105 years ago, then captain, Charles Young and a Company of Buffalo Soldiers from the 9th Cavalry Regiment spent the summer working in Sequoia National Park, building the roads that opened the top of the mountain to tourism. On August 28, 2004 a Giant Sequoia Redwood was dedicated in the name of the Black Cavalry Officer.
During a very private ceremony guest from the National Park Service, the 9th and 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association, Vision Quest Buffalo Soldiers from youth camps in Pennsylvania, Arizona, and the Fred D. Jones Youth Center in Hesperia, California along with Buffalo Soldier reenactors from Northern California, stood in silence as descendants of Col. Charles Young thanked park officials and unveiled the wooden plaque located at the base of a mighty Sequoia Redwood.
The tree is located on Bear Hill Trail, just off the main road to Moro Rock. The same road built by Col. Young and the Buffalo Soldiers so many years ago. As you park your car, near the famous “Auto Log,” and head towards the trail, his tree is just out of sight. The footpath has an uphill grade and Col. Young’s tree is about 200 yards away at the end of the walk. The mountain air has a fresh clean smell and the scent of pine is everywhere. The path is covered with a light dusting of fine dirt and the canopy from the surrounding Ponderosa Pines and Douglas Ferns provides a blanket of shading that keeps the air temperature comfortable. As you make your way up the trail it takes a slight dogleg turn to the right and then you see it. At the end of the path stands a mature Sequoia Redwood. The symbolism is unmistakable. A solitary Sequoia Redwood, surrounded by many other tall pine trees …one cannot help but think of Col. Charles Young and his Troopers from the 9th Cavalry Regiment. Buffalo Soldiers one and all. They were true Trailblazers,
in every sense of the word.
No comments:
Post a Comment