After Congress established Sequoia National Park in 1890 and before the National Park Service existed in 1916, the U.S. Cavalry protected Sequoia and other national parks. Every summer from 1891 to 1913, mounted troops rode almost 300 miles from the San Francisco Presidio to guard the parks and assist visitors despite having little instruction or funding. They curtailed serious damage to sensitive alpine meadows by limiting poaching and driving out illegally grazed sheep, and they also built roads and trails to improve access for the public. The Parker Group of sequoias takes its name from Captain James Parker, who in 1893 served as the second military superintendent of Sequoia National Park and commanded Troop B of the 4th Cavalry, whose troops stayed for several summers at nearby Soldiers Camp.