Alan E. Grey - The Life of Kit Carson

Acknowledgments

The author would like to express a deep sense of gratitude to Kelly Howell, owner and publisher of Wasatch Press. Kelly has provided invaluable assistance, and in some cases taken the lead, in the preparation of this manuscript for publication.

The author would also like to express his sincere thanks to Ms. Carlie McGinnis, Executive Director of the Kit Carson Home and Museum in Taos, New Mexico for her review of the book and pointing out certain technical errors which have since been corrected.

Chapter 1
The Early Years

The day had dawned bleak and cold. The sky was heavily overcast and from the nip in the air the settlers were all predicting a good snowstorm before night. Lindsey Carson had just stepped outside when he heard his wife calling for him.

Rebecca was still in bed in a great deal of discomfort. In a low calm voice she said, Lindsey, I think its time. Have Moses fetch Mrs. Carpenter. Were going to need her before too long. Mrs. Carpenter functioned as the midwife for most of Madison County, Kentucky.

Moses was soon dressed and on his way to the barn to harness up one of the horses to the buggy for the four-mile trip to Mrs. Carpenters cabin. No roads had been cut through the timbered bottomland where the two cabins were located. It was necessary for Moses to guide the horse and buggy through open fields and between trees when necessary. It took about two hours to cover the four miles.

When Moses arrived at the cabin, Mrs. Carpenter was outside splitting wood for the fireplace. She saw the buggy coming and put down her axe and waited. When Moses got closer he called out, Mrs. Carpenter, Ma sure does need you right away. Can you come? I will take you to her. Mrs. Carpenter wasnt too eager to go as it was the day before Christmas and she wanted to be home with her family. However, she knew that duty called and she had to go.

Mrs. Carpenter went to the cabin and told her family where she was going. She gathered up a long woolen scarf and a pair of fur lined mittens, and was soon on her way with Moses back to the Carson Cabin. When she arrived, she went right inside to see her patient. Rebecca was lying in a corner bunk, shielded by blankets suspended with ropes. Mrs. Carpenters first words were, Hello Rebecca, you shore picked quite a time to bring another young-un into the world. Lets hurry and get this young-un born so I can get back to my family for Christmas. With an air of efficiency she told the oldest girl to heat up some water and get all the towels available into the curtained area where Rebecca lay.

As soon as all preparations were made, the children put on their coats and mufflers and went outside to await the arrival of their new brother or sister.

Rebecca was becoming more and more uncomfortable. Contractions were now about five minutes apart and becoming harder. In the middle of the afternoon of December 24, 1809, a loud howl came from the Carson cabin. Young Christopher Houston (Kit) Carson had just announced his arrival into the world. As soon as young Kit was cleaned up and safely in his mothers arms, Mrs. Carpenter started calling for Moses to get the buggy hitched up and to take her home. She knew she still had time to get home before Christmas.

In 1811 Lindsey Carson sold his land along Tate Creek in Madison County, Kentucky, packed up his family, and headed west. He took up land in the Boonslick area, near the center of the present State of Missouri. By this time, Kit was just learning to walk and spent most of his time with his mother around their new log cabin.

In a few years he was old enough to play with his brothers and sisters in the fields and woods around their property and along the stream that ran through it. During this time, he thought that what he was doing was just playing, but it was teaching him many skills that would become important in his later life. He was learning to identify the tracks of the different animals and to determine how long it had been since the track was made. He also developed an uncanny sense of direction. By the time he was in his teens, it would have been almost impossible to get him lost.

Kit and his older brother, Moses, were kindred spirits. Unlike their other brothers and sisters, the two boys had no desire to settle down on a farm and till the soil. They both wanted to travel and explore new territory. By the time Kit was six, Moses had him on a horse and was teaching him to ride. When he was eight, Moses was teaching him how to shoot a pistol. When Kit was big enough to hold a rifle, Moses had him out in the fields teaching him to shoot. Moses must have been a good teacher, as Kit soon became an excellent shot and was winning all of the prizes at country gatherings.

The longer Kit spent time with Moses the surer he became as to what he wanted to do. They had both heard stories of explorers, mountain men, and trappers, and Moses had decided that he wanted to explore more of the territory west of the Mississippi, while Kit had a greater interest in the mountain men and trappers.

For as long as Kit could remember, his father was out in the field clearing the land. This was a never-ending task of removing brush, trees, and rocks from the land. While Kit spent a lot of time out in the fields and woods with Moses, he was also expected to do his share of work around the farm. His job was, primarily, dragging and piling brush and tree limbs so that they could later be burned. In the fall of Kits ninth year, he was working on a brush pile while his father was setting fire to a pile already prepared. A breeze blew a spark into some dried grass, starting a small fire. The fire soon flared up around a dead tree at the edge of the field. Kits father tried to beat the flames out with a gunnysack, but the fire was too big for him and soon spread into the upper limbs. While Kits father tried to beat the flames out around the base of the tree, a burning limb came crashing down and hit him in the middle of his back. Kit ran to the cabin as fast as he could, yelling, Ma! Come quick! Pas been hurt bad and needs your help! When they got back to the field, Lindsey was already dead. The limb had broken his back, and a burning sharp stub of the limb had pierced his back.

Three years after the death of Lindsey Carson, Kits mother married Joseph Martin, and both tried to hold the family together but had very little money to do it with. To help support the family, all of the children had to find work wherever they could. Therefore, Kit was never able to attend school, and thus was unable to read or write.

Chapter 2
The Santa Fe
Experience

At the age of fourteen, Kit was apprenticed to David Workman, a saddle and harness maker. This, in essence, meant that he was bound to Mr. Workman for a period of seven years. It would have been illegal for him to leave Mr. Workman, who was legally free to make Kit do anything for him. Kit worked for Mr. Workman about two years and hated every minute of it. Making saddles and harnesses was not the life he desired. All Kit wanted to do was to explore and trap in the mountains to the west. However, Kit learned many valuable lessons while working with leather. Among other things, he learned how to tool leather, how to cut the leather in order to obtain the strongest strips, and above all how to tan leather. Kit had no complaint with Mr. Workman, who treated him very kindly. He spoke of him in later years as a kind and gentle man.

One morning when Kit came to work, he spotted a wagon train that had stopped by Mr. Workmans leather shop. Kit didnt waste any time seeking out the wagon master. Kit immediately asked, Where is this here wagon train headin? He was told they were going to Santa Fe but had to stop for some repairs, and they were also looking for another teamster. It didnt take Kit long to convince the wagon master that he was the teamster they were looking for. When the wagon train was ready to leave, Kit ran away from David Workman and hired on with the wagon train as a teamster. Finding work on a wagon train was not easy for Kit. He was very small in stature, being only about five feet five or six inches in height and weighing only 130 pounds. Because of his small size, Kit learned early in life how to protect and take care of himself The men on the wagon train soon learned that it was best to leave him alone. When any job came up that required extra strength or endurance, Kit was always the first to volunteer.