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(1798-1866)
Ex-Slave and Early Pioneer Western Frontiersman
James Beckwourth was born into slavery in Virginia. At age 19 he became a blacksmith while living in Missouri. At age 24 he ran off to New Orleans and became a scout on an expedition for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. Beckwourth was known as a daredevil and knew how to bargain with the Native Americans. He was known for his fighting and hunting skills. Beckwourth married a Native American Crowtribe woman and was later asked to be their Chief.
Beckwourth traveled to Florida as a scout for the U.S. Army during the Seminole War. The Native Americans gave him many tribal names such as Medicine Calf, Bloody Arm, and Bull's Robe. Beckwourth's mind and body caused him to take on many different jobs including the operation of a trading post, a hotel, and as a trapper of furs and a prospector of gold during the "gold rush" years. Many stories and sometimes myths about this wandering early pioneer of the West have surfaced, but to most westerners the life and adventures of James "Jim" Beckwourth are all real. In 1850, James Beckwourth found a passageway through the Sierra Nevada mountain range near Reno Nevada which helped future settlers to reach California. That pass is called Beckwourth Pass.
Additional Resources
The Beckwourth Postage Stamp
Brief bio of James Beckwourth (with some mis-information) and an illustration of the Beckwourth postage stamp. Part of a site devoted to U.S. postage stamps featuring African Americans.
Living Large in the West: The Beckwourth Trail
Excellent article from Sunset Magazine about the Beckwourth Trail and the couple (Andrew and Joanne Hammond) who spent five years tracing and remapping its route. The parent site, www.over-land.com, contains a lot of other great information about western expansion.
Black American West Museum, Denver, Colorado.
The Beckwourth Trail
National Forest page describing the Beckwourth Trail and his ranch, with some biographical information.
The Beckwourth Trail
A great series of articles on the Beckwourth Trail from the Marysville
Arapooish
This is actually a commercial site for a Trading Post that sells items crafted by a couple of members of the Crow Nation, but the first page contains a wonderful oration by Arapooish (Rotten Belly), who was Chief of the Crow during Beckwourth's time with them. There are also some beautiful examples of Crow beadwork jewelry and clothing items (for sale).
Chief Plenty Coups
A biography of the Chief who led the Crow Nation during the transition years of the late 1800s.
The Sun Dance
A very scholarly article about the Sun Dance, a major religious ritual of many Plains Indian tribes. Informative, but very dry.
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