In 1880, the 25th Infantry, one of four U.S. Army regiments of African Americans, was headquartered at Fort Randall, where members of the regimental headquarters staff, regimental band, and three companies remained for nearly three years. Native Americans called the African-American troops buffalo soldiers because their curly dark hair and fighting spirit reminded them of the buffalo, an animal they considered sacred. The troops took the name as a compliment and adopted the buffalo for their regimental crests. A Yankton newsman praised the 25th Infantry as good-looking, strong, martial soldiers and said that most of them would make Dakota their home after being discharged.