Stephen Dow Beckham

Stephen Dow Beckham is an American historian known for his work with Native Americans and the American West, especially the Pacific Northwest and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He has authored many works, and is a Professor Emeritus of History at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

Beckham was born August 31, 1941, in Marshfield (Coos Bay), Oregon, the son of Ernest Dow Beckham and Anna Marie (Adamson) Beckham.^[1] Like his son, Ernest had a lifelong interest in history and wrote several books in his retirement, including Stars in the Dark: Coal Mines of Southwest Oregon. He has two younger brothers, Mark Ernest Beckham (1954-2000) and David Blake Beckham. Anna Marie passed away in 2001 and Ernest Dow Beckham passed away in 2005.^[2]

Beckham earned his bachelor's degree in history and biology at the University of Oregon in 1964. He earned a master's degree and PhD in history/anthropology at University of California, Los Angeles in 1966 and 1969, respectively. His M.A. thesis was published in 1971 as Requiem for a People: The Rogue Indians and the Frontiersmen.^[3] From 1969 until 1977, he taught at Linfield University in McMinville, Oregon. From 1977 to 2012, he taught at Lewis & Clark College.^[4]

Beckham is also a leading authority on Indian law. He has been called as an expert witness in many land-use issues, including reservations, casinos, and fishing rights.^[5] His research has been used to determine tribal status, riparian rights, and boundary lines. By the time that he retired from full-time teaching, he had testified in more than 30 cases and continued to do so after that.^[6] He was also the lead instructor for the Indian Law Summer Program at Lewis & Clark Law School.

Additionally, Beckham has helped to develop many museums and exhibits both in the Pacific Northwest and around the world. Some of his projects include The Literature of the Lewis and Clark Expedition touring exhibit, the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in The Dalles, the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City, The High Desert Museum in Bend, and Oregon, My Oregon at the Oregon Historical Society. Most recently, he has served as one of the trustees of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.^[7]