Profiles in Black History is a project of our Justice Works Anti-Racism Team. A new profile will be spotlighted every day during Black History Month.
Colonel Charles Young (1864-1922)
Colonel Charles Young
“When Captain Charles Young [later Colonel Charles Young], the new military superintendent, arrived in Sequoia and General Grant national parks, he had already faced many challenges. Born into slavery in Kentucky during the Civil War, Young's life took him to places where a Black man was rarely welcome. He was the first African American to graduate from the white high school in Ripley, Ohio. Through competitive examination, he won an appointment to the US Military Academy at West Point in 1884. After years of struggle, he went on to graduate with his commission, only the third Black man to do so. Young’s military career flourished in the cavalry. In 1903, while serving as a Captain of an all-Black regiment at San Francisco’s Presidio, he was asked to take his troops to Sequoia and General Grant national parks (what is now Sequoia National Park and a small portion of Kings Canyon National Park). Here, he became acting superintendent for the summer. … At that time, Sequoia and General Grant national parks were thirteen years old but they were still relatively undeveloped and difficult to access. … Beginning in 1900, however, Congress authorized $10,000 annually to aid the parks with increasing access. The Army began improving an old wagon road that went to the Giant Forest from what is now Three Rivers, California. Progress on the road prior to 1903 was slow, and after three summers, barely five miles of road had been constructed. Hoping to outpace the progress of previous military administrations, Young asked to begin work early and poured considerable energy into the project. Supervising a construction manager and civilian roadworkers, his crews soon made dirt and rock begin to fly. By mid-August of 1903, wagons traveled to the sequoia groves for the first time. Still not content, Young kept his crews of men working and they soon extended the road to the base of Moro Rock. Young reported that the road was built with less than an 8% grade and that it “should in future insure a thousand tourists where in previous years there have been but a hundred.” And so began an era of tourism in the parks. … Road construction was far from the only notable achievement that Young made while serving as superintendent. During his tenure, the parks reported no poaching violations. His troops stationed on the east side of the Sierra stopped herds of domestic sheep from entering the park and illegally grazing in meadows. Over 18 miles of trail were improved, including a trail connecting the Giant Forest to Mineral King. Young also convinced a majority of private landowners to sign contracts agreeing to sell tracts of land surrounded by the parks, particularly those located in the Giant Forest. While these contracts were not fully executed after he left his post, these early negotiations established the idea that it was critical to both the parks and private landowners to settle contentious property rights issues, paving a foundation for later land acquisition.”
Link for more info: https://www.nps.gov/chyo/learn/historyculture/colonel-charles-young.htm
Rebecca Riley is a writer and filmmaker who lives in North County San Diego.