rocky paths of the Cariboo soon tore up their feet which were accustomed to soft desert sands.

Last Cariboo Camel circa 1890s The last of the camels from the Cariboo Road, photo taken at Grande Prairie, Westwold.

*Courtesy of the BC Provincial Archives (A-0034)

Video compliments of Cypress Choral Music Publishing.

Arranged by Larry Nickel

Vocals by featuring the Cypress Studio Singers

Sheet Music available: Twenty-Three Camels

Twenty-three Camels

Tiller's Folly

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All songs, music & lyrics by Bruce Coughlan (SOCAN) except: The Ballad of John Rae by Bruce Coughlan & Jim Smith (SOCAN) All tracks produced by Laurence Knight except: Laurence Knight & Steven Drake (15, 23) Read more

23 Camels

Well it came about on a month of May
That 23 Camels sailed away
23 Camels for Douglas sailed
And the road to the Cariboo

Where the Camels came from, no one knew
In the Cariboo in the days of old
From the U.S. Army or old Manchu?
In the Cariboo in the days of gold
From Arizona on a railway crew
In the Cariboo in the days of old
All the way to the Cariboo

But 23 Camels that's a twist, Oh you've never seen such a sight as this
Run like a devil when the camels hiss
On the Road to the Cariboo

"Ships of the Desert" was the camel's fame
In the Cariboo in the days of old
They could carry a half-of-a-ton was claimed
In the Cariboo in the days of gold
Till their feet went tender and they all took lame
In the Cariboo in the days of old
They were auctioned off away

But 23 Camels, that's a sight, Where the donkey brays and the horse takes flight
It's a wonder everybody didn't die of fright
On the road to the Cariboo

They kicked and bit at everything that moved
In the Cariboo in the days of old
They smelled so bad that they scared the mules
In the Cariboo in the days of gold
Causin' so much trouble that the teamsters sued
In the Cariboo in the days of old
Their disruptions to curtail

But 23 Camels, that's a sight When the donkey brays and the horse takes flight
It's a wonder everybody didn't die of fright
On the Road to the Cariboo

But 23 Camels that's a twist, Oh you've never seen such a sight as this
Run like a devil when the camels spit
On the Road to the Cariboo

Words & Music by Bruce Coughlan (SOCAN)