Beckwourth Trail
"The War Horse Ranch was the first the emigrant met in reaching the Golden State, and money or no money, it was open to all who passed."
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- The Beckwourth Trail originated from The California Trail, a system of wagon roads and pack trails used by the emigrants of 1841 and later as they forged their way to California. The Beckwourth Trail was part of that system. Discovered around 1850 by James Pierson Beckwith, a mountain man, explorer, trader, guide, scout, interpreter and war chief of the Crow Indians and former slave, the trail branched off the main California road at Truckee Meadows (now Sparks and Reno) and ended at Bidwell's Bar, a mining camp now under the waters of Lake Oroville.
- Beckwith was said to have discovered this pass while searching for a "Gold Lake" rumored to be located in the northern part of the state. Hoping to gain recognition and a good wagon road into some of the richest mining areas in the state, Beckwith set out to raise funds to build a road through the pass to American Valley (now the site of Quincy). The year was 1954 and Beckwith had changed the spelling of his name to Beckwourth, says Thomas D. Bonner, who Beckwourth shared the story of his life with.
- With the help of the Marysville mayor, wagons began traveling Beckwourth's road in 1851. Though promised money by the mayor for his discovery and fundraising, Beckwourth never received any of that money.
- In 1852, Beckwourth established his "War Horse Ranch" in the Sierra Valley where he operated a trading post. By 1855, traffic on Beckwourth's road began to decline as a result of other roads being developed and an acquired reputation of having poisonous plants to stock. In the 1860's, Beckwourth left his ranch and returned to Montana and the Crow Indians. He died there and was buried in an unmarked grave.
- Today, you can follow portions of Beckwourth's wagon road by car and on foot, thanks to the mapping of the route by the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA) and the marking of the trail by Trails West, Inc. with markers set up every two miles. A detailed guide to the trail can be found in the book Following the Beckwourth Trail available at the Plumas County Museum.
Preservation:
- Please do your part in helping to preserve the beauty and delicate ecological balance of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Beckwourth Trail through the Plumas National Forest is protected by the Archaeological Resources Protection Act and other federal laws. Removal of artifacts or damaging the trail and its features is against the law. If you discover any historical or archaeological sites or artifacts along the trail, please leave them alone and report your finding to the Forest Archaeological on the Plumas National Forest.
For more information:
Plumas Corporation
P.O. Box 3880
91 Church Street
Quincy, CA 95971
(800) 326-2247
Oregon-California Trails Association
P.O. Box 1019
524 Osage Street
Independence, MO 64051
Plumas National Forest
P.O. Box 11500
1159 Lawrence Street
Quincy, CA 95971
(916) 283-2050
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tourism@pinsight.com. Last Updated November 11, 1995