Buffalo Soldier Hill

The rise a little over a mile north of this pullout carried a racial slur on federal maps for more than a century, until the Board on Geographic Names approved Buffalo Soldier Hill around 2005. Nolan's troopers camped beside it on the night of July 27, 1877, strung out for miles after their guide, José Tafoya, rode ahead toward water and never came back. The panel's 96 hours belongs to the hunter Bill Benson; the soldiers who reached Double Lakes had gone about 86. Four troopers died: John H. Bonds, John T. Gordon, John Isaacs and Isaac Derwin.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Buffalo Soldier Hill Near this spot in the summer of 1877, soldiers of Troop A of the U.S. Tenth Cavalry endured substantial hardship. During an attempt to force a band of Kwahada Comanche warriors back to their reservation in Oklahoma, the soldiers became lost, went 96 hours without water, and four died. Also known as the Forlorn Hope or Lost Troop Expedition, Troop A was composed of some 40 Buffalo Soldiers (African American Cavalry) under the command of Captain Nicholas M. Nolan and accompanied by 22 bison hunters.

Where it stands