Beale Wagon Road Corridor
The road before the road. A corridor walked for centuries before Route 66 had a number.
🧭Book Your TourThe History
In 1857, the United States War Department sent Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale to survey a wagon road along the 35th parallel from Fort Defiance, New Mexico to the Colorado River. His mission was to prove the route viable for military and commercial use.
Beale brought something unusual: camels. Imported from the Middle East, the camels were part of the U.S. Army's experimental Camel Corps. They carried supplies across the desert more efficiently than mules or horses, and the experiment was considered a success.
Historical Figures at This Stop
The Route 66 Story
Route 66 is often talked about as if it created the connections between east and west. But the truth is that the road inherited a corridor that had been in use for centuries, and Beale's camels are only part of that story.
The rest of this story? You will hear it on the tour.
This Is Stop 03 of 16
on the Route 66 Walking Tour of Flagstaff.