Chilcoot in Plumas County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Beckwourth Pass

Emigrant Trail

— Elevation 5221 —

Beckwourth Pass Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, May 30, 2012

1. Beckwourth Pass Marker

Inscription. Lowest pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains

Discovered in 1851 by
James P. Beckwourth

Dedicated to the discoverer and to the pioneers who passed along this trail by the Las Plumas Parlor No. 254 N.D.G.W. May 1937
No desert’s waste nor redskins bold could swerve them from this western stand, naught could their courage e’er dismay in onward trudging day by day.
A.W. Wern

Erected 1973 by Native Daughters of the Golden West, Las Pluma Parlor No. 254. (Marker Number 336.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Beckwourth Trail, the California Historical Landmarks, and the Native Sons/Daughters of the Golden West series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1851.

Location. 39° 47.499′ N, 120° 6.815′ W. Marker is in Chilcoot, California, in Plumas County. It can be reached from California Route 70. This marker is located on a dirt, side road just west of Beckwourth Summit on the south side of Highway 70. Beckwourth Summit is the boundary line for Plumas and Lassen counties. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office

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area: Chilcoot CA 96105, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s Shasta Cascade

and in the Sierra Nevada.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

in the Cascade Range,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 16 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Beckwourth Trail - Beckwourth Pass (approx. half a mile away); Beckwourth Trail - Long Valley (approx. 3½ miles away); Beckwourth Trail - Beckwourth Valley (approx. 5.2 miles away); Rancho Haven (approx. 9 miles away in Nevada); Loyalton (approx. 10.6 miles away); Beckwourth Trail - White Lake (approx. 13.9 miles away in Nevada); Beckwourth Trail - Peavine Springs (approx. 15½ miles away in Nevada); Historic Transportation From Honey Lake To Virginia City (approx. 15.6 miles away in Nevada).

More about this marker. Beckwourth Pass, at an elevation

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, May 30, 2012

2. Beckwourth Pass Marker

of 5,221 feet, the lowest pass in the Sierra Nevada, was discovered in 1851 by James P. Beckwourth. The monument is dedicated to the discoverer and to the pioneers who passed along this trail.
Source: California Office of Historic Preservation website.

Also see . . . The Beckwourth Trail - beckwourth.org. James Beckwourth discovered what is now known as Beckwourth Pass in the spring of 1850, and immediately set about establishing a trail to Marysville. He worked on the trail in the summer and fall of 1850 and the spring of 1851, and in the late summer of that year led the first wagon train of settlers along the trail into Marysville. (Submitted on June 16, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

Beckwourth Pass image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, May 30, 2012

3. Beckwourth Pass

Credits. This page was last revised on December 11, 2019. It was originally submitted on June 16, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,660 times since then and 73 times this year. Last updated on December 11, 2019, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 16, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.