Fort Ethan Allen

So I had heard that the apartments we lived in were really old and had something to do with the Army, so I decided to investigate this a little bit and found some pretty amazing stuff. You are going to have excuse my incredibly lacking knowledge of "army" stuff. I dont know what a Cavalry is and all that seperates different branches of the military.

First of all, Ethan Allen was a hero up in this area during the revolutionary war era. So that is why my apartments bear his name. But where I live used to house the Non-Commissioned Officers Quarters, they were built in 1893! (if i could capitalize numbers, those would have been!) They have obviously been renovated a lot, but I cannot believe the history I am so lucky to be living in! The cavalry (i think that is what it was) that lived here was called the "Buffalo Soldiers", a name given to them by Native Americans because on their horses they thought they looked like Buffalo. These were Black soldiers that fought in the pre-revolutionary and revolutionary war eras.

Have you ever seen the movie The Patriot? There is a part at the final battle scene where the black soldier is standing next to the man who used to be very racist. The former racist man, who used to say mean things to black man whom he fought with said: "I am honored to be fighting next to you. Honored."
That part always makes me cry. These black men who werent treated well, believed in this country so much that they fought for its freedom. Even though they wouldn't have as many rights as the white men. I have always been so taken back by their courage, and now I am literally walking where they walked and sleeping where they slept. I feel like I am in one of the most incredible places this country has known.

I love Utah. I love the red mountains. My 4th great grandfather was the first man to step foot in the Salt Lake Valley! My history is there. And I miss our friends so so so SO SO much!! But I feel so priveleged to have this opportunity to live somewhere with this much history. I have always LOVED history, but even more American History. This country's history is truly amazing and I always feel the spirit so powerfully when I talk about it, because I know it is the chosen land.

I'm sorry this post was kinda just me on a soapbox, I just had to express how honored I feel that I get to live somewhere that housed such brave men.

Here are some then and now pictures of our apartments: