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Kit Carson's Autobiography
"Notice is hereby given to all persons, that Christopher Carson, a boy about 16 years old, small of his age, but thick-set; light hair, ran away from the subscriber, living in Franklin, Howard County, Missouri, to whom he had been bound to learn the saddler's trade. . . . One cent reward will be given to any person who will bring back the said boy.'' This notice appeared in the Missouri Intelligencer of October 6, 1826, at about the same time that Kit Carson, in the humble role of "cavvy boy" in Bent's Santa Fé caravan, embarked upon his notable career. Thirty years later, a postgraduate of the University of the Wilderness, and for a decade past a national hero, he was persuaded to dictate to a literate friend his own story of his life to date. The account—as modest and undemonstrative as Carson's feats were remarkable—covers his life as a trapper, Indian fighter, guide, and buffalo hunter up to the fall of 1856. Among the high spots during these years were his trapping expedition to California with Ewing Young (1829–1831), his celebrated duel with Shunar at the Green River rendezvous of 1837, the three expeditions with John C. Frémont (1842, 1843–1844, 1845), his exploits in the Mexican War (l846–1848), and his service as an Indian agent.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1935
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 24, 2010
It's always a joy to read a primary source, even if (like this book) it has shortcomings. When Kit Carson dictated (he was illiterate) this small volume in 1856, much of his fame and career was behind him. He tells his story in simple, undramatic prose. Footnotes amplify many references to more fully inform the reader.
The interested reader will need a good map and/or knowledge of western topography and nineteenth century places names. Carson ranged all over the old west. That some of his feats--crossing the Mojave Desert and Bonneville flats--left men and mounts in extremous is no surprise.
Of particular interest is Carson's interaction with and attitude toward native Americans. While he occasionally treats them with respect, other times he is preemptively harsh. Mostly he seems to deal will all men on an initial assumption of good will, which when lost is hard to be regained. Unfortunately, the cross purposes and misunderstandings between the Anglos, Mexicans and the natives seem preordained for failed trust.
The interested reader will need a good map and/or knowledge of western topography and nineteenth century places names. Carson ranged all over the old west. That some of his feats--crossing the Mojave Desert and Bonneville flats--left men and mounts in extremous is no surprise.
Of particular interest is Carson's interaction with and attitude toward native Americans. While he occasionally treats them with respect, other times he is preemptively harsh. Mostly he seems to deal will all men on an initial assumption of good will, which when lost is hard to be regained. Unfortunately, the cross purposes and misunderstandings between the Anglos, Mexicans and the natives seem preordained for failed trust.
January 2, 2011
A brief recounting of his adventures. More like thumbnails with footnotes. Gives me the desire to read a more exhaustive study.
Read
September 25, 2021I didn’t read it. Not interested.
August 28, 2019
What a valuable book. Kit Carson's life in his own words. Though, as the preface explains, it might not actually be his words, but those of his editor (whoever that was, there is some discrepancy), who made those sentences more readable.
Never the less, his almost nonchalant view of killing Indians, and sometimes absolute glory in doing so, his fearlessness, and brashness while doing so serving him well in the numerous times he faced death in the eye and won because of it.
It is a tiny glimpse of a world view that came and left so quickly few were a part of it. His career and life choices putting him in the heart of the conquering of the west from the days of the beaver fur trade, to exploration, to military expeditions, and Indian and Civil wars, to the more settled west of ranches and towns. We were driving through some of the territory he seemed to stay near the latter part of his life and reading this book seemed an appropriate way to understand the landscape a bit more.
I am definitely intrigued to read more about him and get a fuller biography to fill in the blanks.
Never the less, his almost nonchalant view of killing Indians, and sometimes absolute glory in doing so, his fearlessness, and brashness while doing so serving him well in the numerous times he faced death in the eye and won because of it.
It is a tiny glimpse of a world view that came and left so quickly few were a part of it. His career and life choices putting him in the heart of the conquering of the west from the days of the beaver fur trade, to exploration, to military expeditions, and Indian and Civil wars, to the more settled west of ranches and towns. We were driving through some of the territory he seemed to stay near the latter part of his life and reading this book seemed an appropriate way to understand the landscape a bit more.
I am definitely intrigued to read more about him and get a fuller biography to fill in the blanks.
