Red Ghost

Back in the old days in the Southwest, life was tough and often filled with new and frightening experiences. Strange, spooky rock formations abound throughout the land. In some places, it is as desolate as the moon, and in others, the vastness of the open spaces is quite intimidating. Spanish and Native American legends and superstitions were part of the pioneer history, along with the goblins,  pixies, demons, and devils settlers brought with them from various European countries. But sometimes, legends sprang up around factual historical events.

One example is the Red Ghost. One day in 1883, a woman was found trampled to death. Huge tracks and clumps of dull, red fur were found around the poor woman's broken body. A few weeks later, a large creature crashed into the tent of two sleeping miners, again leaving behind giant footprints and red hair. 

More sightings occurred in the area until finally, a former slave from North Africa recognized the beast as a camel. They named the creature the Red Ghost. One day, a pair of miners spied the Red Ghost grazing along a dusty draw. One of the men shouted at it and as they watched, something fell from the camel’s back as it ran away. When the prospectors went to investigate, they discovered it was a human skull. For years afterward, people would catch sight of the camel with its headless rider, sending chills down many spines. 

In 1883, a farmer finally shot and killed the camel while it was raiding his garden. Although the beast had finally shed the skeletal bones of its rider, it still wore the saddle and tack.

This incident has a basis in recorded historical events. In the late 1850s, the military was attempting to develop a supply route from Texas to California, but they found mules and horses were not suited for the rough, dry terrain. They sent an officer to the Middle East to learn about and purchase a group of camels. The military then tested the beasts on the Texas to California route. They were pleased with the result, but the Civil War began before more could be done and the camels were simply turned loose in the desert. For many decades afterward, settlers were startled by visions of camels in the deserts of southern Arizona, California, and Nevada.

So who was the headless rider carried by the Red Ghost? According to legend, he was one of the soldiers who tested the camels on the first expedition. Although nobody would testify at the time, years later, an old soldier who was a member of the camel brigade, told his doctor a story and swore to its truth shortly before he died. The tale he told was that one of the men was afraid of the beasts and had a hard time learning how to ride one. His fellow soldiers securely tied him to the saddle to help him learn. Then they smacked the critter on the rump sending him plunging off into the desert. Though his "friends" pursued him for several days, they never caught up with their unlucky comrade, who died still tied to the saddle.

The last documented sighting of a wild camel in the Southwest took place in 1934 by several men prospecting in the desert. They came upon a relatively recent dead camel body and took a picture of it. Newspapers took up the story and stated that the last American camel was dead. However, unverified sightings continue even today, including visions of the Red Ghost and his headless rider, whose apparitions apparently still roam the deserts of the Southwestern U.S.