Buffalo Soldier Monument

In 1866, military reorganization established two calvary regiments for Black soldiers at Fort Leavenworth on the Missouri River. Men were offered $13 a month ($250 in 2023).  Later, the military added four infantry regiments.  These regiments fought in conflicts ranging from the Indian Wars to World War II. The Buffalo Soldiers were disbanded in 1944 and the United States military was fully desegregated in 1948.

The main purpose of the regiments was to aid settlers headed westward. They offered protection and created new infrastructure such as forts and burying telegraph lines.

This glorious bronze statue of a soldier riding his horse across a waterfall was sculpted by Eddie Dixon and dedicated by General Colin Powell in 1992. It weighs 2,400 pounds and is encircled by busts of significant Black soldiers.