Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A friendly, 12-room 1918 confection with beds adorned in patchwork quilts, the Hotel
Charlotte keeps the vintage flair alive but still has modern conveniences. A sophisticated
bistro
(mains $12-20 ;
6-9pm May-Sep)
and bar serves a creative small-plates menu.
Mountain Sage
CAFE
(
www.mtsage.com
; 18653 Main St; snacks $2-6; 7am-3pm, to 5pm Jun-Aug; )
This popular cafe is also an art gallery, nursery and live-music venue all rolled into one,
with organic and Fair Trade coffee, tasty baked treats and an excellent summer concert
series (
www.mountainsagemusic.org
).
THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS
After the creation of the national parks in 1890, the US Army was called in to safeguard
these natural resources. In the summer of 1903, troops from the 9th Cavalry - one of four
well-respected (though segregated) African American regiments, known as the 'Buffalo
Soldiers' - were sent to patrol here and in Yosemite. In Sequoia and what was then Gen-
eral Grant National Park, the troops had an impressively productive summer - building
roads, creating a trail system and setting a high standard as stewards of the land.
The troops were commanded by Captain (later Colonel) Charles Young. At the time,
Young was the only African American captain in the Army; his post as Acting Superin-
tendent made him the first African American superintendent of a national park.
