Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller
Date: April 26, 2023
This National Monument enlightened us about Colonel Young, a former slave, that in 1889, became the third African American to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He was leader of the Buffalo Soldiers who not only fought but patrolled Yellowstone National Park and other parks. The Buffalo Soldiers built roads, trails, and structures in Sequoia, Yosemite, and Glacier NP. He was the first Superintendent of Sequoia National Park. Young installed the fence around the giant Gen. Sherman tree for protection). Young was the first African American military attaché and a diplomat to Haiti. His 1830’s former house was under renovation, so the photos, documentary film, and exhibits were less than a mile away at a seminary library on Wilberforce College campus. We plan to return to the house next year when the renovation is done.
