You may not have heard of the Buffalo soldiers, but they were professional black enlisters serving the first isolated regiment of the usual peaceful US military formed after the Civil War. . But you definitely benefit from the legacy they left behind in American national parks, and you may have crossed the paths and trails they built.
According to lore, these men were called Buffalo Soldiers by the Plains Indians who fought them because their dark, curly hair resembles buffalo fur and respected their intense and stubborn behavior in battle. I did.
Charles Young was the third African-American to graduate from West Point. He endured haze, social isolation and racism throughout the year at the military academy. After graduation he was with the US 9th Cavalry and 10th US Cavalry, and the Buffalo soldiers. Photo by Everett Collection Historical, Alamy Stock Photos
This is the view across Kings Canyon National Park, and the view into the Sierra Nevada Mountains from the perspective of Kings Canyon on the General's highway. This is one of three national parks where Buffalo soldiers were one of the first rangers in the United States Photo by Paul Heinrich, Alamy Stock Photo
These black soldiers were often assigned to difficult and dangerous missions in remote and isolated posts, including patroling and protecting the first national park in the United States before the National Park Service was established in 1916. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park in California. In fact, today the distinctive 4-peak flat hat park service rangers wear partially modeled hats worn by Buffalo soldiers.
Their work at the park was to start a telegraph line near Fort Davis National Historic Site in West Texas, from the battle against the Wildland fires, currently in northwestern Montana, to the establishment of a telegraph line near Fort Davis National Historic Site in West Texas. The early 1900s was the beginning of the 1900s, until the construction of the first arboretum for Park Service. The arboretum is no longer there, but Yosemite's Wawona campground is located near its previous location.
The first trail to the summit of Mount Whitney
Buffalo soldiers became the general's highway through California's Sequoia National Forest, building a wagon road in a huge forest. Photo by Martyn Goddard, Arami Stock Photo
A Buffalo soldier wearing a five-button bag coat is posing for a photo of Dakota territory (now Dakota and South Dakota). This photo was taken in the 1880s. Photos by Glasshouse Images, Alamy Stock Photos
Hiking Mount Whitney through the enormous forests is two of the most popular activities in Sequoia National Park. Both are possible thanks to the Buffalo soldiers. They built a wagon road in the huge forest, the current car route to the site.
Under the command of Captain Charles Young (the first Black National Park superintendent and posthumously promoted to brigadier general in 2021) Buffalo Soldier completed the first trail in 1903 at the 14,505-foot summit on Mount Whitney . We
Mount Whitney spans Sequoia National Park and Inilo National Forest, hiking to the summit requires a wilderness permit (allocations are limited by lottery tickets from May to October). The 11-mile route from the Whitney Portal is the shortest, usually with no ice or snow removed from mid-July to early October.
For a short, easy excursion along the bottom of the trail that does not require permission, drive from Lone Pine, California to Whitney Portal Trailhead. A six-mile and back hike to Lone Pine Lake is moderately difficult, turning around on an untouched alpine lake with views of Mount Whitney.
Charles Young's Legacy
Buffalo soldiers have historic connections to at least 20 sites in the National Park System, says Roger Osorio, education outreach coordinator at Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in Ohio. Charles Young's Family Home is acclaimed Army officers and leaders, honoring Buffalo soldiers.
Young was the third black man to graduate from West Point Military Academy and led a civilian white worker working with Buffalo soldiers on Sequoia trails, roads and other projects. It is the same place where famous soldiers built part of the road. It is now known as the scenic route for Buffalo soldiers. This leads from the Crystal Cave to the General's Highway, to the Morro Rock/Crescent Meadow Road heading north. This section of the road is closed to trailers and RVs and may be closed to all vehicles in the winter, but remains open for skiing and snowshoes.
Alenmack, an interpretation and education specialist for the Buffalo Soldiers Heritage and Outreach Program at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Bureau, said that Buffalo Soldiers often use only caregivers in miserable and challenging situations. He said he was a skilled military engineer who performed the work of backbreaking.
“These guys are carpenters, they are roofers, they are brickmasons, they are dealing, surveyors, and the list goes on,” says Mack. “Can you imagine wearing a wool uniform in the middle of summer, crushing rocks and moving a lot of dirt to create roads and trails?”
“They don't get the credibility that they deserve,” he says.
(Related: These are the 10 most popular national parks.)
