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Imagine walking into a trading post in the 1860s, grabbing a stool, your drink, and settling in to hear the old bartender tell some you some tales. You might hear things like...
“I once had this boss and I made him angry by missing my curfew. He was so angry that he threw a hammer at me. I threw it back and we fought. I won so he called the police. That's when I knew it was time to leave town.”
“I was in New Orleans during the yellow fever epidemic. People all around me were dying but not me. Since I made it through, I left.”
“When I was trapping for General Ashley along the Colorado River, I found myself surrounded by a group of Indians. I gave them everything I owned and begged for mercy. They took me back to their village, declared me a long lost son, and welcomed me home. I stayed for the next ten years”
“There was this time I once brought an entire wagon train of 17 wagons through my own short cut through the Sierra Mountains. They named that shortcut after me, too.”
“Yeah, I was a messenger during the Seminole War, the Spanish American War, and even carried mail along California's mission trail. I don't think there's anywhere in the Great West that I haven't been.”
“I once had this boss and I made him angry by missing my curfew. He was so angry that he threw a hammer at me. I threw it back and we fought. I won so he called the police. That's when I knew it was time to leave town.”
“I was in New Orleans during the yellow fever epidemic. People all around me were dying but not me. Since I made it through, I left.”
“When I was trapping for General Ashley along the Colorado River, I found myself surrounded by a group of Indians. I gave them everything I owned and begged for mercy. They took me back to their village, declared me a long lost son, and welcomed me home. I stayed for the next ten years”
“There was this time I once brought an entire wagon train of 17 wagons through my own short cut through the Sierra Mountains. They named that shortcut after me, too.”
“Yeah, I was a messenger during the Seminole War, the Spanish American War, and even carried mail along California's mission trail. I don't think there's anywhere in the Great West that I haven't been.”
Although entertaining, there's that moment of wonder. Is this another tall tale of the West? A good story always starts with a backbone of facts but a good storyteller knows how to find the balance between truth and elaboration. The elaboration builds on top of itself as more exaggeration is sprinkled in. It's much those TV infomercials with the “but wait there's more” segment. However, when the story is so good, the listener just sits back to enjoy the ride.
If the storyteller was Jim Beckwourth, as it often was, amazingly those stories would be true. Beckwourth lived adventures only imagined to the rest of us. If something important was happening in the West in the 1800s, there's a good chance Jim Beckwourth was there. He was never in one place for long as his desire to wander and be part of the action always sent him onto a new path. Lucky for us, he met a biographer who captured his stories in a book. As historian William Connolley writes, “Few men equaled James P. Beckwourth, and he lived in the age of great men. The West owes him a debt it would be hard to pay for leaving such a record of his adventures on the plains and the mountains.”
If the storyteller was Jim Beckwourth, as it often was, amazingly those stories would be true. Beckwourth lived adventures only imagined to the rest of us. If something important was happening in the West in the 1800s, there's a good chance Jim Beckwourth was there. He was never in one place for long as his desire to wander and be part of the action always sent him onto a new path. Lucky for us, he met a biographer who captured his stories in a book. As historian William Connolley writes, “Few men equaled James P. Beckwourth, and he lived in the age of great men. The West owes him a debt it would be hard to pay for leaving such a record of his adventures on the plains and the mountains.”
James (Jim) Beckwourth was born to a black slave mother and white father in 1800. His father, a former solider in the American Revolution, moved his family from a large plantation in Virginia to the wild outpost of St. Louis in the early 1800s. Despite the times, Jim was always considered an equal in his family. But since this was the era of slavery, his father actually owned him. His father went to court three times to declare his son a free man. |
Beckwouth left St. Louis at nineteen. After a brief time in New Orleans (during that scarlett fever epidemic), he became a well know fur trapper in the Colorado mountains in 1823 working for General William Ashley. Fur trapping involved carrying everything you needed on your back and setting metal chain traps in the wilderness for to catch beavers. The furs from the animals would be sold back to the company or traded at outposts for necessary goods. Daily life involved roaming from place to place, protecting your finds, searching for food and water, and navigating raids or fights often leading to death.
The West of the 1800s was a ruthless time period in history. As the settlers were establishing position in the new land, the natives were fighting to preserve their way of life. Being a warrior was the way of the world as well as seeking revenge for any crimes committed against your people. Jim Beckwourth witnessed numerous massacres and participated in many battles in his life time. He was known as a skilled fighter. Unlike many of his peers, Beckwourth was a lucky man and survived his life in the wilderness. After surrendering to the Crows in 1826, he joined their tribe, was given a wife and new name, lived with them for over ten years, and even became a chief. Later in life, he presented himself to the Cheyenne admitting that he had killed many of their tribe, and they welcomed him in for his bravery.
