(1809–68). The life of U.S. frontiersman Kit Carson was filled with adventure. He helped make history as a fur trapper, guide, Indian agent, and soldier in the early days of exploration of the West. Nevada's capital, Carson City, was named in his honor.

Early life

Christopher Carson was born in a cabin in Madison County, Kentucky, on December 24, 1809. He was nicknamed Kit. When Kit was 1 year old his family moved west to Missouri. His father died when he was 9.

As a boy Kit learned to hunt, fish, and trap animals. When he was 15, his mother sent him to a nearby town to learn the trade of saddle making. Kit soon decided that he did not like working indoors and staying in one place. In the summer of 1826 he ran away, and by winter he was in New Mexico. There he found work tending horses and mules.

Mountain man

In Taos, New Mexico, Carson met a group of hardy fur trappers. They were called mountain men. Carson was only 19 when he joined them on a trip to California. But he soon showed that he had wilderness skills and a fighting spirit. Carson and the rest of the mountain men often battled Native Americans they encountered during their travels.

Guide and soldier

In 1842 Carson met the explorer John Charles Frémont. The government had hired Frémont to map the Oregon Trail. Carson joined Frémont's expedition as a guide. They worked together mapping the Western wilderness. Frémont wrote a report about the expedition that made Carson famous.

In 1845 Carson guided Frémont and his men on an expedition to California, which then belonged to Mexico. By the time they reached California they found out that the United States and Mexico were at war. In 1846 Carson fought with the U.S. forces who took Los Angeles from the Mexicans. Later he served under General Stephen W. Kearny. (See also Mexican War.)

Indian agent and Indian fighter

After the war Carson settled down as a farmer and rancher in New Mexico. In 1854 he was appointed as an Indian agent. In that job he represented the U.S. government in its dealings with the Ute people.

After the American Civil War broke out in 1861, Carson joined the Union Army. He organized and commanded a force that fought in the Southwest. Carson battled both Confederates and Native Americans. He left the Army in 1867 because of poor health.

In 1868 Carson was named superintendent of Indian affairs for Colorado Territory. He held that post when he died at Fort Lyon, Colorado, on May 23, 1868.