December 5, 2021
Kit Carson, great pioneer and mountaineer narrates his story of exploits of West. His endless trips between a California, New Mexico, Missouri and Washington are fascinating. He led many expeditions and guided new settlers and military, discovering new mountain passes and facing endless attacks by Indians. Carson finished his career as an Indian agent of the government negotiating peace with the Indian tribes.
February 7, 2019
First and foremost in mankind's understanding of his fellow man
Carson had patience, love, and understanding through experience that may have been of great benefit to all. Possibly saving many lives and much treasure in the long run.
Carson had patience, love, and understanding through experience that may have been of great benefit to all. Possibly saving many lives and much treasure in the long run.
July 31, 2019
Good read. Kit Carson was an amazing man. It is awesome the miles he scouted and the land he covered.miles miles
Kit Carson was an amazing man. It is awesome the miles he scouted and the land he covered. Great accomplishments...
Kit Carson was an amazing man. It is awesome the miles he scouted and the land he covered. Great accomplishments...
April 24, 2020
A concise, dictated account of what Kit could remember of his adventures in the Rocky Mountains and the southwest. A fascinating read from an incredible human who humbly adventured and made his way through the world.
December 2, 2020
Interesting narrative of his life by one of America's true heroes. Carson is totally unpretentious and relates his experiences as they happened without trying to aggrandize or enhance his part in our heritage.
November 22, 2024
Kit Carsons Autobiograpy
This is an account taken from diaries and is cut and dried. It does give some flavor of the author. The most interesting part was the authors search for material in libraries.
This is an account taken from diaries and is cut and dried. It does give some flavor of the author. The most interesting part was the authors search for material in libraries.
April 29, 2019
Quite interesting
Although quite interesting and a easily read narrative, not as much detail as I would have liked, about day to day circumstances.
Although quite interesting and a easily read narrative, not as much detail as I would have liked, about day to day circumstances.
June 3, 2019
Condensed version of Kit Carson's life !
Covers a large span of years what is very interesting and condensed . Preface and research are as interesting as they read .
Covers a large span of years what is very interesting and condensed . Preface and research are as interesting as they read .
December 31, 2025
hear Kit's side of the often repeated story and decide for yourself what to believe
February 16, 2021
I saw the documentary on Kit Carson, "Men Who Built America". It was so awesome I thought his biography would be fun to read. Boy, was I ever wrong...what an absolute bore!
This is Kit's story, dictated to a writer, as he was illiterate, as best he could remember, of his struggles with the Indians during his fur trade expeditions in mid-1800 and of his contribution to the Mexican War. This edition, 192 pages, published in 1966, contains super lengthy and super numerous and super annoying footnotes, peppered throughout, with explanations and sources to reference for further reading.
Christopher "Kit" Carson, was a small sized man and orphaned. He was raised in Missouri and worked as an apprentice for a leather worker. Extremely unhappy with the work, he ran away at the age of 16 to chase dreams of wild tales told of the wild, wild West, which he had always heard about, and he never looked back.
Kit jumped from one group to another as he would hear of where the party was headed to do their beaver trapping, which could be anywhere in the west, from the Colorado Rocky Mountain rivers, Los Angeles, California rivers (Mexican territory at that time) or along the Arkansas rivers, or even around the Great Lakes. He traveled them all and really learned the lay of the land. He learned to scout, and he learned to fight the Indians.
Once, he chose a party of 40 men lead by Ewing Young, travelling from Taos, New Mexico, to California. In 1829, licenses were not granted to American men to hunt or trap on Mexican territory, so they had to travel first in a northern direction for about 50 miles through Indian territory, where they were constantly being harassed and had to fight off Indian attacks, then head down a southwestern route sneaking into Mexican territory and trap for beaver for months. They'd return to New Mexico, hide the 2000 pounds of pelts and apply for a license to trade with the Indians, make a quick and prosperous trade and each with several hundred dollars in their pockets, would party it up like sailors before looking for a new trapping expedition heading out. This was pretty much his life until the Mexican War started.
By then he had quite the reputation out on the Western frontier, and was then requested by President Polk to become an Agency of the government, interceding between the Indians and the Americans for peace and release and exchange of prisoners. He accepted the responsibility without the title or status.
