John P. Langellier received his BA and MA in history and historical archaeology from the University of San Diego, and a Ph.D. from Kansas State University. He spent over four decades in varied public history positions. Langellier has written, co-written, and/or edited dozens of books and monographs and scores of articles. In September, 2020, the National Park Service (NPS) and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASAALH), in a joint venture, selected him as principal investigator for a contextual study related to the buffalo soldiers and the national parks. That assignment made this publication possible.