Original Buffalo Soldier Dies

ALLEN, CHARLES


March 23, 1932 - March 19, 2011

Long time Friends of Allensworth member Charles Allen passed away on March 19, 2011, four days before his 79th birthday.

During the Korean War Charles Allen was assigned to Company ‘B’, of the 24th Infantry Regiment making him one of the last of the original Buffalo Soldiers. (From 1886 to1906 Allen Allensworth was the chaplain of the 24th Infantry Regiment.) While serving as the Command Sniper he was wounded twice for which he was awarded the Purple Heart.

The 24th Infantry Regiment became the last original Buffalo Soldier Regiment when the 2nd Cavalry Division was deactivated in 1944. When President Harry S. Truman integrated the Armed Forces the surviving members of the 24th & 25th Infantry Regiments, and the 9th, 10th, 27th & 28th Cavalry Regiments became the last original Buffalo Soldiers.

In addition to being a member of the Friends of Allensworth and a devoted supporter Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park Charles Allen served as the Recording Secretary of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Ninth & Tenth (Horse) Cavalry Association.

Service will be:

Friday, April 1, 2011
12:00 PM
Chapel of Roses
3443 W. Manchester Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA


You can leave a message for the family at the Simpson’s Family Mortuary website.


Stephen Hill, Sr,

Ranger Shelton Johnson on the Oprah show.

During Oprah and Gayle’s Big Yosemite Camping Adventure Ranger Shelton Johnson give them camping tips. Their Yosemite Camping trip airs in two parts; Friday, October 29, 2010 and Wednesday, November 3, 2010. A preview of the Oprah show can be seen on the REI web site.

During the 2008 Allensworth Centennial celebration Ranger Johnson did a Buffalo Soldier Living History Interpretation. Buffalo Soldiers built the first trail to the top of Mt. Whitney as well as the first museum in what would become Yosemite National Park. Ranger Johnson also starred in Ken Burn’s series The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. The clip below is from the Ken Burn’s series.

 

Stephen Hill, Sr.

Library of Congress Veterans History Project

San Diego chapter of the Friends of Allensworth member Ernest H. Collier profiled in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The Veterans History Project preserves and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans. The project collects first-hand accounts of U.S. Veterans from the following wars:

• World War I (1914-1920)

• World War II (1939-1946)

• Korean War (s.1950-1955)

• Vietnam War (1961-1975)

• Persian Gulf War (1990-1995)

• Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts (2001-present)

Ernest Collier services with the 9th Cavalry Regiment and the 24th Infantry Regiment, two of the Army’s four Buffalo Soldier regiments. Allen Allensworth was the chaplain of the 24th Infantry Regiment from 1886 to 1906. Many of the first settlers of Allensworth, California were members of the four Buffalo soldier regiments and their families.

This Sunday Ernest Collier will be one of the Grand Marshals for the 2010 Spirit of the Fourth Independence Day Parade in Rancho Bernardo, California. The 2010 Spirit of the Fourth parade is celebrating the theme, “In the Spirit of Service” and is honoring Wounded Warriors. Ernest Collier is a Korean War veteran whose Purple Heart was earned in South Korea in 1951. The battle area was near Pusan, Korea. The actual award was made by General Mark Clark at Letterman Hospital, in San Francisco, CA.



Stephen Hill, Sr.

California’s Heartland DVD

5min Life Videopdia has just added the below video to their site. The 5 minute video is taken from the KVIE Public Television production African Americans in California’s Heartland. Produced in cooperation with The Sacramento Observer, the DVD explores the history of African Americans in the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada from the Gold Rush through the 1950s.


In addition to Allensworth, the DVD relates the stories of the Gooch/Monroe family, whose descendants owned much of Coloma; the Buffalo Soldiers stationed in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks; the civil rights case of runaway slave Archy Lee; and the entrepreneurial Dunlap Family, who operated a famous Sacramento restaurant frequented by Senators.

You can purchase the DVD at the KVIE web site. The site also has lesson plans and the DVD transcript.

Stephen Hill, Sr.

Learn about Allen Allensworth

Pacific West Region Freeman Tilden Award

Yosemite National Park interpretive ranger Shelton Johnson has been selected as the recipient of the 2009 Pacific West Region Freeman Tilden Award. As the Pacific West Region winner he is one of seven regional winners. During the National Association of Interpretation National Workshop in Hartford, Connecticut on November 19th one of the regional winners will be selected to receive the national Freeman Tilden Award. Each year, the national award is given to an individual who has successfully developed or delivered an effective interpretive program.

The award is named after Freeman Tilden (1883-1980) a pioneer in the field of natural and cultural interpretation, who began writing about America's national parks in the 1940s. He wrote four books on visiting, learning, and teaching about national and state parks and other heritage areas.

Johnson was given the regional award for his work with the Ken Burn’s film The National Parks: America’s Best Idea and his original research into the role the Buffalo Soldiers played in Yosemite National Park’s history.

Range Shelton Johnson performed at the Allensworth Centennial Celebration at Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park in October 2008.

Stephen Hill, Sr.

Nominated as a California Historical Landmark

Camp Lockett, California is one thirteen nominations for federal and state historic designation. Camp Lockett is the only one of the thirteen to be nominated as a California Historical Landmark. The California State Historical Resources Commission will consider the nominations at a hearing at 9:00 am on Friday, October 30, 2009.

The public can present statements at the hearing or submit comments to:

Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA
State Historic Preservation Officer
Office of Historic Preservation
Post Office Box 942896
Sacramento, California 94296-001

You can also call or fax your inquiries to :

The Recording Secretary Twia Willis-Hunter
 Phone: (916) 653-7113
Fax: (916) 653-7718

Nominations and photographs of properties under consideration are available at http://www.ohp.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=24368

Camp Lockett is recognized as the last horse cavalry post in the U.S. Army. It was the home of the all black 10th and 28th (Horse) cavalry regiments. These African American units patrolled the Mexican border, guarded the Morena and Barrett dams that provided essential drinking water for San Diego, and provided security for the San Diego-Arizona Eastern Railroad, which served as the only direct eastwest line connecting San Diego with the rest of the country.

We ask that you send letters and/or make calls of support for the Camp Lockett nomination.


Stephen Hill, Sr.

Help Needed for Field Trip to October 10th Rededication

The Los Banos Buffalo Soldiers are asking for the public’s help to cover the cost of a student field trip to Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park for the October 10th re-dedication ceremony. The Buffalo Soldiers are working with the Los Banos Unified School District to take 60 students to the re-dedication ceremony. If they cannot raise the $2,000 that is needed to cover the cost of the trip by October 4th they will have to cancel the trip.

Donation amounts start at $25.00 but any amount is welcome. Checks and money orders can be sent to:



Los Banos Buffalo Soldiers 9th & 10th Calvary Association

Attention: Allensworth Field Trip Committee

1350 E. Pacheco Blvd, Ste; B-167

Los Banos, CA 93635



To learn more about the Los Banos Buffalo Soldiers Association visit their web site.  The above photo was taken by Jeff Periera.


Stephen Hill, Sr.