Inspired by hiking the Mauna Loa Trail
Brian K. Chapel knows Buffalo soldiers praise their efforts in the park and elsewhere. His great grandfather, Linord Chapel, served in the 25th Regiment of the US Army, a buffalo soldier unit that built the Mauna Roa Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in 1915. So, the young chapel decided to hike some of the trails in 2022 during his temporary job assignment in Honolulu.
“It was an emotional connection to be outdoors and knowing I was where he was. His family has a long and well-known history of military service.
This uniformed Buffalo soldier, part of the 25th Infantry, represents a full-length portrait in Fort Custer, Montana (1880s). Photos by Glasshouse Images, Alamy Stock Photos
Buffalo soldiers used sledgehammers to crush lava rocks onto a flat, stable trail leading to the 13,681-foot Mauna Loa Summit in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Photography Hawaii, Alami Stock Photos by Photo Resources
Maunaloa erupted nine times in the 19th century. This photo captures the latest volcanic eruption in December 2022. Douglas Peebles photos, photos, and aramie stock photos
Linold Chapel was one of the buffalo soldiers who used a 12-pound sledgehammer to crush a brittle, sharp, uneven lava rock formation onto a flat, stable trail leading to the 13,681-foot Maunaroa Summit.
“It was pretty rough terrain, so I hiked some of it,” says Chapel. “It wasn't the physical trail itself, as it was a connection from knowing that my great grandfather poured his blood and sweat on this ground.”
The 10-mile hike to the summit is steep and there are limited water sources. It is usually a one-night trek that requires a backcountry permit. Some trail sections have been closed due to damage from the 2022 eruption. So check online for more details.
No permission is required for a day's hike at the bottom of the trail. Take Mamala Hoa Highway 11 to Maunaloa Road and continue through the end of the road to Maunaloa Arkout. From there, the Maunaloa Trail follows a path created by the Buffalo soldiers.
Bike along the famous Buffalo Soldier's Route to Yellowstone
They did not build the trail in Yellowstone National Park, but Buffalo soldiers created a three-week round trip, nearly 800 miles, from Missoula in Mont to the park. This was one of the earliest group bike trips that took us through park geysers, rivers and peaks. In 1896, a group of eight cyclists carried tools, food and other gear, and fought multiple continental divisions. They visited most of Yellowstone's major attractions and crossed steep dirt roads on single-speed bikes.
New York City doctor Isaiah Gonzalez didn't know much about Buffalo soldiers until he visited the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston. He learned about bike trips through Yellowstone as part of a project to evaluate bikes for use by cavalry soldiers.
The Milky Way and Winter Stars fill the night sky above the Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. Nat Geo Image Collection, Photo by Babak Tafreshi
Yosemite National Park Sebastian Lock, Photo by Laif/Redux
Portrait of a Buffalo Soldier from the 25th Infantry Regiment Photos by Alpha Stock, Alami Stock Photos
“I'm a big mountain biker,” says Gonzalez, who visited 56 national parks, including Yellowstone and volcanoes. “It's very difficult to ride a bike over such terrain because the equipment and bike are shaking. That proves very difficult.”
Gonzalez says learning the history of the Buffalo soldiers brings joy to him as he rides on these trails on his bike.
Cyclists can explore the paved roads of Yellowstone over the summer, but their shoulders can be narrow and traffic can be heavy. Consider snow after the road is tilled, before a car is allowed (usually early April) or before riding your bike in the fall after a road close to the car. From the first week of November until snow falls.
After a visit to Yosemite, where Teresa Baker learned about the work of a Buffalo Soldier, she held a road trip with 150 participants in 2014, when Buffalo Soldiers rode horses from the winter quarters of the San I drove back to the park on the route, and over 450 Buffalo soldiers are buried.
Baker, an activist who works to lead more people of color to public lands and better represent the outdoor industry, said, “Tell these stories just like people understand that they already have relationships.” It's important.” “It's about reestablishing those relationships.”
Baker shares the story and follows in the footsteps of Buffalo soldiers, saying “how to help make it accessible to people of all walks” by car, bike or on foot.
(Related: Old-fashioned images evoke the complicated history of black military service.)
Starlink satellites are considered to be stripes of the sky above the bridal vale waterfalls and cathedral rocks in Yosemite National Park. Nat Geo Image Collection, Photo by Babak Tafreshi
Ruffin Prevost is a writer based in Cody, Wyoming and founding editor of Yellowstone Gate, a website about Yellowstone National Park.
