In July of 1866, Congress passed the Army Reorganization Act, establishing six all-Black cavalry and infantry regiments. While African Americans had fought in every prior American military conflict, these units, which became known as Buffalo Soldiers, became the first peacetime regular regiments. Between 1875 and 1879, soldiers in the 9th Cavalry were stationed at Fort Garland.
Early Buffalo Soldier units often consisted of men formerly enslaved. For many Buffalo Soldiers, military service offered one of the few opportunities to provide for themselves and their families. Regiments were frequently sent west and assigned to the front lines of the Indian Wars. As the United States pushed westward in its relentless conquest of land, Buffalo Soldiers found themselves serving the country at the expense of Native Americans who had called this land home for millennia.
buffalo soldiers: reVision
The Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center, a Community Museum of History Colorado, is proud to offer buffalo soldiers: reVision, an exhibition at the intersection of history, art, and place, exploring the complex the history and legacy of Buffalo Soldiers. Envisioned by lead artist Chip Thomas, aka jetsonorama, and in collaboration with several of the most talented and thoughtful artists across the country, reVision disrupts the mythology of the American West through the lens of the Buffalo Soldier experience.
The exhibition critically examines the complexity of the American West in order to understand, acknowledge, and reconcile some of the most painful aspects of our collective history, while updating and expanding our understanding of the Buffalo Soldier legacy. We also view buffalo soldiers: reVision as an opportunity to look forward to the future of historical interpretation with renewed perspective and wisdom.