James Beckwourth was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, to a white slaveowner and an enslaved Black woman. As a teenager, he moved to St. Louis and joined the Rocky Mountain Fur Company as a skilled trapper and scout. In 1824, Beckwourth was adopted by the Crow Nation, who gave him the names “Bloody Arm” and “Bull’s Robe.” He married a Crow woman and rose to prominence as a war chief, participating in numerous battles. Beckwourth later became a guide for settlers heading west and discovered what became known as Beckwourth Pass, a critical route through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. His adventurous life helped shape the legend of the American frontier.
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