Jim Beckwourth wasn't white. He wasn't black. He's wasn't native. And yet, he could blend into all these cultures, speak many languages (including Spanish and French), and become an insider. He would use this skill for his entire life as a scout, messenger, or guide. Beckwourth was well liked by all who met him. The only place he didn't seem to belong was the world he was from. Each time he returned to his home in St. Louis, he wouldn't last. Being a true pioneer, he would try things out and then move on. He joined and left the Crow clan a few times. He went south to be part of the Seminole wars in Florida. After that, Beckwourth went to trading posts in Santa Fe and Colorado. After that, it was to Los Angeles fighting with the Californios. He even headed to the hills during the gold rush. After deciding his 50 year old self was too old to be a gold miner, he opened another trading post in Sonora.
Jim Beckwourth wasn't white. He wasn't black. He's wasn't native. And yet, he could blend into all these cultures, speak many languages (including Spanish and French), and become an insider. He would use this skill for his entire life as a scout, messenger, or guide. Beckwourth was well liked by all who met him. The only place he didn't seem to belong was the world he was from. Each time he returned to his home in St. Louis, he wouldn't last. Being a true pioneer, he would try things out and then move on. He joined and left the Crow clan a few times. He went south to be part of the Seminole wars in Florida. After that, Beckwourth went to trading posts in Santa Fe and Colorado. After that, it was to Los Angeles fighting with the Californios. He even headed to the hills during the gold rush. After deciding his 50 year old self was too old to be a gold miner, he opened another trading post in Sonora.
Bored with that location, he moved on and started wandering through the Sierras. There he discovered a lower path that now bears his name. Realizing that he was on to something, he stayed in California and opened another post called War Horse Ranch in Northern California. Travelers could replenish supplies, get information, and share tales. Lucky for Beckwourth, a man named Thomas D. Bonner walked in and started gathering Beckwourth's stories for a published book.
Books were just becoming a popular item as many people were learning to read. But it was also a world of stories. What else would you do after a long days of work? Sit around the campfire and tell stories, of course. Exaggeration makes the tale more interesting and Jim Beckwourth was a master storyteller. He could entertain a crowd but many people did not believe he was telling the truth. In fact, he earned the nickname the “gaudy liar”. There's a fun story that a group of miners wanting to read Beckwourth's book, bought a copy of the Bible by accident. While reading it around the fire one night, one man cried out,"That'll do! I'd know that story for one of Jim's lies anywhere!"
Beckwourth returned to the new city of Denver, sharing his tales at the store he ran, and enjoying his status as a celebrity. His biography was popular even if not always believed. Harper's Magazine had reprinted parts in 1856. Never living a dull life, he was arrested in 1863 for killing a burglar. He was acquitted to much joy in the local media. He used his knowledge to become an advocate of Native American affairs in the growing city of Denver. It is said that he remembered the generosity and respect the tribes gave him and was disturbed how that wasn't being reciprocated by the whites as more and more hunting lands disappeared to development.
The changing and clashing of communities closed in on Beckwourth in his old age. In his youth, he was able to blend between all the different cultures using his intelligence, code of ethics, and fighting skills. But the times changed. Where stealing horses was a way of life at one point, it became an arrestable offense. Sadly in 1864, everything crashed together. The Sand Creek Massacre had his friends fighting his friends with Jim stuck in the middle. In February 1867, Jim Beckwourth passed away but it is not clear how. It seems appropriate that the master storyteller should have many stories about how he actually died.
For such a larger than life guy, why don't we hear much about James Beckworth? Although a celebrity during his life, he was completely written off by the historians of the 1900s. He gets some mention in the current history books but it is brief and lacking all the excitement of his tales. Was it because he considered a “liar”? Was his biography enhanced by its author to promote more sales? Was it because of his mixed race heritage?
Thankfully, Beckwourth does have his fans and his biography is has been proven to be accurate. As the writers on Beckwourth's biography site state, “Truth is often something much bigger than merely the accuracy of details. And to discover the truth of what life was like for the fur trappers of the 1820's, the Crow Indians of the 1830's, the pioneers of the Southwest in the 1840's, or the gold miners of California in the 1850's, you can find no better source than the life of Jim Beckwourth.”
Thankfully, Beckwourth does have his fans and his biography is has been proven to be accurate. As the writers on Beckwourth's biography site state, “Truth is often something much bigger than merely the accuracy of details. And to discover the truth of what life was like for the fur trappers of the 1820's, the Crow Indians of the 1830's, the pioneers of the Southwest in the 1840's, or the gold miners of California in the 1850's, you can find no better source than the life of Jim Beckwourth.”
For those who want to know more about Beckworth, his actual biography is still in print and has been digitized and can be read on line. Many authors have retold his story with factual support. Two popular versions are written by Elinor Wilson and Jack Ravage. The young adult version is written by Ann S. Manheimer. Colorado's history museum has many resources on Beckwourth, including an autobiographical video. There isn't much of Beckwourth's history left but a cabin attributed to him still exists.