He is buried in Quartzsite, Arizona.
His grave is a pyramid topped with a copper silhouette of a camel. He died while he was trying to round up a camel who had been scaring the people in the Arizona desert. He was lying next to a dead camel with one of his arms wrapped around the camel’s neck. He died in 1902.
He was a Greek-Syrian and his name was Haji Ali.
Everyone who knew him could not pronounce his name so they gave him the name of Hi Jolly. He was born with the name Philip Tedro. He changed his name to Haji Ali when he converted to Islam.
He worked for the American Government
On March 3, 1855, lawmakers appropriated thirty thousand dollars for a project called the US Camel Corps. Thirty-five camels and five camel drivers were sent to the US. The climate in the Southwest was hot and the terrain was rugged. This proved to be rough for the horses. The experiment with the camels was put into place. Camels didn’t need as much water and could walk longer distances. One of those brave camel drivers was Hi Jolly.
The US Camel Corps came to an end
The camels terrorized the horses, dogs, chickens, and other animals. They bit and spit.
The camels were released into the desert and wandered around. Hi Jolly tried to round them up and put them to work.
Hi Jolly tried to become an entrepreneur
He established a freight line using the camels from Yuma to Tucson. The venture failed because Hi Jolly was not a good businessman.
He became an American citizen in 1880
He worked for the army as a packer and scout at Fort McDowell. He got married and had two children.
He abandoned his family and went looking for gold
He wandered through the desert but never found his pot of gold.
Hi Jolly was one of the many men who perished while wandering in the mountains and deserts looking for gold.
