Quartzsite · Hi Jolly Cemetery · Historic landmark
Hi Jolly’s Tomb
A stone pyramid with a metal camel on top marks the grave of Hadji Ali, the U.S. Army camel driver everyone called Hi Jolly, in Quartzsite’s old cemetery.
Free to visit. There’s no official website, so we link the National Register file and ADOT’s history of the tomb below.
Details checked October 2026
Type
Historic tomb and monument
Pyramid grave in the town’s old cemetery
Admission
Free
Public town cemetery; no fee posted
Hours
Open 24 hours
Google listing; it’s an active cemetery
Time needed
A short stop
Add time to walk the old Pioneer Section
Parking
Cemetery lot
Small public lot; no RV size rules posted
Built
1935
By the Arizona Highway Department
What you’ll see
A pyramid, a plaque and a camel
The monument stands in the old Pioneer Section of the town cemetery, a short walk from the parking area.
Photo: Jeremy Butler on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Start here
The pyramid and its plaque
Read the bronze plaque, titled “The Last Camp of Hi Jolly,” then look up at the camel on top. Inside the pyramid is a locked vault. The National Register nomination says it holds a 1936 time capsule, and local legend says the ashes of Topsy, the last of the Army camels, are in there too.
RV tip: the monument is visible from Main Street, so it’s easy to fit in on your way to the rock and gem shows.
More to see
- The Last Camp of Hi Jolly plaqueThe plaque gives his birth as about 1828 in Syria, his arrival in the U.S. on February 10, 1856, and his death at Quartzsite on December 16, 1902.
- The camel on topA metal camel silhouette crowns the pyramid. Arizona Highways reported in 1935 that it was made in the Highway Department’s shops in Phoenix.
- The Pioneer SectionHi Jolly’s grave sits in the cemetery’s historic Pioneer Section, fenced off from the parking area with posts and cable. Walk the old rows of headstones around it.
- Kiosk and Camel Corps markerA kiosk at the cemetery entrance tells the story of Hi Jolly and the camel expedition, and a historical marker about the Army’s camels stands near the grave.
Why go
A tiny pyramid with a big Western story
In the 1850s the U.S. Army tried camels for hauling supplies across the Southwest. Hadji Ali, born Philip Tedro in Syria around 1828, came with the first camels when they landed at Indianola, Texas, in 1856, and soldiers turned his name into “Hi Jolly.” The camels did well on Lt. Edward Beale’s 1857 wagon-road expedition, but the War Department dropped the experiment and turned them loose.
Hi Jolly stayed in the desert as a prospector, scout, mail courier and freight hauler, and died in Quartzsite on December 16, 1902. In 1935 the Arizona Highway Department built the pyramid over his grave from native stone and mineral rock, set in concrete and topped with a metal camel. It was dedicated in January 1936 and joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
For RVers it’s an easy, free stop between the shows and the swap meets. Come on a cool winter morning, or time your visit for the Hi Jolly parade each January; in 2026 it ran on January 10, alongside the Camelpalooza festival.
Photo: sonora ortiz on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Why it made our list
- Free, open 24 hours and right in town
- One of four pyramid monuments in Arizona
- On the National Register since 2011
- The story of the U.S. Army’s camel experiment
- Rated 4.4 on Google by 440+ visitors
For RVers
Visiting Hi Jolly’s Tomb by RV
The practical stuff we wished someone had told us before we pulled in.
An easy in-town stop
The cemetery sits just north of West Main Street on the west side of town, about a mile from I-10 Exit 17. Every Quartzsite park is a few minutes away, so the tow vehicle or car is the easy way in.
Small cemetery lot
There’s a public parking area at the entrance, separated from the old Pioneer Section by a post-and-cable fence. No RV size rules are posted. In January, when the shows fill the town, come early in the day.
Be a respectful visitor
This is a working town cemetery that is still used for burials. Stay on the paths, don’t climb on the monument, and give space to any services. No pet rule is posted; if you bring a dog, keep it leashed.
Pair it with Main Street
The Quartzsite Museum, in the 1866 Tyson’s Well Stage Station, is less than a mile east on Main Street. It’s free and, in winter, open Wednesday to Sunday.
What visitors say about Hi Jolly’s Tomb
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked October 20, 2026.
Over thirty years a faithful aid to the U.S. Government
The 1935 plaque on Hi Jolly’s Tomb · HMDB
What visitors often mention
Recurring topics in Google’s reviews
Camel historyOld headstonesA unique cemetery
Google’s review topics point to the camels (41 reviews), the headstones (6), the old cemetery (5) and how unusual it is (3). Checked October 20, 2026.
Where the reviews come from
Review counts on each site, checked October 20, 2026.
Good to know
AdmissionFree public town cemetery
Open24 hours per Google
Hi Jolly paradeJanuary 2026: Jan 10
BringWaterSun hatCamera
Details from the National Register nomination, ADOT, the Quartzsite Chamber of Commerce and Google, checked October 20, 2026.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Hi Jolly’s Tomb
- AddressW. Elsie Ln. & Hi Jolly Ln., Quartzsite, AZ 85346
- HoursOpen 24 hours
Google listing; it’s an active cemetery - CostFree
- Getting thereFrom I-10 Exit 17, follow West Main Street about half a mile and turn north at the Hi Jolly Tomb sign onto Hi Jolly Lane. The cemetery is on the west side of the lane.
- ParkingPublic lot at the cemetery entrance. No RV size limits are posted, so bring the tow vehicle or car.
The cemetery is open around the clock and still used for burials. Please keep to the paths and give space to any services.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Hi Jolly’s Tomb
These are Quartzsite parks we have written up. The tomb is on the west side of town, so the West Main Street parks are the closest.
88 Shades RV Park
Old-school, shady snowbird park on West Main Street with a busy rec hall, shuffleboard and a lapidary shop.
Holiday Palms RV Resort
Big, palm-lined resort near I-10 Exit 17 with a heated pool and hot tub, lighted pickleball and 244 full-hookup sites.
Kofa Mountain RV Park
Small, friendly 55+ park on Central Boulevard with 67 full-hookup sites and a clubhouse.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Free · open 24 hours
Stop by on your way into town
Read the plaque, find the camel, then follow Main Street east to the Quartzsite Museum.
Thank you to the people behind these photos and this video. Please support them by giving their work a look. Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Jeremy Butler (flags, CC BY 4.0; close-up, CC BY-SA 3.0), Marine 69-71 (plaque and cemetery entrance, CC BY-SA 4.0) and sonora ortiz (Why go, CC BY-SA 4.0). Carl Rakeman’s Camel Corps painting is from a public-domain postcard. The images were resized. Video: Sidetrack Adventures on YouTube (ghost camels and the Hi Jolly Monument). Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Hi Jolly’s Tomb unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including the National Register nomination, ADOT and Google and other publicly available sources. Hours, pricing, rules and other details are set by the Town of Quartzsite and may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please confirm all details directly with the Quartzsite Chamber of Commerce at (928) 927-5200. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
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