Camel in San Pedro *

This photograph that the owner says shows the Quartermaster's Depot at San Pedro circa 1863 recently sold on eBay for $4,569. Visible in the scene are Union soldiers and an Army camel. According to the seller, "It is likely the only original, unretouched image of a US Army Camel in existence." Here's more on the disputed history of camels in Southern California (and a larger version of the photo.)

* Looks familiar: (11:45 am) The scene sure looks a lot like this C.C. Pierce image in the Security Pacific collection at the Los Angeles Public Library. It ran in the Times with a Cecilia Rasmussen story in 1999...Plus, Brady Westwater finds the image elsewhere and investigates its origins.

Still around: The Drum Barracks (in Wilmington actually) is the only surviving U.S. Army building from the Civil War to be found in the Los Angeles area.