Buffalo Soliders. Painting by Frederic Remington, photo from: http://education.texashistory.unt.edu/lessons/psa/Buffalo_Soldiers/
As y’all may have noticed from the blog posts in recent weeks, I’ve spent a fair amount of time in West Texas, specifically in the Marathon, Ft Davis, Alpine, and Marfa area. One of the places we visited was historic Fort Davis which was a renowned cavalry fort during the “Chasing Geronimo and The Apaches All Over The Southwest” days. One group of troopers who were based here in Texas were the 10th Cavalry, better known as the Buffalo Soldiers. “Buffalo Soldier” was the nickname given to these Africa-American troopers by their Native-American foes.
Despite what the western movies show, a cavalry trooper didn’t spend 90% of his time galloping to the rescue of maidens in distress or foiling stage coach robberies. Their primary role seems to have been one of stabilization of the frontier. Not only in terms of the increasingly violent interactions between the Native-Americans and settlers arriving from back East, but also in terms of mapping the country, installing telegraph lines, and building up the infrastructure of this newer portion of America. Lt Henry Flipper, the first African-American graduate of West Point served in the 10th Cavalry at both Ft. Concho, and Ft Davis. As the frontier extended further westward, most of these forts had been abandoned by the 1880’s only to be rescued from destruction during the 20th century, and either restored to their former condition, or preserved in ruin.
Several of the cavalry forts have been renovated and restored in the western portion of Texas, and are easily accessible from I-10 or in the case of Ft Concho, from Hwy 87 from either I-20 or I-10. Clink the links below for pictures, descriptions, history, and directions. Most feature living history displays, and reenactments form time to time
What are some of your favorite Old West destinations? Drop us a line in the comment section below and tell us about it. PPL Motorhomes, for all your parts and accessories.