Red Fox James

Why Red Fox James Rode 3,000 Miles for “Indian Day”

Red Fox James and his "famous Indian pony" during a return visit to Washington, D.C. in February 1915.

I’ve long believed Columbus Day should be replaced with American Indian Day. So when I stumbled upon the story of Red Fox James in a post by the White House Historical Association a few months back, I was hooked.

But before we get to Red Fox’s remarkable ride, a little context helps explain why his mission mattered.

The Birth of Columbus Day

Columbus Day began not as a centuries-old tradition but as a publicity event. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison—following a joint resolution of Congress—declared a one-time national holiday marking the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage. The timing wasn’t accidental: it helped promote Chicago’s upcoming World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893.

Nearly half a century later, in 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made Columbus Day an official federal holiday, thanks largely to lobbying from the Knights of Columbus and Italian-American organizations.

Enter Red Fox James

Between those two milestones rode a man on a white pony named Montana Tombstone.

In 1914, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot Indian from the Crow Reservation in Montana, set out on a 3,000-mile journey to Washington, D.C. His mission: to convince President Woodrow Wilson to proclaim October 12th as “Indian Day,” a national holiday honoring America’s first peoples—23 years before Columbus Day became official.

Following the newly built Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30), the first coast-to-coast road for automobiles, James stopped in towns along the way to give speeches, perform equestrian demonstrations, and celebrate Native culture. Local papers eagerly covered his progress.

When he passed through Bucyrus, Ohio, the Evening Telegraph described him in glowing terms on September 26, 1914:

“Red Fox James is a big man, over six feet tall, of stalwart frame and wears citizen’s clothes and a big sombrero… He is very much civilized, a graduate in forestry from the University of Montana, assistant secretary of the Y.M.C.A. at his home and is an excellent citizen.”

He stayed around Bucyrus for two weeks, meeting with Governor James Cox in Columbus and officials in Cleveland, while his pony rested at a nearby farm. The paper reported fondly when he left:

“Red Fox has made many friends here… His Bucyrus friends will wish him a safe journey to his goal and success in his mission.”

A Petition to the President

By December 17, 1914, after nine months on the road, James arrived at the White House. Introduced to President Wilson by Montana Senator Thomas J. Walsh, he presented a petition—endorsed by 24 state governors and numerous city mayors—urging the president to create a national “Indian Day.”

“The American Indian deserves the national consideration of the people of the United States,” James said.

Red Fox James performing an equestrian demonstration.

His timing wasn’t random. Wilson had made overtures to Native communities early in his presidency, even recording a phonograph message that was distributed to all 169 recognized reservations:

“The Great White Father now calls you his brothers, not his children,” Wilson proclaimed, acknowledging the “dark pages” in the history of white-Indian relations but claiming the government’s motives had been “wise, just and beneficent.”

Despite the hopeful tone, nothing came of Red Fox’s proposal. There’s no record that Wilson or his staff took any action. Still, a few states responded independently: New York began celebrating American Indian Day in 1916, and Illinois followed in 1919.

What Happened to Red Fox?

After his historic ride, James founded the first American Indian Boy Scout troop at the U.S. Indian School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and returned to Washington in 1915 to advocate for citizenship for Native Americans.

During World War I, he led a successful Red Cross fundraising drive, raising over $15,000—a major sum for the time.

In later years, his story became harder to trace. He published extensively in the American Indian Tepee, the journal of the Tepee Order, a youth organization he founded in 1914 that later evolved into a secretive, fraternal group tinged with mysticism—and, unfortunately, racism.

Born Francis Fox James to a Welsh father and a mother believed to be Blackfoot, he later adopted the name Red Fox Skiuhushu James and accumulated many titles—Reverend St. James, Rev. Dr. Barnabas, Ph.D., Arch-Herio Monk—as myth and man merged into legend.

A Forgotten Vision

Regardless of how you view his complicated legacy, Red Fox James’s 3,000-mile ride deserves to be remembered. His quest for a national day honoring Native Americans was visionary—and tragically overlooked.

More than a century later, some states have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day or Native American Day, yet the U.S. still lacks a federally recognized holiday to honor its first inhabitants.

Perhaps one day, Red Fox’s dream will finally ride again.