We have a new member of the UCSS crew joining us on an amazing project! We would love to introduce Marcos Van Dalen, who started work recently as a Research Intern. For his internship, funded by UCSS, the American West Center, and the University of Utah Department of History, he’s digging into the history of Buffalo Soldiers for Utah’s Buffalo Soldier Heritage Trail project. The project is primarily led by the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship program (UCSS), the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and partner organization Sema Hadithi. Read on to get to know Marcos and learn more about the Buffalo Soldier Heritage Trail!
Marcos comes to us originally from Miami, Florida, and is currently studying history at the University of Utah. As an active member of the United States Marine Corps, Marcos will be at his duty station here in Utah for three years. Previously, he has lived in Florida, Texas, Hawaii, and Japan throughout his seven years of service. His favorite station was Hawaii — although Utah is now a close second! “Being able to really experience life here has been awesome,” he said. He’s excited to get out and explore the outdoors, as well as Utah’s “…four seasons — I’ve always lived in a place that doesn’t have four seasons.” Marcos and his wife, Melanie, who is currently studying Occupational Therapy at the University of Utah, have already made it out to hike Delicate Arch.
As a service member himself, Marcos came to us with a strong personal background and interest in the military and its history. He says he is especially interested in learning about leaders of the past, both good and bad, and exploring “…how they succeeded and failed” in their work. “You can see how we’re not so different than service members of the past,” he says. Those service members of the past include Buffalo Soldiers, segregated U.S. Army regiments of exclusively African-American soldiers. The Buffalo Soldiers and similar segregated military groups have a unique story and interest: as Marcos says, they show a high “…degree of selflessness” to serve their country at a time when it was against them.
Through his research, Marcos is helping to build a clearer timeline of events surrounding the Buffalo Soldiers here in Utah. Marcos’ research will lay a strong foundation for the public to better appreciate this history through Utah’s Buffalo Soldier Heritage Trail. Nearly a dozen stakeholder groups are working with UCSS, SHPO, and Sema Hadithi on this project. Sema Hadithi African American Heritage and Culture Foundation partnered with us to create a route with multiple stops at areas significant to Utah Buffalo Soldier history. The name “Sema Hadithi”, meaning “tell the story” in Swahili, outlines exactly what the goal of this project is: to tell the story of Utah’s Buffalo Soldiers. Visitors to these significant places will have the option of exploring the history through paper handouts, interpretive panels, and an in-depth webpage. We’re so excited to help tell the story of Utah’s Buffalo Soldiers to the public, and it’s great to have Marcos here to help put together that story!