Wandering Lizard

Biographical Notes

Christopher "Kit" Carson

In 1836 Carson left Wanibe at Fort Hall on the Snake and joined with four Hudson's Bay Company trappers headed out into what is today Nevada in search of beaver on the Mary's River (now referred to as the Humboldt River). They did not find many beaver and almost starved to death before making it back to the fort. Once back at the fort, Blackfoot Indians managed to steal all of their horses, but luckily Hudson Bay Company trapper Thomas McKay showed up soon thereafter with enough spare horses to get them to the 1836 rendezvous at Horse Creek, a tributary of the Green. (Two white women, Narcissa Whitman and Eliza Spalding, missionaries on their way to Oregon, were at rendezvous that year.) After rendezvous Carson and his brigade of trappers, now numbering nearly a hundred.wintered in the upper Yellowstone on Powder River together with a large village of Crow Indians. During that winter Wanibe gave birth to their first child - a girl who Carson named Adaline..

In the spring of 1837 Carson's brigade joined with Bridger's party to once again trap in Blackfoot territory. A battle, initiated by the trappers, went against the Blackfeet and Bridger and Carson were able to trap that season without further trouble from hostile Indians. Later in the spring the American Fur Company's steamship steamed up the Missouri with merchandise for the trading posts and presents for the Indians. It also carried smallpox with it. The disease hit the trading posts and the Indians hard. The fur trade virtually came to a halt and the fur companies were faced with the threat of bankruptcy. Rendezvous that year was held on the Wind River and Carson and his new family attended along with Joe Meek and his Shoshone wife. (Mrs. Meek was killed at this rendezvous during an altercation between trappers and a group of Bannock tribesmen.) After rendezvous Carson trapped along the Green River and then headed to Navajo country on a trading trip. Wanibe and their daughter were left at Fort Davy Crockett (also known as Fort Misery).

At the Arkansas River, Carson's party joined with a large Taos-bound wagon train that feared attack from hostile Kiowa Indians. A few days later an attack was made and Carson and his men helped beat it off without loss. After completing his business in Taos, Carson returned to Fort Davy Crockett and soon thereafter joined Jim Bridger to trap the Yellowstone. Over the next few years they had several battles with the Blackfeet and continued to trap along the Yellowstone, the Snake, the Wind, the Sweetwater, the Popo Agie. and the Seedeskeedee. They visited Shoshone Falls on the Snake and skirted the Grand Tetons to visit Dave Jackson's Hole. The price of beaver was falling and the great fur companies were in serious financial trouble. The rendezvous of 1838 was poorly attended and the traders announced that they could no longer afford to bring supplies into the mountains. It was the last great rendezvous, but there were a couple of more poorly attended meetings of trappers in the mountains in succeeding years.

In the spring of 1841 Carson sold his pelts to Antoine Robidoux and headed to Bent's Fort where he signed on as hunter for the fort. Wanibe contracted a fever and died soon thereafter. Leaving his daughter in the care of some ladies at the fort, Carson returned to Missouri to visit his family. On returning to Bent's Fort he helped broker a peace treaty between the Cheyenne Indians and a coalition of Comanche, Kiowa, and Apache Indians. Later that year William Bent sent Carson to Santa Fe on fort business. While in Santa Fe the Mexican Governor, Manuel Armijo, was accosted by a unit of the Mexican Army demanding payment of their wages in hard currency. Carson assisted the governor in reaching a compromise with the angry soldiers and gained the governor's lifelong friendship in the process. On January 28, 1842, Carson was baptized into the Catholic faith by Father Antonio Jose Martinez. Later that year he took Adaline to live with his sisters in New Franklin, Missouri. After leaving his daughter in New Franklin he went on to St. Louis by steamboat. On board he met Lieutenant John Charles Fremont. Fremont hired Carson to guide his first Rocky Mountain expedition.

Fremont and Carson departed on June 10, 1842, and proceeded down the Santa Fe Trail to the Vermilion River and then on to the Platte River. While on the Platte, Carson met Bridger who warned that the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Blackfeet were on the warpath, but the expedition proceeded to the Rockies as planned without serious incident. After returning as far as Fort Laramie, Carson left Fremont and returned to his job as hunter for Bent's Fort. On February 6, 1843 he married Maria Josefa Jarmillo-Luna. Father Martinez officiated at the Plaza of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Taos. After his marriage, Carson remained at Bent's Fort until July 14, 1843, when he learned that Fremont had started on his second expedition. He joined Fremont and was once again hired on as guide along with Thomas "Broken Hand" Fitzpatrick who was already a member of the party. Fitzpatrick led the bulk of the party directly to South Pass while Fremont and Carson tried unsuccessfully to find a better route further to the south. They joined together at South Pass where they followed in the wagon ruts of the earliest of the pioneers who were beginning to flow into Oregon and California.

At Soda Springs Fremont turned away from Oregon and toward The Great Salt Lake arriving there on September 6, 1843. After exploring around the lake, Fremont went on to Fort Vancouver and then headed south from the Dalles to Upper Klamath Lake before turning southeast into present day Nevada. Along the way Fremont named various important mountains, passes, rivers and lakes. A river and a lake were named after Carson. In January and February they made a difficult crossing of the Sierra Mountains via Carson Pass. After crossing the mountains they recruited at Sutter's Fort. (Carson had first met Sutter at the 1838 rendezvous while the later was on his way to Oregon.) From Sutter's Fort Fremont turned south to Tehachapi Pass and the Old Spanish Trail. While on the Spanish Trail Carson assisted a Mexican to recover horses which had been stolen by Indians. Fremont's party reached Utah Lake in early May and returned to Bent's Fort in time to celebrate July 4th, 1844.

After the second Fremont expedition Carson teamed up with Dick Owens to farm in the Taos area on the Little Cimmeron River. In late summer Carson received word that Fremont was at Bent's Fort preparing to lead his third expedition west. He requested Carson to join him once again as guide. Owens and Carson sold their farm and joined Fremont at Bent's Fort. They took the usual trails to Great Salt Lake and again explored the region. After leaving Salt Lake Femont split his party in two. Joseph Walker followed the emigrant trail while Fremont and Carson headed out directly across the vast salt flats to the west that Indian lore said had never been crossed by man before. The two parties joined back together at Walker Lake as planned but parted again soon thereafter. Walker crossed the Sierras via Walker Pass to the south and Fremont and Carson crossed via Donner Pass (then known as Truckee Pass). Fremont's group arrived at Sutter's Fort on December 9, 1845.

Fremont continued on to Monterey in Sutter's boat while Carson led the remainder of the party overland. Fremont needed to call on the Mexican authorities and explain his unannounced visit. In Monterey, Fremont and Carson, together with American Consul Thomas Larkin, met with General Jose Maria Castro. After the meeting Fremont continued south and Carson left in search of Walker's group. Carson found Walker and led him back to Fremont who was once again heading back to Monterey where he hoped to buy horses and supplies. Fremont's motives and intentions during this period are the subject of considerable debate. The speculation is that he was awaiting word that war had commenced with Mexico. Whatever his intentions, the Mexican authorities were extremely concerned with his continued presence in the settled areas of California and clearly wanted him to depart as soon as possible. On March 3, 1845, Castro ordered Fremont to leave immediately. Fremont instead fortified a position on Gavilan Peak above Mission San Juan Bautista. A four day standoff ensued after which Fremont evacuated his position under cover of darkness and moved north. Castro, satisfied with seeing Fremont depart, did not pursue him.

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