Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-12-13
Jim Becwourth Was Champion Liar of Treasure State Cent
Ago. Also Indian Fighter Real Hobby Was Collecting Wve

Jim Beckwourth was one Of the
enigmatic characters Of early trapping
DAYS in the Rockies He gained the
reputation without any superfluous
effort Of being the biggest liar of them
all, but that did not prevent him gain
ing fame as a hardy and resourceful
trapper. scout and Indian fighter. In
the biography which he dictated 10
T. D. Bonner he claimed to be the
son Of a Virginia major of the Rev
olutionary war, yet it is credibly es-
tablished that he was the son Of an
Irish Marylander and a colored
woman. hence a mulatto. Inside the
facts of his parentage and birth, given
by him as 1893, we viii advance the
story of his life to 1928, when he
Joined General Ashley's fur hunting
expedition from ST. Louis to the
Rockies. One must not omit, however,
his tender parting with Eliza, his st.
Louis sweetheart. He has just told her
that he is leaving her for the sole
purpose of obtaining money to enable
them to make a fair start IN life.
81 care not for money James" she
said, bursting into flood of tears.
81 left her." his biography recites, |
promising TO make speedy return
and that we would part no more till
death should separate us" We viii see
how he kept the promise.
Met Edward Rose
On the voyage up the Missouri and |
the Yellowstone, Beckwourth became !
acquainted with Edward Rose, a guide |
and trapper who had long lived with |
the Crow Indians and was one OF /
their six sub-chiefs. He is mentioned |
Inv washington Irving in Astoria, but |
very uniustly dealt with. 1t was I'M
dotibtedIy Rose who brought the Crows
into friendly relations with the United
states. a policy from which they never
wholly departed. The Crows were the
only Indians, except probably the
Utes. who positively banned whisky
from their territory, which was IN the
wind river country, and covered an
area equal to that Of Illinois. They
were exceedingly warlike, but lived at
neaee with all other tribes except the
siop1x and Blackfeet, with which they
carried a relentless and incessant war.
ONLY occasionally did they war with
other tribes, and then on a mutual
over horses. All indian
tribes stole horses and the Crows were
the cleverest horse thieves
extant. It was war measure ana
not a matter of morals, just as we
capture cannon and other
to weaken an enemy.
The Crows name for themselves was
meaning "the Sparrow
Hawk People" It is generally written
AhsaroJca. In the time of Rose and
they were as a nation ae-
counted rich, with q finely organized
social system and an exceedingly Ca
oable mobile army.
As Trader with the Blackfeet
Poses talk about his life among the
crows fired the imagination of Beck
Uo,lrth. He, too, would become an In
Han chief. and he did, after Roses
Ieath. or departure, for it is not def
nitelv known what was his fate.
Whatever it was, Beckwourth felt him !
elf safe in taking credit for num-
,er of daring feats that Rose Is known
n have performed. At the same time
Ne had enough daring feats on ms
,wn score to fill q book.
After a series Of adventures, IN !
which Jim Brlu8Srs AuouASS EA11P"t I
lex. Robert Campbell and other wei :
-nown members of the party figured,
3eckwourth saved Ashley from drown
ne in the Colorado river. Sublette, !
jackson and Jedediah Smith bought
nut Ashley, who had made his pile /,
nd returned to st. Louis to re-enter {
,olitics. Then says Beckwourth:
"SubIette proposed to establish q Q
,ost among the Blackfeet If any Of
he men were willing to risk their '
calps in attending it. offered to go,
although I was well aware the tribe I
new that I had contributed to the 1
destruction of a number Of their
raves: but, to the Indian, the greater 9
he brave the higher their respect for J
i'm. even though an enemy" With 9
MY two men as aides he established I
ne trading post, and soon rose to 9
e q great man among them" so much
0 that the chief offered his daughter 4
or a wife. He accepted the offer, al
hough "the alliance was more often q
i've than defensive, as thrift was my $