Senators Feinstein and Boxer recently reintroduced the Buffalo Soldiers in the National Parks Study Act. The bill commemorates the Buffalo Soldiers and the critical role they played in the early years of our national parks.
“The Buffalo Soldiers acted as our nation’s first park rangers, and they left a rich legacy in California,” Senator Feinstein said.
Created by Congressional Order in 1866, the Buffalo Soldiers served our country both at home and abroad in the face of segregation and intolerance. The Buffalo Soldiers also left behind a legacy enshrined in our National Parks.
“The Buffalo Soldiers were true trailblazers, serving as California’s first park rangers and as the Army’s first African-American units during a period of significant racial discrimination,” said Senator Boxer.
This bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to commission a study to:
- Evaluate the feasibility of establishing a national historic trail commemorating the route the Buffalo Soldiers traveled between their post at San Francisco’s Presidio and Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks.
- Identify properties to be considered for the National Register of Historic Places or National Historic Landmarks.
- Develop educational initiatives and a public awareness campaign about the contributions of the Buffalo Soldiers.
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
“As we look to the 2016 centennial celebration of the National Park Service, diversifying our national parks to more fully reflect our shared heritage and cultural diversity is of paramount importance,” said Neal Desai, Pacific Region Associate Director, National Parks Conservation Association
“Only three percent of our national historic landmarks are currently dedicated to minorities or women. We support the successful passage of the Buffalo Soldiers in the National Park Study Act.”
The Buffalo Soldiers were garrisoned at the San Francisco Presidio during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries under the command of Colonel Charles Young, an accomplished graduate of West Point who was the highest ranking African-American military officer of his time. Among the duties assigned to the Buffalo Soldiers after their tours of duty was protecting Yosemite and Sequoia prior to the establishment of the National Park System.
To get to the parks, the soldiers left the Presidio in spring and headed south along El Camino Real through San Mateo County. It was a thirteen day trip covering 280 miles from San Francisco to Yosemite. The trek to Sequoia spanned 320 miles and took 16 days. The Native Americans they encountered nicknamed them “buffalo” soldiers in reaction to their dark skin and curly hair. The moniker was bestowed as a badge of honor to the troops, connoting bravery and a fierce fighting spirit.
