Vincent Singleton did a lot in four years at Knox College — majored in psychology, played three sports, studied abroad, drew cartoons for the campus newspaper, worked an internship in law enforcement, led a student club, and got his start in filmmaking.

Horses were not among his curriculars, not even his extra-curriculars.

Yet not long after graduation from Knox in 2003, Singleton found himself in charge of not only a team of horses, but a team of people who'd never ridden horses before, and, because he was making a film, it all had to look real.

Working on his master's degree in cinema at Columbia College in Chicago, Singleton had decided to make a short film about one of the Buffalo Soldiers — black regiments, primarily Civil War veterans, who fought in the Indian Wars in the American West from the 1860s through the 1880s.

Singleton's film, "The Forgotten West," premiered in February in Kankakee.

"I grew up around black cowboys who worked for ranches and rodeos, and I always wondered why the contribution of the black cowboy wasn't more well-known," said Singleton, who hails from Pembroke. It's a predominantly black community near Kankakee that is also home to Latting Rodeo Productions, which helped in the production and bills itself as "one of the few African American rodeo production companies."

"I was doing some research on black cowboys in the West and stumbled across the story of the Buffalo Soldiers. It just felt like the right story to tell."

"When I started writing the script," Singleton recalled, "people said things like, 'Come on, Vince, a Western?' or 'Where are you going to get horses?'. But the story was one that I needed to tell, and I knew that I had the means and passion to tell it."

"The Forgotten West" is a 15-minute drama about a fictional Buffalo Soldier officer who must weigh pride against duty when a bigoted local official's daughter is kidnapped.

Singleton shot the film last fall with a crew of about 25, in addition to several local residents from Hopkins Park, Wilmington, Kankakee, and St. Anne.

"Some were professional actors and some were just starting out," he said. "The three actors cast as Buffalo Soldiers had never ridden horses before, and the actor playing a mail driver had never manned a horse team and wagon. But then again I'm not sure many people have."

Latting Rodeo provided most of the horses and training, Singleton said. "Thanks to them, we were able to whip the cast into believable riders." Singleton also worked with a historical consultant from the Ninth Memorial Cavalry, a non-profit organization in Arizona that presents re-enactments and  educational programs on the Buffalo Soldiers.

"Black soldiers, segregated into all-black units, made up 25-percent of the troops that fought in the Indian Wars," Singleton said. "They fought battles and tracked outlaws from Kansas to Mexico. I wanted to show what these men went through in their attempts to be seen as soldiers and as men. It was really interesting and disturbing, and I wanted their experiences and efforts to be known."

At Knox, Singleton made videos with fellow students John Dick and Joe Mohan. One was an action short; the other was an hour-long documentary on social dynamics, called "What We're Not Doing." He also created a documentary on homelessness in Barcelona, Spain, where he was studying on Knox's off-campus program.

"Knox was where I learned that my passion was filmmaking," he said. "The freedom that I felt to explore all of my interests in a supportive environment was crucial to preparing me for the challenges I've faced so far in my filmmaking and other freelance work."

Helping finance the film were the Albert P. Weisman Memorial Scholarship and a Production Fund Grant, both from Columbia College. The film's producer was Singleton's mother, Dr. Genova Singleton. The executive producers were Mike Braun, George Matkov and James Potter. Matkov and Potter are both Knox College Trustees.

Singleton hopes to work in the commercial industry in Chicago and continue to make films.

"I wanted to test myself. 'The Forgotten West' was a big project and I thought I could do it but I wanted to be sure. Now, I feel that I am ready to continue to purse my ambitions with even larger projects."

Director Vincent Singleton (center) confers with an actor (left) and cinematographer Jerry Tran.

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Three actors in "The Forgotten West"

Singleton (second from right) with actor and camera crew

Photos by William Bruce Denhart