Who was Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson?
Q: Who was Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson?
A: Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson was an American frontiersman who had four chief occupations: mountain man, guide, Indian agent, and officer in the US Army. He helped to open the American West to settlement.
Q: What did Kit Carson do for a living?
A: Kit Carson worked as a mountain man trapping beaver for the fur trade. He also worked as a guide for US Army Officer John Charles Frémont on three separate expeditions into the West. Later he became an Indian agent in northern New Mexico and eventually joined the Union Army during the Civil War where he served as lieutenant leading the New Mexico Volunteer Infantry and was promoted to colonel and brigadier general.
Q: How did Kit Carson become famous?
A: Kit Carson became famous through novels, newspaper accounts, and other media that told stories of his adventures which were turned into paper-covered books called dime novels which made him even more popular throughout America.
Q: What happened after the fur trade died out in 1840s?
A: After the fur trade died out in 1840s, Kit Carson looked for other work which led him to becoming a guide for US Army Officer John Charles Frémont on three separate expeditions into the West which were hugely successful and made him a frontier hero with his reports being read by many Americans.
Q: What job did Kit Carson have when he joined the Union Army during Civil War?
A: When he joined Union Army during Civil War, Kit Carson served as lieutenant leading the New Mexico Volunteer Infantry and was later promoted to colonel and brigadier general.
Q: How did Native Americans view Kit Carson?
A: Native Americans viewed Kit Carson negatively due to his reputation as an “Injun killer” - someone forced to kill many Native Americans to protect himself from attack, theft or murder - though he saw them treated with honesty and fairness when working as an Indian Agent in Northern New Mexico.
Q: Where is Christopher Houston "Kit"Carson buried?
A: Christopher Houston "Kit"Carson is buried in Taos, New Mexico next to his third wife Josefa Jaramillo
