Hi Jolly

Hi Jolly or Hadji Ali (

Ali next ran a freight service between the Colorado River and the mining establishments further east, using the few camels he had purchased. His business was unsuccessful, however, and he released his camels into the desert near Gila Bend. He became an American citizen in 1880, and he used his birth name of Philip Tedro (sometimes spelled Teadrow) when he married Gertrudis Serna in Tucson, Arizona. They had two children.^[3] In 1885, Ali was again hired by the U.S. Army in Arizona, and worked with pack mules for Brig. Gen. George Crook during the Geronimo campaign.

Hi Jolly's work in the US Camel Corps earned him a reputation as a living legend until his death in Arizona.^[4]

In his final years, Ali moved to Quartzsite, Arizona, where he mined and occasionally scouted for the US government. He died in 1902 and was buried in the Quartzsite Cemetery.

Gravesite and monument

In 1935, Arizona Governor Benjamin Moeur dedicated a monument to Hadji Ali and the Camel Corps in the Quartzsite Cemetery. The monument, located at his gravesite, is a pyramid built from local stones and topped with a copper camel, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The monument is the most visited location in Quartzsite.^{[citation needed]}

Legacy

• The folk song "Hi Jolly" is based on Hadji Ali's exploits.
• The 1954 movie Southwest Passage, in which Hi Jolly was portrayed by Mark Hanna, and the 1976 movie Hawmps! in which he was portrayed by Gino Conforti, were based on the camel experiment.
• The 1959 novel Hi Jolly by children's book author Jim Kjelgaard, also covers his story in a fictionalized form for young readers.^[5]
• A slightly fictionalized version of Hadji Ali appears in the 1982
  La Corde du pendu
  .
• The 2018 children's book
  Route 66 by Frédéric Marais
  tells about the camel experiment and Hadji Ali.
• The 2019 novel Inland by Téa Obreht includes a character based on Hadji Ali.

References