In his own words, "...if the service I was performing was beneficial to the public, it did not matter to me whether I was enjoying the rank of lieutenant or only the credit of being an experienced mountaineer. I had gained both honor and credit by performing every duty entrusted to my charge, and on no account did I wish to forfeit the good opinion of a majority of my countrymen merely because the Senate of the United States had not deemed it proper to confirm my appointment to an office I had never sought, and one which, if confirmed, I would have to resign at the close of the war." [p. 125-6]
Wow! This is a far cry from what we see in men and women today! Recognition and big money seems to be our number one concern, or we don't want to do it!
This is Kit's story, dictated to a writer, as he was illiterate, as best he could remember, of his struggles with the Indians during his fur trade expeditions in mid-1800 and of his contribution to the Mexican War. This edition, 192 pages, published in 1966, contains super lengthy and super numerous and super annoying footnotes, peppered throughout, with explanations and sources to reference for further reading.
Christopher "Kit" Carson, was a small sized man and orphaned. He was raised in Missouri and worked as an apprentice for a leather worker. Extremely unhappy with the work, he ran away at the age of 16 to chase dreams of wild tales told of the wild, wild West, which he had always heard about, and he never looked back.
Kit jumped from one group to another as he would hear of where the party was headed to do their beaver trapping, which could be anywhere in the west, from the Colorado Rocky Mountain rivers, Los Angeles, California rivers (Mexican territory at that time) or along the Arkansas rivers, or even around the Great Lakes. He traveled them all and really learned the lay of the land. He learned to scout, and he learned to fight the Indians.
Once, he chose a party of 40 men lead by Ewing Young, travelling from Taos, New Mexico, to California. In 1829, licenses were not granted to American men to hunt or trap on Mexican territory, so they had to travel first in a northern direction for about 50 miles through Indian territory, where they were constantly being harassed and had to fight off Indian attacks, then head down a southwestern route sneaking into Mexican territory and trap for beaver for months. They'd return to New Mexico, hide the 2000 pounds of pelts and apply for a license to trade with the Indians, make a quick and prosperous trade and each with several hundred dollars in their pockets, would party it up like sailors before looking for a new trapping expedition heading out. This was pretty much his life until the Mexican War started.
By then he had quite the reputation out on the Western frontier, and was then requested by President Polk to become an Agency of the government, interceding between the Indians and the Americans for peace and release and exchange of prisoners. He accepted the responsibility without the title or status.
In his own words, "...if the service I was performing was beneficial to the public, it did not matter to me whether I was enjoying the rank of lieutenant or only the credit of being an experienced mountaineer. I had gained both honor and credit by performing every duty entrusted to my charge, and on no account did I wish to forfeit the good opinion of a majority of my countrymen merely because the Senate of the United States had not deemed it proper to confirm my appointment to an office I had never sought, and one which, if confirmed, I would have to resign at the close of the war." [p. 125-6]
Wow! This is a far cry from what we see in men and women today! Recognition and big money seems to be our number one concern, or we don't want to do it!
October 10, 2009
A curt brief description, as told to a friend, of Kit Carson’s many trips mainly in the southwest as trapper, guide, courier, fighter of battles (mainly against Indians) in conjunction with the military including war with Mexico finally being assigned as an Indian Agent by the government. Although Carson’s descriptions were very brief, there are some very good footnoted explanations or comments by the editor. One of the best is when the U.S. Senate would not confirm Carson’s appointment as a lieutenant, “The stupid pettiness which so often figures in practical politics seldom finds a better illustration than in this act of vindictive meanness on the part of the majority of the U.S. Senate…..one to make the gods weep…The illiterate mountain man emerges from the encounter with far more dignity than does the Senate of the United States.” I enjoyed this book although brief descriptions,the readers can‘read-between-the-lines on much of the narrative to see how Carson’s activities, especially against the Indians, fit into the historical picture of the time.
August 6, 2013
Kit Carson writes a valuable, just the facts, highlight summary of his early career that leads to his becoming an Indian Agent. A fun highlight, for example, is when he decides he has to fight a big French bully who beats up three guys a day. And that kind of fight includes bringing your gun of choice.
Not a romantic, he can't spare two words for his beautiful Arapaho wife, Singing Grass, or for his high born Mexican wife.
