How the Buffalo Soldiers built our national parks

Before the creation of the National Park Service in 1916, the U.S. Army ran our parks. Soldiers did double-duty as the first rangers and their commanding officers became acting superintendents. Like today’s park staff, these soldiers didn’t just guard the national parks, they also also built them.

In the early 1900s, regiments of African American soldiers were stationed at several of the first national parks. Nicknamed “Buffalo Soldiers,” they fought fires in Glacier National Park and garrisoned Fort Yellowstone. They patrolled park boundaries in Yosemite, keeping out poachers and foraging sheep herds. From building roads to developing visitor services, these soldiers laid the foundation for many parts of what the national parks would become in the decades ahead.

Building roads in Sequoia National Park

In spring of 1903, Captain Charles Young led two companies of the 9th Cavalry from the Presidio of San Francisco to Sequoia National Park. The 9th Cavalry was formed as a segregated African-American regiment in 1866. They—along with the 10th Cavalry and 24th and 25th Infantries—received the nickname “Buffalo Soldiers” as a result of their service stationed in the West and fighting in the Indian Wars. “Buffalo Soldier” was an honorific given to the men by Native Americans, reflecting their bold fighting spirit and their physical resemblance between the dark curly hair of the American bison. 

Just prior to their arrival in Sequoia National Park, the 9th Cavalry had fought for 18 months in the Philippine-American War. Though they’d still be hard at work, their station in the national park was comfortable and highly coveted.

Captain Charles Young—who is commemorated at his own national park unit in Ohio—was the charismatic young leader of the 9th Cavalry. He was well-educated and beloved by the soldiers he commanded. He graduated from West Point in 1889 and became one of the very few African American soldiers to receive an officer’s commission in the age of Jim Crow. As commanding officer of the 9th Cavalry, he became the first African-American superintendent of any national park when he arrived in Sequoia.

In many ways, Sequoia National Park was transformed by Charles Young’s leadership. His men went to work constructing a new road to the Giant Forest, making it more accessible to visitors. The road, which became part of the Generals Highway, replaced a rundown route constructed by a colony of the socialists in the 1880s. This new highway established the foundation for the modern automobile infrastructure in Sequoia National Park. 

Charles Young and the Buffalo Soldiers didn’t just focus on vehicle traffic. They also built trails, including on Mount Whitney. Young also developed friendly relationships with locals, convincing them to support the national park in their backyard. 

At the end of their tenure, Young’s soldiers wanted to name a giant sequoia after him. He humbly refused, saying “they could do so if they felt the same twenty years hence.” Instead, Young named a tree after a champion of African American civil rights and public education, Booker T. Washington. In 2004, a tree was dedicated in honor of Charles Young. 

Building the first national park museum in Yosemite

From Zion’s Human History Museum to Acadia’s Abbe Museum, exploring collections of artifacts and specimens has long been a part of the national park experience. That tradition began in Yosemite, thanks to the Buffalo Soldiers stationed there. 

In 1904, Buffalo soldiers constructed an arboretum near Wawona. Spanning close to a hundred acres, it included thirty-six species of plant, each labeled with their English and Latin names. A nature trail was constructed through the arboretum—the first of its kind. 

Though the arboretum and trail have long since been reclaimed by nature, they were a precursor of many to come. Today, you would be hard-pressed to find a national park that doesn’t have a gently-meandering nature trail, labeled with plants and animals. Indeed, every visitor center in the country contains a small museum, introducing you to the plants, animals, and resources the park protects. The arboretum built by the Buffalo Soldiers in Yosemite is considered to be the first museum constructed in a national park. 

Building backcountry trails in Hawai’i

In 1913, Buffalo Soldiers in the 25th Infantry were transferred to the island of Hawai’i. There, many of them had a chance to view the power of Kilauea in what was then Hawai’i National Park. The park was created in 1916 and split into two national parks in 1961 — Hawai’i Volcanoes and Haleakala.  

While stationed on the island of Hawai’i, Buffalo Soldiers were tasked with building a trail across incredibly difficult terrain. The trail was necessary for both geologists and tourists to have an easier route to the crater of Kilauea. It required traversing 18 miles and 4,000 feet of elevation gain. The Buffalo Soldiers used 12 pound sledgehammers to break up a thin crust of hardened lava, creating gravel to pack into a firm pathway. With terrain too treacherous for pack animals, the Buffalo Soldiers had to transport the crushed lava rock on their own backs.

The path they constructed is called the Mauna Loa Trail. Today, visitors to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park can still enjoy hiking along it. For backpackers, a cabin can be rented at the top to fully take in the beauty of island. 

The Buffalo Soldiers left an enduring legacy in our national parks through their dedication, innovation, and leadership. From constructing roads in Sequoia to the first national park museum in Yosemite, their contributions laid the groundwork for modern park infrastructure and conservation efforts. Their work not only made these landscapes more accessible but also set a precedent for stewardship that continues today.

You can learn more about Charles Young and the Buffalo Soldiers at their own national monument in Ohio. In addition, the National Park Service has put together an online hub for information about the role of the Buffalo Soldiers throughout the park system.