Honoring Buffalo Soldiers’ role in establishing the National Parks
African-American participation in the armed forces dates back to the Revolutionary War. During the Civil War over 180,000 black men fought for the Union Army in volunteer regiments. The stirring movie “Glory,” starring Morgan Freeman, dealt with that period.
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But it was not until after the Civil War that African Americans could enlist in the Regular Army. In 1866, Congress created six segregated regiments, which were soon consolidated into four black regiments. They became known as "The Buffalo Soldiers."
About 500 Buffalo Soldiers served in Yosemite and Sequoia national parks, with duties ranging from evicting poachers and timber thieves to extinguishing forest fires. To learn more about them, go to the National Park Service site that I consulted.
On Feb. 25, California Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D) testified before a House Natural Resources subcommittee in support of her Buffalo Soldiers bill (H.R. 4491). It would authorize the Park Service to study the role the African American regiments played in establishing the National Park System and to honor their legacy.
"It is fitting, during Black History Month, that we take the first steps towards the rightful recognition of these soldiers,” she said.
Read the Fresno Bee’s story about the hearing or listen to Congresswoman Speier’s testimony on YouTube.
photo: Buffalo Soldiers in the 24th Infantry carried out mounted patrol duties in Yosemite, 1899. Courtesy Yosemite Research Library and NPS.
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About Ben Beach
A graduate of Harvard with a law degree from Catholic University, Ben worked for The Wilderness Society from May 1984 to November 2011, making him our longest-serving staff member. He edited Wilderness magazine and our newsletter. Ben was also... More about Ben Beach
Legacy Comments
Buffalo Soldier 9
Keep telling that history:
Read the novel, Rescue at Pine Ridge, "RaPR", a great story of black military history...the first generation of Buffalo Soldiers.
How do you keep a people down? ‘Never' let them 'know' their history.
The 7th Cavalry got their butts in a sling again after the Little Big Horn Massacre, fourteen years later, the day after the Wounded Knee Massacre. If it wasn't for the 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers, there would of been a second massacre of the 7th Cavalry.
Read the novel, “Rescue at Pine Ridge”, 5 stars Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the youtube trailer commercial...and visit the website http://www.rescueatpineridge.com
I hope you’ll enjoy the novel. I wrote it from my mini-series movie of the same title, “RaPR” to keep my story alive. Hollywood has had a lot of strikes and doesn't like telling our stories...its been “his-story” of history all along…until now. The movie so far has attached, Bill Duke directing, Hill Harper, Glynn Turman and a host of other major actors in which we are in talks with…see imdb.com at; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0925633/
When you get a chance, also please visit our Alpha Wolf Production website at; http://www.alphawolfprods.com and see our other productions, like Stagecoach Mary, the first Black Woman to deliver mail for Wells Fargo in Montana, in the 1890's, “spread the word”.
Peace.