Buffalo Soldiers were members of America's first all-black Army regiments. After the Civil War ended, they were dispatched to patrol wilderness areas like California's Sierra Nevada.

Now, Congress has moved to formally recognize their contributions. A bill to create a commemorative trail honoring California's Buffalo Soldiers has already passed in the House and will soon be introduced in the Senate.

Shelton Johnson, a park ranger and historian at Yosemite National Park, joins the show to tell us more of the history of these men.