America’s National Parks Podcast
Society & Culture:Places & Travel
During the Indian conflicts on the western plains after the Civil War, Native Americans gave Black regiments of the U.S. Army the name Buffalo Soldiers, after their short, curly hair, which to them, looked like a bison. The soldiers took a liking to the name, and it stuck.
The Buffalo Soldiers contributed to the U.S. in many ways over the course of nearly 90 years, but one of their most important was as the first caretakers of our national parks. Between 1891 and 1913, the Army was tasked with the protection of Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. Buffalo soldiers fought wildfires and poachers, ended illegal grazing of livestock on federal lands, and constructing roads, trails and other infrastructure. In 1903, Captain Charles Young led a company of Buffalo Soldiers in Sequoia and what is now Sequoia and King's Canyon National Parks, becoming the first African American park superintendent.
The Black Canyon
The Great Prairie Highway
News from the Parks | December 2019
Wolf Trap
Treasure in the Sea
Valley Forge
News from the Parks | November 2019
Toward a Dark and Indefinite Shore
A Prescription for Fire
The Legacy of 3 Million
The Sound of Geology
National Geographic's Jon Waterman
News from the Parks | October 2019
Spooky Yellowstone
The Great Unknown
Gateway to the West
News from the Parks | September 2019
The Old Northwest
The Search for Dark Skies
Ahwahnee
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