Eric McDonough, age 10, of Twin Falls, Ids., for his question:
WHO WAS KIT CARSON?
One of America's most famous frontiersmen was an adventurer by the name of Kit Carson. He became very well known as a skillful and daring hunter, guide and soldier. Kit Carson has been described by people who knew him as brave, gentle, honest and wise.
Born in 1809 in Madison County, Kentucky, his real first name was Christopher. When he was just a year old, his family moved to Boon's Lick, Missouri. At the age of 15 he was sent to work for a saddlemaker, but he hated the job and ran away in 1826 to join a group of traders headed for what is now New Mexico.
From 1829 to 1841, Carson worked in the fur trade. He trapped beavers in Arizona, California, Idaho, Wyoming and the Rocky Mountains. He also took part in many fights with Indians.
John C. Fremont, the famous government explorer, hired Carson in 1842 to guide his party along the Oregon Trail to South Pass in the Rockies in Wyoming. The expedition passed safely through land of hostile Sioux Indians. Fremont praised Carson highly in his official reports, which helped make Carson well known.
In 1843 and 1844, Carson helped guide Fremont's second expedition, which included a survey of Great Salt Lake in Utah and part of the Oregon Trail.
In 1845, Carson guided the explorer's third expedition. The group traveled from Colorado to California and north into Oregon.
After the Civil War started in 1861, Carson was made s colonel of the New Mexico Volunteer Regiment.
Later Carson led campaigns against Indians which forced them to live on reservations.
Carson was made a brigadier general in 1865 and took command of Fort Garland in Colrado the following year. He resigned from the army in 1867 because of illness.
Apache Indians, about 400 strong, were gathered together by Carson in a campaign in 1862 and then forced to live on a reservation near Fort Summer, N.M.
Carson then led a campaign against the Navajo Indians. By destroying their crops and animals, Carson forced 8,000 Navajos to accept reservation life.
Carson fought the Kiowas, Comanches and other Plains Indians at Adobe Walls, an abandoned trading post in Texas. His force of about 400 men retreated, however, after being attacked by 1,500 to 3,000 Indians.
Earlier, in 1846, Fremont and his group returned to California when the Mexican War broke out. They joined the American settlers in a revolt against the Mexicans who controlled the region.
The Americans defeated the Mexicans and Fremont sent Carson to Wshington D.C., with messages, including news of the victory. But at Socorro, N.M., Gen. Stephen Kearny ordered Carson to guide him back to California. Kearny's troops were attacked by Mexicans at San Pasquai, Calif., near Escondido.
Carson and two others slipped through the enemy lines to seek help from American forces stationed at San Diego. They had to walk or crawl for about 30 miles, bat Kearny's troops were rescued.