James Beckwourth was born around 1800, the son of a white Virginia aristocrat and a mixed-race enslaved woman.
Beckwourth served as an apprentice blacksmith as a young man. In 1822, his father manumitted him so that he could travel west and work in the fur trade.
According to Beckwourth in his memoir, he was captured by the Crow Indians who believed him to be the lost son of a Crow chief. Beckworth spent many years living with the Crow Indians and was named an honorary chief.
In the mid-1930s he worked as a fur trader for the American Fur Company. Thereafter, he worked various jobs in the military -- first in Florida and then again in the west.
He is known for blazing the Beckwourth Trail--the easier trail used by those headed to California during the Gold Rush.
Beckwourth spent the last years of his life with the Crow Indians. He died in 1866.
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Mixed Experience History Month is the annual blog post series created by writer Heidi Durrow celebrating the history of the Mixed experience. Established in 2007, Mixed Experience History Month is an effort to show that there is a long history of achievements of those involved in the Mixed experience. Please look for more profiles of people, places and events of the Mixed experience every weekday of May at Lightskinned-ed Girl, the blog! Thanks for reading. And check out some of the previous year's profiles: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.
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