Charles Young Monument Preserves Enduring Legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers

With a “take charge” style of leadership, Colonel Charles Young commanded a regiment of U.S. Army soldiers in the construction of improved roads that made it possible for the growing number of wagons and automobiles to safely visit the newly designated national park of Sequoia and its stands of giant redwood trees, the largest in the world. As the first African-American superintendent of a national park, Young led a distinguished military career in war and peace to usher in a new era of racial equality and wilderness preservation.

By presidential proclamation on March 25, 2013, Barack Obama designated the home of Charles Young in Xenia, Ohio, as a national monument to honor his great work along with the men that served as members of the all-African-American 9th and 10th Cavalry divisions known as the Buffalo Soldiers.

James Mills, “National Parks Conservation Association,” National Parks Conservation Association (blog), April 2, 2013, https://www.npca.org/articles/201-charles-young-monument-preserves-enduring-legacy-of-the-buffalo-soldiers.