Trail from Presidio to Sierra Nevada Proposed

[ERIC]

Honor for Buffalo Soldiers urged
Bill could lead to national historic trail through Valley.

Posted at 10:23 PM on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010
By Michael Doyle / Bee Washington Bureau
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WASHINGTON -- Los Banos resident Geneva Marie Brett urged lawmakers Thursday to honor the black military men known as Buffalo Soldiers, who once helped protect the fledgling Yosemite and Sequoia national parks.

Accompanied by colorfully uniformed representatives of a Buffalo Soldiers organization, Brett found a largely sympathetic congressional audience for legislation that could help designate a future national historic trail through the San Joaquin Valley.

"It is a rare, yet thrilling opportunity to share history of local and national significance," Brett told the House national parks, forests and public lands subcommittee.

A Realtor by profession, Brett has thrown herself into the volunteer work of the Los Banos Buffalo Soldiers 9th and 10th Cavalry Association. The nonprofit group, founded in December 2008, seeks to honor in various ways the San Francisco-based Buffalo Soldiers who served during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

On multiple occasions, the soldiers rode more than 320 miles from the Presidio to the Sequoia and Yosemite national parks, which until 1914 were under U.S. Army management. The soldiers patrolled the backcountry, built roads and trails, fought fires, and undertook other work later assigned to park rangers.

One of the Buffalo Soldiers, 1884 West Point graduate Col. Charles Young, served during the summer of 1903 as military superintendent of Sequoia. Young led his men into building a trail to the top of Mount Whitney, among other projects.

"The presence of these soldiers as official stewards of park lands prior to the National Park Service establishment brought a sense of law and order to the mountain wilderness," associate park service director Stephen Whitesell testified.

Legislation authored by Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, would direct the National Park Service to study options for commemorating the Buffalo Soldiers. The study would include evaluating a potential national historic trail that follows the soldiers' route from the Presidio to the Sierra Nevada. The study would also identify properties that could be added to the National Register of Historic Places, or designated as a national historic landmark.

"These soldiers were truly the first guardians of our national parks," Speier said.

Los Banos residents David Ofwono and Kevin Craig, dressed in turn-of-the-century Buffalo Soldier garb, sat nearby as Speier and then Brett spoke. The Los Banos men, accompanied by Craig's son Kevin, brought with them a large map showing the towns through which the soldiers once passed: Los Banos, Madera, Firebaugh, Fresno, Kingsburg and others.

Whitesell said the National Park Service supports the legislation. At the same time, he cautioned that the first priority should be clearing away a backlog of 48 other studies that Congress has authorized to examine potential park service additions.

Conservatives and budget hawks have warned, in general, that Congress has been too quick to designate new national parks.

Still, Republican and Democratic members of the House parks subcommittee on Thursday voiced their general support for measures to honor the Buffalo Soldiers.

[gdurkee]

That would be extremely cool! The Buffalo soldiers -- even at this late date -- have not gotten the recognition they deserve except very locally in Yosemite. There have been a couple of trips to repeat Muir's first trip to Yosemite over Pacheco Pass or back down the Merced to Martinez, but nothing published. Especially great would be to recreate the route these guys took each year back to the Sierra to push out the sheep herders and establish the parks. That route in Spring would be great -- maybe partially a bike route?? Surely there's a book or two here... .

On snow surveys, I've spent nights in one of the cabins they undoubtedly built. Kind of neat to be continuing their traditions over 100 years later -- their names and initials are still in the window frames of the cabin.

g.

[Hetchy]

Personally I have long dreamed of a hike from the Pacific Ocean to the Peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I assume by "Presidio" you mean the old Naval Base in San Francisco.
I am all for it! If you need someone to scout out and hike a "guerilla" route to prepare the way, let me know. All it would take is the hint of a chance and I am on it.
Can you imagine sitting on Pier 39 and then getting up to hike to Mono Lake!!!
OMG!
I think you have something there.
A very worthy tribute to those that gave so much for so little recognition in their lifetimes.
The Grandest of trails.
A link between the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific Crest itself.

Where do I sign up?

[frediver]

The Presidio was a "ARMY" Base !

[Hetchy]

Oops! You would think might have known that being that it is only 60 miles from where I was born.
Sorry Army!
Open Mouth.. insert trail running shoe! Doh!

[rlown]

Ranger Shelton Johnson on the Buffalo Soldiers

[youtube_vid]<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LrMG4p1rYzg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/youtube_vid]

[dave54]

I thought they already had one. It's called 'I 80'

[AlmostThere]

Hiking through the central valley, with it being as it is?

Ugh. No. I'd start from the trailhead in San Joaquin River Gorge. Anything farther west, they call that 'hitchhiking.'

[Tom_H]

I have nothing against some kind of memorial to the Buffalo Soldiers. OTOH, IMHO, a trail across the Central Valley just makes no sense to me. I have lived here for the last 30 years. It is hot during the summer; I remember it hitting 115 degrees in Wilton one time. The air is full of smog, Ag chemicals, and a zillion kinds of pollen. The land is flat and there is nothing to look at. It is simply boring as hell unless you are in the Delta or Sutter's Buttes. A few people might hike it in the beginning, but I would think interest would wane very quickly. The cost of maintenance would not be worth the upkeep for the very few people who would use it. The money is better spent elsewhere. Just my $0.02 worth.

[SSSdave]

The idea of a commemorative trail for the BS is great. But as noted any long trail in the San Joaquin Valley would be ridiculous. Those proposing it though well meaning, obviously have no familiarity with hiking enthusiasts. If someone wanted to build a new long trail across the range there are a few places that could work well as some major river canyons as the San Joaquin and Kings have no trail down near rivers.