The vicious circle goes like this: Indians raid white camps stealing horses and other animals, The calvary goes after them for revenge and recovery, and it goes round and round.
"The Indians commit depredations whenever they please. The Superintendent then calls them in to have a grand talk. Presents are given and promises are made, but only to be broken when it becomes convenient to break them. As long as these mountain Indians are permitted to run at large this country will always remain in its impoverished state, and the only remedy is to compel them to live in settlements." - Kit Carson
Not a romantic, he can't spare two words for his beautiful Arapaho wife, Singing Grass, or for his high born Mexican wife.
The vicious circle goes like this: Indians raid white camps stealing horses and other animals, The calvary goes after them for revenge and recovery, and it goes round and round.
"The Indians commit depredations whenever they please. The Superintendent then calls them in to have a grand talk. Presents are given and promises are made, but only to be broken when it becomes convenient to break them. As long as these mountain Indians are permitted to run at large this country will always remain in its impoverished state, and the only remedy is to compel them to live in settlements." - Kit Carson
July 26, 2016
It is very difficult to give this book a rating as it is what it is, and not what I wish it to be.
One of the reasons that I typically enjoy autobiographies is that I want to get to know the writer, their innermost feelings and their relationships. Kit Carson's autobiography is simply a dry telling of events. You will never get to know Kit Carson as a person. That being said, this book is not without value.
The tone and content reflect that this account was written specifically for someone or some purpose, and not to entertain the masses by recounting tales of adventure, warfare, and heroism. Hard-core history buffs, especially those interested in this era or place, may appreciate this book.
One of the reasons that I typically enjoy autobiographies is that I want to get to know the writer, their innermost feelings and their relationships. Kit Carson's autobiography is simply a dry telling of events. You will never get to know Kit Carson as a person. That being said, this book is not without value.
The tone and content reflect that this account was written specifically for someone or some purpose, and not to entertain the masses by recounting tales of adventure, warfare, and heroism. Hard-core history buffs, especially those interested in this era or place, may appreciate this book.
December 23, 2021
This is more than an autobiography. Kit Carson led a fascinating life made even more fascinating by the embellishment of newspaper writers of the day. The newspaper stories led to elaborative dime novels and before long it was hard to distinguish between fact and fiction.
Milo Milton Quaife conducted extraordinary research to verify facts and details. Numerous libraries served as a resource to make Kit Carson's life more accurate and understandable.
About 30% of this book's text are footnotes regarding the investigative findings. Great appreciation to Milo Milton Quaife and his tenacious editing and research.
Milo Milton Quaife conducted extraordinary research to verify facts and details. Numerous libraries served as a resource to make Kit Carson's life more accurate and understandable.
About 30% of this book's text are footnotes regarding the investigative findings. Great appreciation to Milo Milton Quaife and his tenacious editing and research.
September 24, 2012
Interesting to see how he lived as an explorer, trapper Indian fighter and guide. Gave me an understanding of that period of history in settling our country. We have toured his simple adobe home in Taos where is lived with his Mexican wife so it was fun to picture it. He was illiterate and dictated his life story to a friend who corrected the dates in footnotes. He probably didn't have a calender either.
June 4, 2020
Kit Carson certainly lived a remarkable life in 20 years from 1829-1849. He was an extremely tough individual who was a superb trapper, guide, Indian fighter, and hunter. His perseverance was truly exceptional.
This book was essentially a diary of his activities, offering little insight into the real person.
Taken on face value, it was upsetting how easily he could kill people, and how little he felt about those who were killed.
A very different time in the history of America.
This book was essentially a diary of his activities, offering little insight into the real person.
Taken on face value, it was upsetting how easily he could kill people, and how little he felt about those who were killed.
A very different time in the history of America.
June 5, 2012
Footnotes were kind of distracting at times & the storytelling kind of dry. However, interesting from a historical perspective, since there's no revisionism going on here. Didn't know that whites did scalping as well as the Indians!
February 8, 2011
Understated, almost to a fault.
August 6, 2013
Not too bad. I want to read Blood and Thunder and a few others to round out the whole story.
December 7, 2016
interesting
December 21, 2021
Kit Carson is not an author, nor was this book put together well. Its a tedious and slow read, odten without details. Pair this book with more research or works relates to Kit Carson.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews