Kit Carson Essay Example

later he would join another trapping expedition to the center of the Rocky Mountains. (Historical) During this time Carson realized his passion and spent several years roaming the unexplored territory of the west. During this time Carson would also marry twice.

The first marriage ending when his wife passed away from illness and his second marriage ended in divorce. (Sanford & Green) He would marry Josefa Jaramillo in Taos Arizona in 1843; who passed away from illness ten days after giving birth to their fourth daughter. (Sanford & Green) Carson had gained valuable experience with exploring the West and had gained some notoriety as a skilled and brave mountain man through his travels. One of the more famous stories was of a duel that took place between Carson and another man because Carson’s first wife, Singing Grass, had chosen Carson over another suitor.

Joseph Chouinard who was known as the “Bully of the Mountains. ”, and he was to duel Kit Carson. (Sides) The duel took place at a mountain man rendezvous that was held annually at a different location. (Sides) The irony of the duel that gained Carson so much respect was that Carson luckily escaped a bullet that would have killed him and merely shot Chouinard’s thumb off. There are various legends about what actually happened to Chouinard, but the story gained Carson much fame and respect among mountain men.

The incident at the mountain man rendezvous and several other tales quickly gained Carson popularity. He was approached by John C. Fremont in 1942; the man who Fremont, Ohio is named after, to be a guide for the Army to

survey a path to Oregon along the Oregon Trail. (Sides) Fremont was linked to politics through his wife and was given the assignment of exploring the West. (Sides) This expedition would be critical in providing a more accurate map for settlers moving west. They would successful complete the journey with twenty-five men in five months.

Fremont was able to document the trail that Carson helped him and his team navigate and have it published as a guide for people to use when travelling west. (Sides) This new guide would increase westward expansion as several settlers began traveling the route via wagon trains. The first expedition of Carson and Fremont took settlers from Missouri to the South Pass. (Sides) The success of the two men’s first mission prompted a call for a second mission. One year later Fremont and Carson set out again this time to map the latter part of the Oregon Trail from the South Pass to the Columbia River.

During their second expedition Carson and Fremont made several significant geographical discoveries; among the most important was debunking the myth that the rivers, streams and the Great Salt Lake were connected to the Pacific Ocean somehow. (Sides) The journey proved to be much more difficult that the first as the weather and the terrain posed problems for the group. The men were starving and forced to eat their mules facing a certain death stuck in the mountains in the middle of winter.

Kit Carson kept the group moving however and they completed the first trek ever made over the Sierra Nevada during the winter. (Sides) The mission finally completed in 1944

was almost a year late but the details that Fremont provided in his reports were reprinted thousands of times. (Sides) These important details of the expedition paved the way for many explorers to follow and had it not been for Kit Carson they entire group would have perished in the winter cold of the Rocky Mountains. Following Carson’s many expeditions he became somewhat of a national super hero.

Stories and legends circulated that this short rugged mountain man who was capable of superhuman feats. (“New Perspectives on the West”) Kit Carson was illiterate but ironically he was able to communicate with several Indian tribes in their own language. He was fair with the Indians when he encountered them but tough enough to take to battle with them if required. (Historical) The respect he had with the Native Americans led the government to name Kit Carson as an Indian agent in 1854 with the duty of coordinating the distribution of supplies to various tribes in the Arizona area.

The government did not make his job easy as the supplies sometimes didn’t come and to keep the tribes from raiding whites he would sometimes use his own money to buy the tribe food and supplies. (Sanford & Green) Kit Carson was critical to the expansion of the West but he also took it upon himself to defend the United States right to the land ultimately becoming a Brigadier General in the army. Carson had already been a volunteer in the army and played a major role of the Bear Flag Rebellion.

When the Civil War broke out Carson’s allegiance with the Union remained strong

and he became a Colonel in the Union Army. During the war he attempted to keep the Native Americans in New Mexico at bay. One tribe in particular, the Navajo were resistant to being sent to a reservation by the U. S. Government and Carson would wage an economic war on the tribe by destroying crops, livestock, and orchards.

Carson would finally have the Navajo surrender to him and forced the tribe to make the now famous “Long Walk” that took them three-hundred miles to reach the reservation. . (“New Perspectives on the West”) Kit Carson was a bit of an oxymoron in that his larger than life public persona did not match his small stature. The legendary rugged mountain man was very soft- spoken and for the most part a very loyal, empathetic man. The media made him into a superhero which may have not fit his personality very well but it was worthy credit for someone who meant so much to American History.

Kit Carson’s role in mapping the west set off the Westward movement as people came in droves. In addition Carson’s role of Indian Agent was one he handled with dignity and respect for the tribes. Many times he was criticized by the government for being an Indian sympathizer but it didn’t seem to deter Carson from doing the right thing in his mind. Finally his role in leading the Bear Flag Revolt, The Mexican-American War, and the Civil War cement Carson’s place as a true American hero.