James Beckwourth

James Beckwourth
James P. Beckwourth, in Denver, Kansas Territory, circa 1860
Born	James Beckwith April 26, 1798 or 1800 Frederick County, Virginia
Died	October 29, 1866 or 1867 (aged 67-69) Denver, Colorado Territory, present-day Denver, Colorado
Cause of death	severe headaches and unstoppable nosebleeds, possibly caused by a severe case of hypertension or possible poisoning
Nationality	American
Other names	Jim Beckwourth, James Pierson Beckwourth, James Beckwith, Black Chief of the Crow, Medicine Calf
Occupation	blacksmith, frontiersman, trapper, fur trader, explorer, wrangler, soldier, courier, wagon master, gambler, rancher, hotel keeper, trader, store keeper, rancher, author, scout
Employer	Rocky Mountain Fur Company, American Fur Company, Bent, St. Vrain, & Company, U.S. Government, self employed
Known for	Being one of the few, African-American mountain men, on the American Western Frontier
Spouse(s)	two Native Americans wives, a Hispanic wife, and an African American wife
Children	4

James Pierson Beckwourth, born James Beckwith and generally known as, Jim Beckwourth (April 26, 1798 or 1800 Frederick County, Virginia – October 29, 1866 or 1867, Denver, Colorado Territory) was an American mountain man, fur trader, and explorer. A mulatto born into slavery in Virginia, he was freed by his father (and master) and apprenticed to a blacksmith; later he moved to the American West. As a fur trapper, he lived with the Crow Nation for years. He is credited with the discovery of Beckwourth Pass, through the Sierra Nevada (U.S.) Mountains, between present-day Reno, Nevada, and Portola, California, during the California Gold Rush years, and improved the Beckwourth Trail, which thousands of settlers followed to central California.

He narrated his life story to Thomas D. Bonner, an itinerant justice of the peace. The book was published in New York City and London in 1856 as The Life and Adventures of James P. Beckwourth: Mountaineer, Scout and Pioneer, and Chief of the Crow Nation of Indians. A translation was published in France in 1860.

Early historians of the Old West originally considered the book little more than campfire lore. It has since been reassessed as a valuable source of social history, especially for life among the Crow, although not all its details are reliable or accurate. The civil rights movement of the 1960s celebrated Beckwourth as an early African-American pioneer. He has since been featured as a role model in children's literature and textbooks.