Christopher Carson, Familiarly Known as Kit Carson the Pioneer of the West

Kit was born in 1810 in Howard County, Missouri, fifteen years passed and he was apprenticed to a saddler, at 18yrs Kit joined some traders going to Santa Fe, travelling on he wintered in a hut in the mountains with a man known as Kin Cade where he learnt Spanish and Geography, he loved to travel and joined on many expeditions, soon Kit learnt how to trap beaver and sell the skins, during this time there were many battles with Indians with depradations on both sides, Kit joined many parties in avenging these attacks, whilst trapping Kit visited Sacromento, Colorada, San Gabriel, San Fernando, joining the Hudson Bay Company for a while, again Kit was sent with men to punish Indiands for attacks, Kit was now 21yrs and joined another trapping expedition to the Rocky MountainsThere was more trouble with Indians but Kit seemed to understand them and knowing many of there languages would often keep the peace, Kit had enough money from his furs to retire, there is the first fair where all the trappers came from miles around to swap stories , he headed for Blackfeet country where the trapping was good, Kits skills were called on again to negotiate with Indians, with the trapping giving out Kit was employed at Fort Platte to hunt for the fort, later Kit marries an Indian girl who dies in childbirth, the little girl is sent to St Louis to go to school, 1842 and Kit joins a wagon train where he meets John Fremont a topograthical engineer, Kid acts as guide for their expedition, Kid re marries to a Spanish lady and has three childremn, with Fremont they again had problems with Indians, war is declared between the USA and Mexico, now they would have to fight the Mexicans as wellKit went on to try farming and was quite a success at it but was soon lured into the hills again, he was a friend to all including the Indians, to know the rest of his adventures you must read the bookMy verdict, a little repetative trapping to one place after another I think I expected more, you must make up your own mind

This is an old book, so the language is a bit archaeic, but it's not difficult to read. Kit Carson was one of my childhoos hearoes from the Wild West comics, so I wanted tyo find out what he was like. Nothing like the hero of the comics, who was forev er fighting and shooting people. and who was pictured as a b ig, muscular guy. Carson was small and frail looking, but a well respected man who, without even being able to write his own name, managed to learn several languages and become a colonel in the army. He spent most of his life as a guide and a trapper in what was then a really wild country. He married and had children, they can't have seen much of him. I would have liked to know a bit more of that side of his life, but the book was written by a man who was probably more interested in the wars with the Indians, hunting and that kind of things. Carson had unusually high standards for his life for someone at that time, living that kind of life, and he was well liked, respected and trusted. The book will be of interest to anyone interested in the Wild West, the indians and pioneer life.

It's a name I've been familiar with most of my life but I never really knew much about the man. What an interesting life he had and what a great man he was. The book was interesting throughout, well written without any spelling mistakes that often happens when books are transferred to kindle. Worth every penny, hence five stars.

I remember reading stories about Kit Carson as a young boy in my weekly comics. I was lucky my dad loved comics as well so I was spoiled. Money well invested I love to read.This and a number of other books I have read are long out of print but the Kindle has made hundreds of books written by people who actually lived at the time available. Not someones ideas of how things might have been.Thank you Amazon

An interesting and quite readable book. It is rather fulsome in its praise of Kit Carson but nevertheless gives a good account of the life of the early pioneers crossing the plains and how they handled the Native American Indians. It gives some good insights as to how Kit Carson came to be trusted by all sides. Worth wading through.