Black Beaver | |
|---|---|
| Se-ket-tu-may-qua | |
 | |
| Lenape leader | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1806 Indiana Territory (near present-day Belleville, Illinois) |
| Died | 1880 Anadarko, Indian Territory |
| Resting place | Fort Sill, Oklahoma |
| Spouse | Seven wives |
| Children | Four daughters, two sons |
| Education | tribal |
| Known for | Establishing the California and Chisholm trails; rancher and wealthiest Lenape in America |
Black Beaver or Se-ket-tu-may-qua[1] (c. 1806–1880, Lenape, or Delaware) was a trapper and interpreter who worked for the American Fur Company. He served as a scout and guide as he was fluent in English, as well as several European and Native American languages. He is credited with establishing the California and Chisholm trails.
After working as a scout, he settled among his people in the village of Beaverstown in Indian Territory, where they had been relocated in the 1830s.[2]
At the beginning of the American Civil War, he guided hundreds of Union troops and their long wagon train from Fort Arbuckle in Indian Territory to Kansas, to escape much larger Confederate forces. They had to travel more than 500 miles through Indian Territory to reach safety. None of the party or their animals or wagons was lost. Confederates destroyed Black Beaver's ranch, but after the war, he eventually resettled in Indian Territory. He became a wealthy rancher in present-day Anadarko, Oklahoma.[2] His former ranch site has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- ^ "MANAHATTA by Mary Kathryn Nagle, directed by Laurie Woolery. Yale Repertory Theatre". issuu. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
- ^ a b May, Jon D. "Black Beaver (1806—1880)." Archived 2011-07-03 at the Wayback Machine Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. (retrieved 19 July 2011)