James Beckwourth
His journey to being one of the first African-American explorers and frontiersmen of the West and eventually a Crow Nation chief began in 1805 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Beckwourth first began many fur-trapping expeditions to the Rocky Mountains. Working as a fur trapper was a tedious task, and what made Beckwourth’s journey more dangerous was the fact that it was winter, meaning he had to deal with the freezing temperature, coupled with fears of attacks from wild animals and Native Americans, as well as, frequent hunger. Beckwourth sailed on despite these threats and would end up being close with the Native Americans of the Crow Nation. According to accounts, Beckwourth was the only African American who recorded his life story, and his adventures took him from the
