Though he was born into slavery, Charles Young became the first to achieve many of his life’s accomplishments, including becoming the first Black national park superintendent.
Young, bottom center, and road construction crew in 1903. Photo: National Park Service
As superintendent of Sequoia and General Grant National Park (now part of Kings Canyon National Parks), he was charged with protecting the parks and making them accessible to visitors. His team constructed roads at an unprecedented rate to provide wagon access to the sequoia groves and other interest points for the first time, effectively beginning an era of tourism in the parks. He also led the charge to stop the poaching of wildlife, illegal logging, and sheep grazing in the parks.
“He took whatever job he had very, very seriously, and wanted to excel at it because he knew that everyone was looking at him,” says Floyd Thomas Jr., a Charles Young historian in the Audubon article linked below. “He knew that if he screwed up, that would be an excuse for not giving other African Americans the opportunities that he fought for and earned.”
Read more:
- Meet Charles Young, the First Black National Park Superintendent, Audubon
- Colonel Charles Young, Early Park Superintendent, National Park Service
Cover Image: Young in 1916. Photo: National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center
