Three Rivers in Tulare County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Colonel Young: A Buffalo Soldier

Photographed By Michael Herrick, May 3, 2017

1. Colonel Young: A Buffalo Soldier Marker

Inscription. Shaping a Park
Colonel Young: A Buffalo Soldier The road to Moro Rock is part of the legacy of a young army officer who became America’s first black national park superintendent. Captain Charles Young, a West Point graduate, commanded the cavalry units of Buffalo Soldiers who were assigned here in 1903. Before there were park rangers, the military guarded national parks. Young’s troops were the first African-Americans to do so.

Young sensed what this remote park needed: public access and protection. In just one summer he and his men completed many projects, including the first wagon road to the Giant Forest and the Moro Rock Road. They took some of the first vital steps toward long-term protection of this park. Captain Young later earned the rank of colonel, and became a national figure. A sequoia named for him stands a short distance up this trail.

The people of the adjoining country and tourists are awakening to the benefits and beauties of the park and desire to protect the game and forests ….
Charles Young

Who Were the Buffalo Soldiers
“Buffalo Soldiers” were African Americans who served in the United States Cavalry after the Civil War, primarily in the American West. It is believed that American Indians—who revered the buffalo—gave

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the name in tribute to the soldiers’ courage, skill, and appearance. These soldiers carried the name with pride.

Champion Tree for a Champion of the Park
Charles Young accomplished so much here that many wanted to name a sequoia to honor him. Humbly, he chose instead to name one for “that great and good American, Booker T. Washington.”

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Horticulture & Forestry.

Location. 36° 33.275′ N, 118° 46.158′ W. Marker is in Three Rivers, California, in Tulare County. Marker is on Crescent Meadow Road, 0.9 miles Generals Hwy, on the left when traveling south. Located in Sequoia National Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Three Rivers CA 93271, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Auto Log (within shouting distance of this marker); Buttress Tree (approx. 0.4 miles away); Call the Cavalry! (approx. 0.4 miles away); Stephen Tyng Mather (approx. 0.4 miles away); The CCC Boys (approx. half a mile away); The Naturalists (approx. 0.6 miles away); For the Good of the Giants (approx. ¾ mile away); Middle Fork Canyon (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Three Rivers.

Also see . . .
1. Sequoia National Park.

Photographed By Michael Herrick, May 3, 2017

2. Colonel Young: A Buffalo Soldier Marker

The wood sign points to the Colonel Young Tree up the Bear Hill Trail

(Submitted on May 14, 2017, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)
2. Charles Young (United States Army) on Wikipedia. (Submitted on May 14, 2017, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)

The Colonel Young Tree image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Michael Herrick, May 3, 2017

3. The Colonel Young Tree

Photographed By Michael Herrick, May 3, 2017

4. The Colonel Young Tree

Photographed By Michael Herrick, May 3, 2017

5. The Colonel Young Tree

Credits. This page was last revised on May 15, 2017. It was originally submitted on May 14, 2017, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut. This page has been viewed 353 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 14, 2017, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut. 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 15, 2017, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.