Edward "Ned" Fitzgerald Beaie Within the next two years, Beale made six (February 4, 1822-April 22. 1893) Ned Beale was bom in Washington, D.C. His more journeys across the country. On the CALIFORNIA father, George Beale, who was a paymaster second of these (July—September 1848), he Beale was a national figure in 19th century in the U.S. Navy, had eamed a Congressional crossed Mexico in disguise to bring the Explorers America. He was naval officer, military Medal for Valor in the War of 1812. His federal government proof of California's general, explorer, frontiersman, Indian affair mother, Emily, was the daughter of gold. After the fourth journey he married superintendent, California rancher, diplomat, Pennsylvania Representative Samuel Commodore Thomas Truxtun of the U.S. Edward Fitzgerald and fnend of Kit Carson, Buffalo Bill Cody Navy. Ned was a student at Georgetown Edwards' daughter, Mary, on June 27, 1849. and Ulysses S. Grant. He fought in the Mexi University when, at the solicitation of his They had three children: Mary (1852-1925), Beale can-American War, emerging as a hero of th' widowed mother. President Jackson ap Emily(1854-?), and Truxtun (1856-1936). Battle of San Pasqual in 1846. pointed him to the Naval School in Beale was promoted to Lieutenant in 1850. Philadelphia. From 1837 to 1842, Beale was He resigned from the Navy in 1851. He achieved national fame in 1848 in an acting midshipman on naval ships that carrying to the east the first gold samples sailed to Russia, Brazil and the West Indies. In 1857, President James Buchanan from California, contributing to the gold He graduated from the Naval School as a appointed Beale to survey and build a 1,000 rush. He surveyed and built a wagon road midshipman in 1842, and sailed for two mile wagon road from Fort Defiance, New that many settlers used to move to the West, years in Europe and South America. In 1845 Mexico to the Colorado River, on the border and which became part of Route 66 and the he was assigned to the squadron of Captain between Arizona and California. The survey route for the Transcontinental railroad. As Robert F. Stockton, who was an intimate of also incorporated an experiment using California's first Superintendent of Indian presidents. Beale sailed with Stockton's camels, first proposed by Secretary of War Affairs, Beale helped charter a squadron to Texas, where Stockton met with Jefferson Davis four years earlier. Beale took humanitarian policy towards Native the Texas Congress, which accepted his Camel Corps, comprising 25 camels Americans in the 1850s. He also founded the annexation by the United States. imported from Tunis, as pack animals during Tejon Ranch in central California, the largesi this expedition and on another in 1858 private landholding in the United States, and In 1846 He sailed with Stockton to through 1859 to extend the road from Fort became a millionaire several times over. Honolulu, and then to California. Hostilities Smith, Arkansas to the Colorado River. His camel driver was Hadji Ali. The camels were with Mexico had already begun when the Needles Field Office He received appointments fi^om five U.S. capable of traveling for days without water, vessel reached Monterey, California on July 1303 South U.S. Hwy 95 Presidents: Andrew Jackson appointed him carried much heavier loads than mules, and 20, 1846. After reaching San Diego, Needles, CA 92363 to Naval School, Millard Fillmore appointed California, Stockton dispatched Beale to could thrive on forage that mules wouldn't him Superintendent of Indian Affairs for serve with the land forces. Beale and a small touch. But the camels scared horses and Phone: (760)326-7000 California and Nevada, James Buchanan body of men joined General Stephen W. mules, and the Army declined to continue the Fax: (760)326-7099 appointed him to survey a wagon road from Keamy's column just before December 6, experiment. Nevertheless, the wagon road www.ca.blm.gov/needles New Mexico to California, Abraham Lincolr 1846. After the Mexican Army surrounded Beale built became a popular immigrant trail appointed him Surveyor General of the small American force and threatened to during the 1860s and 1870s, and it was this California and Nevada, and Ulysses S. Grant destroy it, Beale and two other men (his survey which marked out for the first time a appointed him Ambassador to Austria- Delaware Indian servant and Kit Carson) practicable highway along the 35th parallel Hungary crept through the Mexican lines and made that has been used from that day to this. The U.S. Department of the Interior their way to San Diego for reinforcements. general route of the Beale Wagon Road was Bureau of Land Management followed by U.S. Route 66, the Sante Fe Railway, and Interstate 40.