HITCH A RIDE THROUGH
CAMP VERDE By Sandra Lane
Camp Verde General Store, Post Office, and restaurant is located just 15 miles south of Kerrville on Highway 173. For more than 150 years, Camp Verde General Store has been in existence on the banks of Verde Creek. In 1855, U.S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis ordered the U.S. Army to begin a trial experiment with camels. The Camp became headquarters for the U.S. Camel Corps situated on the road between San Antonio and El Paso. The purpose was to use dromedaries as pack animals in the harsh terrain of the southwestern U.S.
Contributed photos
In 1865, when Union troops recaptured Camp Verde, they found about 66 camels. Re-enactments in the modernday Camp Verde often feature the rugged creatures.
MODERN OFFERINGS The present-day Camp Verde General Store, Post Office, and restaurant is a far cry from what existed there in times past. Today’s buildings across the road from Verde Creek are constructed of the white stone so prevalent in the Hill Country. It’s very 21st Century, but still retains a hint of the past. The Camp Verde Restaurant is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day for breakfast and lunch. The gift shop and Post Office are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 29
