2016
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 16-035
       
       
       BY SENATOR(S) Lambert and Merrifield, Aguilar, Baumgardner,
       Carroll, Cooke, Crowder, Donovan, Garcia, Grantham, Guzman, Heath,
       Hill, Hodge, Holbert, Jahn, Johnston, Jones, Kefalas, Kerr, Lundberg,
       Marble, Martinez Humenik, Neville T., Newell, Roberts, Scheffel, Scott,
       Sonnenberg, Steadman, Tate, Todd, Ulibarri, Woods, Cadman;
       also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Carver and Lee, Joshi, Klingenschmitt,
       Landgraf, Lundeen, Nordberg, Roupe, Arndt, Becker J., Becker K.,
       Brown, Buck, Buckner, Conti, Coram, Court, Danielson, DelGrosso,
       Dore, Duran, Esgar, Everett, Fields, Foote, Garnett, Ginal, Hamner,
       Humphrey, Kagan, Kraft-Tharp, Lawrence, Lebsock, Leonard, Lontine,
       McCann, Melton, Mitsch Bush, Moreno, Navarro, Neville P., Pabon,
       Pettersen, Primavera, Priola, Rankin, Ransom, Rosenthal, Ryden, Saine,
       Salazar, Sias, Singer, Thurlow, Tyler, Van Winkle, Vigil, Willett,
       Williams, Wilson, Windholz, Winter, Wist, Young, Hullinghorst.
       
       
          CONCERNING THE COMMEMORATION OF THE BUFFALO
       SOLDIERS AND THE DESIGNATION OF A PORTION OF UNITED
       STATES HIGHWAY 24 FROM MILE MARKER 308 TO MILE
       MARKER 298 AS THE "BUFFALO SOLDIERS MEMORIAL
       HIGHWAY". 
       
       
          WHEREAS, African-Americans have served with honor and
       distinction in every major American war; and
       
          WHEREAS, Approximately 180,000 African-Americans served in the
       U.S. Army and another 18,000 served in the U.S. Navy during the Civil
       War from 1861-1865; and
       
          WHEREAS, In 1866, federal legislation was adopted to create six
       African-American Army units, identified as the 9th and 10th Cavalry and
       the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st Infantry Regiments; and
       
          WHEREAS, The four infantry units were reorganized in 1868 as the
       24th and 25th Infantry Regiments; and
       
          WHEREAS, The African-American troops could only serve West of
       the Mississippi River because of the prevailing attitudes following the
       Civil War, which led to their extensive involvement in the settling of the
       American West; and
       
          WHEREAS, These troops were given the nickname of "Buffalo
       Soldiers" by Native Americans and were known for the same fierce
       bravery and fighting spirit of the respected animal; and
       
          WHEREAS, The Buffalo Soldiers' main charge was to protect settlers
       as they moved West and to support the westward expansion by building
       forts, roads, and other infrastructure, and mapping the wilderness as the
       American West was being developed; and
       
          WHEREAS, Buffalo Soldiers were stationed at Fort Lyon and Fort
       Garland, Colorado, where they assisted civil authorities in peace-keeping
       efforts and participated in many important military conflicts in Colorado's
       early history; and
       
          WHEREAS, Buffalo Soldiers fought bandits, escorted stage coaches
       and paymasters, and delivered mail longer than the Pony Express; and
       
          WHEREAS, Buffalo Soldiers were awarded 23 Medals of Honor and
       40 Certificates of Merit for their valor, endurance, and courage, and the
       African-American units had the lowest desertion rate in the Army; and
       
          WHEREAS, Due to the integral part Buffalo Soldiers have played in
       the history of Colorado and the United States, it is appropriate to honor
       their history and valor; and
       
          WHEREAS, The year 2016 marks the 150th anniversary of the
       establishment of these African-American regiments; now, therefore,
       
          Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventieth General Assembly of the
       State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:
       
          (1)  That the portion of United States Highway 24 from Mile Marker
       308 to Mile Marker 298, near Garden of the Gods, through the cities of
       Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs, Colorado, be renamed the
       "Buffalo Soldiers Memorial Highway";
       
          (2)  That the Colorado Department of Transportation may accept and
       expend gifts, grants, and donations for the purposes of the initial
       placement of signs to mark the designated portion of United States
       Highway 24 as the "Buffalo Soldiers Memorial Highway"; and
       
          (3)  That the Colorado Department of Transportation may explore a
       cooperative agreement with the Board of County Commissioners for El
       Paso county for the maintenance of the markings for the "Buffalo Soldiers
       Memorial Highway".
       
          Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to
       Governor John Hickenlooper; the Board of County Commissioners for El
       Paso county; the City Councils of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs;
       the Colorado Springs Buffalo Soldiers Community Memorial Committee;
       the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum; the public affairs offices for
       Peterson Air Force Base, Fort Carson, the Mountain Post Historical
       Center, 
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       and the United States Air Force Academy; the Executive Director of the
       Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado Transportation
       Commission, and each member of Colorado's congressional delegation.
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Bill L. Cadman               Dickey Lee Hullinghorst
       PRESIDENT OF                    SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
       THE SENATE                        OF REPRESENTATIVES
       
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Effie Ameen                           Marilyn Eddins
       SECRETARY OF                CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE
       THE SENATE                        OF REPRESENTATIVES