Christopher “Kit” Carson

Kit Carson
Author/Photographer: Mathew Brady or Levin C. Handy, United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs, Public Domain
Born December 24, 1809 in KY
Died 1868
  • Legendary frontiersman, fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian Agent and U.S. Army Officer.
  • Learned French and Spanish (and several Native American languages) while exploring the American West along the Santa Fe Trail.
  • Reluctantly participated in the Mexican-American war and became brigadier general during the American Civil War.
  • Pushed for the creation of Indian reservations to protect Native Americans.