Park People

Minerva Hoyt was a wealthy socialite who loved to escape to the desert of California and sleep in the sand. Her hard work and dedication in convincing people about the value of the desert led to preservation of today's Joshua Tree National Park. Col. Charles Young was born before the end of the Civil War and he would go on to be the third Black graduate from West Point Military Academy. When the Buffalo Soldiers under his command were put in charge of Sequoia National Park he became the first Black superintendent of a National Park.