Carson was born in 1809 in Kentucky and moved to Missouri when he was still a toddler.

1. Carson was born in 1809 in Kentucky and moved to Missouri when he was still a toddler. Kit Carson and His Three Wives: A Family History. Marc Simmons. (2003).

2. He left his home in Missouri at the age of 17 to become a hunter and trapper in the West. Kit Carson and His Three Wives: A Family History. Marc Simmons. (2003).

3. Around 1837, Carson married Waa-Nibe (translated as “Singing Grass”), an Arapaho woman, and fathered a daughter named Adaline. Kit Carson and His Three Wives: A Family History. Marc Simmons. (2003).

4. He communicated with Native American using sign language and had a working knowledge of 5-6 Native American languages. Kit Carson and His Three Wives: A Family History. Marc Simmons. (2003).

5. Beginning in 1842, Carson served as guide on John C. Fremont’s expeditions throughout throughout the Oregon, California and the Central Rocky Mountains. New Perspectives on the West: Kit Carson. PBS. (2001)

6. In 1853, Carson rode on horseback and drove a flock of sheep from New Mexico to California and made a handsome profit by selling the sheep to Gold Rushers. New Perspectives on the West: Kit Carson. PBS. (2001)

7. During the Civil War, Carson organized the New Mexico volunteer infantry. New Perspectives on the West: Kit Carson. PBS. (2001)

8. In 1863, he carried out a military plan to forcibly remove the Navajo from their land, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Navajo. New Perspectives on the West: Kit Carson. PBS. (2001)

9. Carson died in 1868. New Perspectives on the West: Kit Carson. PBS. (2001)

10. In the 1850s, Carson served as United States Agent to the Ute and Jicarilla tribes. Skillfully handled many conflicts, particularly with the Apache. Kit Carson and His Three Wives: A Family History. Marc Simmons. (2003).

11. In the 1840s, he worked as a hunter for Bent’s Fort. His job was to bring meat back to feed the camp. Kit Carson and His Three Wives: A Family History. Marc Simmons. (2003).

12. Carson married Josefa Jaramillo in 1843. The two had eight children, but their first-born died in infancy. Kit Carson and His Three Wives: A Family History. Marc Simmons. (2003).

13. Carson was known as “Monarch of the Prairies” to the Indians, who revered his hunting skills. The Life and Adventures of Christopher Carson, the Celebrated Rocky Mountain Hunter, Trapper, and Guide . Charles Burdett. (1860)

14. Carson once fended off a grizzly bear for an entire night by climbing up a tree and swatting it with a stick. The Life and Adventures of Christopher Carson, the Celebrated Rocky Mountain Hunter, Trapper, and Guide . Charles Burdett. (1860)

15. In 1817, as an eight-year-old boy, Carson was staying at Fort Hempstead. He heard the Indians coming in the night, warned the Captain, and saved everyone’s lives. The next morning he was honored with a parade. Kit Carson: Boy Trapper. Augusta Stevenson. (1945)

16. He was the grandson of Daniel Boone, legendary frontiersman of the 1700s. The Way to the West, and the Lives of Three Early Americans, Boone—Crockett—Carson. Emerson Hough. (1903)

17. Carson traded with every Native American tribe, including Apache, Navajo, Cheyenne, Comanche, Sioux, and Crow. The Way to the West, and the Lives of Three Early Americans, Boone—Crockett—Carson. Emerson Hough. (1903)

18. With the Sioux and Comanche Indians on the verge of war, they came to Carson for help. He brokered a peace deal, ending the war before it began. The Life and Adventures of Christopher Carson, the Celebrated Rocky Mountain Hunter, Trapper, and Guide. Charles Burdett. (1860)

19. During his time as Indian Agent, he was known as “father” to many of the tribes, both the hostile and the peaceful. The Way to the West, and the Lives of Three Early Americans, Boone—Crockett—Carson. Emerson Hough. (1903)

20. Carson once rescued a family of settlers from a band of Indians, saving them from being murdered and scalped. Kit Carson: The King of the Scouts. In Pluck and Luck: Complete Stories of Adventures. (1898).

21. In 1832, Carson singlehandedly found and killed an Indian responsible for stealing six horses from a fellow trapper. He fired only one bullet, while riding at full speed, to bring the Indian to justice. The Life and Adventures of Christopher Carson, the Celebrated Rocky Mountain Hunter, Trapper, and Guide. Charles Burdett. (1860)

22. His daughter, Prairie Flower (from marriage with first wife Pine Leaf) is buried outside Bent’s Fort in Colorado. Wild Life in the Far West: Personal Adventures of a Border Mountain Man. James Hobbs. (1873)

23. Carson was respected and feared by all Native Americans. The Life and Adventures of Christopher Carson, the Celebrated Rocky Mountain Hunter, Trapper, and Guide. Charles Burdett. (1860)

24. Carson was always willing to lend a hand to a needy or suffering person. The Life and Adventures of Christopher Carson, the Celebrated Rocky Mountain Hunter, Trapper, and Guide. Charles Burdett. (1860)

25. Carson hunted and trapped alone. The Life and Adventures of Christopher Carson, the Celebrated Rocky Mountain Hunter, Trapper, and Guide. Charles Burdett. (1860)

26. Carson always wore: fringed buckskin leggings and jacket, fur cap, shirt and moccasins embroidered with porcupine quills, and a large belt weighed down with a large silver buckle, two revolvers, and a hunting knife. The Way to the West, and the Lives of Three Early Americans, Boone—Crockett—Carson. Emerson Hough. (1903)

27. On his first trip to the West, another man in his party, Andrew Broadus, needed to have his arm amputated. Carson himself used a saw to remove the arm, while others held the delirious man down. Lions of the West: Heroes and Villains of Westward Expansion. Robert Morgan. (2011).