You may have heard of Allensworth, the first town in California to be designed, established, financed, built, and governed by African Americans. The town of Allensworth was founded in Central California in 1908. Numerous hardships experienced during the first few decades of its existence nearly wiped out the settlement, but the town refused to die. Efforts by former residents of Allensworth to honor the town resulted in the establishment of Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park.
Allensworth celebrated its centennial in 2008. One of the many events that were held to mark the 100th anniversary of the town’s founding was the Colonel Allensworth Century and Fun Ride, organized by Thomas Ward, president of Crankin’ TIME Cycling.
I met Mr. Ward during a subsequent edition of the Colonel Allensworth Century and Fun Ride. Two years later, I ended up getting into cycling myself. Our paths crossed several times after that on bike rides in cities from Palm Desert, to Los Angeles, to Frenso, all the way up to Lake Tahoe. (I was proudly wearing my own Allensworth cycling jersey during one of our meetings.) Ward and Crankin’ TIME were providing SAG support on one of the rides in Fresno and helped me out when I got a flat tire.
After the May Festival at the Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, I decided to put on my journalism hat and interview Ward, asking him about Allensworth, the Buffalo Soldiers, and his involvement with the venerable park.
Here are some of the things we talked about:
Kanale Travels: How did Crankin’ TIME get connected with Allensworth?
Thomas Ward: I first was introduced to Colonel Allensworth State Park through a fellow musician. I met him at an event [at] which he performed. We exchanged numbers. Eventually I joined his band. He directed a Cantata, which reminds you of a musical or play.
One of his annual shows was performing at Allensworth. I had heard about this all-Black town in California founded by former slaves and Buffalo Soldiers. Though I had heard of the town, I didn’t know where it was located. When our band got the invite, I was onboard.
When I arrived at the entrance of the park, I was in awe of the place. I couldn’t help but look around at all the structures; I was truly amazed, seeing how former slaves lived in California setting out to create a town and life for themselves. Soon I had to focus on the performance in the town’s pavilion.
After the performance, we were quickly whisked back to the tour bus to be taken back to Los Angeles. I was looking out the back window the entire time, saying “WAIT! I want to stay a little longer, visit the buildings and speak with the docents and the descendants that lived there.” I had to leave, but I promised myself that I would return on my own.
We played there a few more times, until one day I came back by myself. That’s when I met a former Buffalo Soldier who came up there as often as he could. He was up in age, but his mind was still sharp. Eventually I met the event organizers who told me all about the park, its history. I was inspired to help bring more awareness to the park, help increase visitorship to Allensworth. Since I had created a company called Crankin’ TIME Cycling and was heavy into cycling, I produced a cycling event called the Colonel Allensworth Century & Fun Ride. The event, along with helping it increase exposure, raised money and donated proceeds to the park’s non-profit, the Friends of Allensworth.
KT: What do the Buffalo Soldiers do at Allensworth today?
TW: There are many Buffalo Soldier Chapters and entities that work with the park on their scheduled events commemorating the founding of the town, its Jubilee, Juneteenth, its annual Rededication events. The soldiers act as docents or volunteers who explain the history of [Colonel] Allensworth, who himself was a Buffalo Soldier chaplain. His home, along with another Buffalo Soldier’s, is still standing at the park. You can literally walk inside and look around their homes.
KT: What was your role working with Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park?
TW: Initially, I just wanted to produce cycling events representing the park, however, I did join the Los Banos Buffalo Soldiers, then I became a California Buffalo Soldier. I would return to Allensworth periodically. The unit would go to schools in the state to do lectures about the history of Colonel Allensworth as well as the life of a Buffalo Soldier in California. Our unit participated in the film called “Yosemite: Through the Eyes of a Buffalo Soldier”. The park is managed by two entities: California State Parks and the Friends of Allensworth.
KT: Anything else you want to add about Allensworth?
TW: I highly recommend people visit Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park. It is a crown jewel in the state of California. It also one of the many colonies formed in the United States by freed slaves. The state has made a stride in preserving the historical artifacts of the park. The more visitors come to the park, the more funds can be allocated to Colonel Allensworth SHP.
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