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At the turn of the 20th Century several regiments of
Buffalo Soldiers patrolled the high mountain ranges of the
Sierra Nevadas in California, and protected the recently designated
Yosemite National Park. The spectacular views of lush mountain valleys, giant sequoia trees, thundering waterfalls, mile-high granite mountains and rarefied air had been set aside for posterity. Being among them must have been an elixir to the battle-tested soldiers.
Only recently emancipated, Buffalo Soldiers had fought against Native Americans to protect European colonists in their Western Migration from places such as Fort Davis, now a National Historic Site. They'd put infrastructure in place including stringing military telegraph, and served as escorts for government wagon trains, survey parties and mail coaches. Many of these soldiers had distinguished themselves in the Philippine-American war. Now they'd been called upon to protect America's "Crown Jewel" in "the Range of Light," one of the most remote places in the country.
Today Americans and the world benefit from the success of their efforts as we enjoy Yosemite at close to the same natural state as the turn of the 20th century. The natural beauty is barely disturbed.
Amenities including a historic luxury hotel and other lodging are carefully designed to be unobtrusive. (I stepped outside the lobby of the Ahwahnee Hotel once and saw a fairytale wedding unfolding on the glorious lawn, the bride being a lovely young black woman.)
Ranger Shelton Johnson with author Audrey Peterman
To get an idea of the acreage the Buffalo Soldiers protected, consider that, at 1,200 square miles, Yosemite National Park is two-and-a-half times the size of New York City, (all five boroughs) which is 468.9 square miles. Many of the soldiers were from the Jim Crow South, where "park" might have meant a small pocket area off limits to them. They lived in proximity to some of the largest wild animals on Earth including grizzlies and black bears, and were no less vulnerable in upholding the law to hostile white settlers who wanted to poach wildlife and cut down trees in the protected area.
Their inestimable contributions to Yosemite National Park along with Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks were brought to light in the 1990s by America's most famous ranger, Shelton Johnson. At the time he was one of only a few Black rangers in the National Park Service. Ranger Johnson said that when his eyes fell upon the old black and white picture in the archives showing Black Rangers protecting the parks nearly 100 years before, "It was like stumbling into your own family while traveling in a foreign country."
A range of accommodations from tent camping to the moderately priced Yosemite Lodge and the luxury Ahwahnee Hotel makes it possible for almost everyone at every budget to enjoy this national park. An $80 annual pass covers a car with four passengers to enter this park and all 424 other units (many have no entry fees) for a full year. An $80 Senior Pass for those over 62 is good for every park for the rest of your life.
At a time when malicious efforts are underway to erase the history of African Americans in the development of our country, this is the year to visit the national parks where our history is indelibly imprinted on the land. Yosemite is an ideal place to begin.
(Few Americans know the National Park System better than Audrey Peterman, and fewer still, BIPOC Americans. Since 1995 the Apex Distinguished Service Award Winner has been publicizing the national parks as places of wonder, vacation destinations and event spaces.)
www.AudreyPeterman.com
Author: From My Jamaican Gully to the World and Back, 2022.
Audrey Peterman is an environmental activist, thought leader and author. Book her at Diverse Environmental Leaders Speakers Bureau ( delnsb.com ). |