“Kit Carson, a Profile for Heroes”. This marker found in North Carolina seems to sum up Carson’s life story. Christopher Carson was born on December 24, 1809 in Madison County, Kentucky. Kentucky had long been an uncultivated wilderness area but by the time Christopher Carson arrived on the scene, his family had a clapboard house with more than one hearth and also a well to provide them with water. The Southeast wilderness area of Kentucky had provided an area for the adventures of Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone long before Christopher Carson’s arrival. This fertile frontier area seemed to be the perfect setting for telling stories, both true and fictional. Kit Carson fit this pattern with perfection. Throughout his life his adventures stimulated the imagination of American people.
Kit resided in the family cabin with his parents, Lindsey and Rebecca Carson and several siblings. His older brother, Moses, was a strong influence in his life. Moses taught Chris how to ride horse back. He also taught him how to shoot a rifle and a pistol as soon as he was big enough to hold the weapon steady. Rebecca Carson was adamant that all her children learn to read and write, therefore, Chris learned his letters and numbers by age three. It was reported, he could read passages from the Bible by age five. Although it has been stated by some that Chris was illiterate, this does not seem to be the case. It is true, he did not enjoy writing but in his adulthood, he had a library of over two hundred books.
In 1813, when Kit was five years old, his family moved across the Kentucky border and into Missouri. They settled deep into the wilderness of Howard County. Kit was a bright and precocious child. He picked up Osage and Missouri dialect from the tribesmen in the new area. He and his brothers took part in ‘Free for Alls’ and Pistol Shoots. Although Kit was small in stature, his tenacity was unequaled. He usually won every contest he entered. Kit’s father gave him his first horse when he was twelve years old and that same year, his father, Lindsey, was killed in a tree cutting accident. At age fifteen, Kit Carson was apprenticed to David Workman, a saddle maker. This job didn’t have much appeal to Kit and so at age sixteen in 1826, he joined a group heading West. Even at this young age, he was readily accepted into the group because of his skill with a rifle.
None of the group had ever traveled beyond Missouri. They were about to enhance their knowledge and frontiersmen skills more than they dreamed. One of the first things needed was food. Being an excellent hunter, Kit quickly killed a large buffalo. The trip took the group through Kansas and Colorado and finally they reached Santa Fe. It was here Carson discovered the lucrative fur trade. He met many people at this point and embarked on a life of adventure that would whet the appetites of many a man.
After arriving in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Carson was convinced he would become a fur trapper. Actually, he took whatever job was available. He was a marksman, a hunter, a cook, a teamster guard, an Indian fighter, an Army Officer, a scout on three different excursions headed by John Fremont, and he more than once, recovered stolen horses for various groups.
In his private life, which was sparse, he first married an Arapahoe squaw, Waa Nibe and they had a baby girl. They named her Adaline. Waa Nibe died of tuberculosis at age nineteen. He later married Maria Josefa Jaramillo and lived with her for many years until she died April 23, 1868 at their home in La Junta, Colorado.
In November of 1867, Kit Carson retired as an Army Brigadier General. A month before his retirement, he had an accident where he was thrown from a horse and tumbled down a cliff. He seemingly recovered, but on May 26, 1868 he had a heart attack and died two days later at the age of fifty-nine. He was buried at Fort Lyons, Colorado.
Kit Carson’s adventures were many and varied. He seemed to succeed at any task he undertook. He was fearless, forthright, even curious, but always guided by his common sense. He traveled the untamed Western United States always eager to meet any challenge.
If you find his life interesting, I highly recommend a book written by Noel B. Gerson entitled, Kit Carson: Folk Hero and Man.
Written by: Pat Holst and Darcy Mazel
Painted by: Kathy Barnes