Ali was born as Philip Tedro in
Smyrna around 1828, to a Greek mother and a Syrian
Christian Arab father. The book
Go West Greek George by Steven Dean Pastis, published in both Greek and English, specifically identifies all eight men. These pioneers were
Yiorgos Caralambo (later known as Greek George), Hadji Ali (Hi Jolly, a.k.a. Philip Tedro), Mimico Teodora (Mico), Hadjiatis Yannaco (Long Tom), Anastasio Coralli (Short Tom), Michelo Georgios, Yanni Iliato, and Giorgios Costi. The Americans acquired 33 camels (three camels in
Tunis, nine in Egypt, and 21 in
Smyrna). Ali was the lead camel driver during the US Army's experiment with the
U.S. Camel Corps in using camels in the dry deserts of the
Southwest. After successfully traveling round trip from
Texas to
California, the experiment failed, partly due to the problem that the Army's
burros,
horses, and
mules feared the large animals, often panicking, and the tensions of the
American Civil War led to
Congress not approving more funds for the Corps. In 1864, the camels were finally auctioned off in
Benicia, California, and
Camp Verde, Texas. Ali was discharged from the Quartermaster Department of the U.S. Army at
Fort McDowell in 1870. 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. 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. 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==