Kit's Shopping List
Christopher 'Kit' Carson bridges the history of western development. This history plus the adventures he had make Kit one of the intrigueing characters of America. It is his two trips of exploration that interests us here at the Bear Flag Republic for these trips brought American Civilization to California. On January 3, 1844 Fremont and Carson first arrived by the American River. They had come to survey the overland route to California.
Kit ran away as a boy for adventure, and he certainly found it. A mountain man, trapper and trader who knew Jim Bridger, Jed Smith and Tom Fitzpatrick, married an indian woman, became a scout leading Fremont to California and statehood, was feted in the salons of Washington, at home sleeping on the ground, packed horses, faught indians. An early settler in New Mexico where he entertained the aging mountain men and gave them jobs .
Trapping was a lucrative occupation (if you didn't spend your profits on gambling and whisky) where only the strong and able survived. Others died in the wilderness, were killed by Indians or returned quickly to civilization. Kit survived. He learned the skills of living in a hostile land, defending himself and his property, finding his way and leading his men.
Kit Carson was born in Missouri on December, 25, 1809 to a family that had been moving west west with the nation for over a century. He was apprenticed at 15 to saddler but he ran away October 6, 1826 to join John Charles Bent of Bent's Fort fame to take wagons to Santa Fe. It was on this trip he first visited San Fernandez de Taos, then in Mexico. On this trip he proved himself to be able and willing to work hard despite his age.
He made several trips with wagons but was afraid of returning to Misouri where he could be arrested as a runaway. Hunger made him become trapper in 1829. He traveled through New Mexico, what is now Arizona, seeing the Grand Canyon and on to San Gabriel in California. He went to to the San Joaquin valley where they trapped. He followed Jed Smith's lead if not his route.
Kit led a battle against the Indians while in the San Joaquin valley. It was his first skirmish as leader and he did well. The Indians were defeated and Kit lost no men. Kit became an expert tracker and was gaining a reputation for getting whatever he did done well.
Upon returning to Taos Kit found himself again without work. He took a job trapping in the central Rockies where he again was successful. He took an Indian wife and was happy with her but she died in childbirth. He took another wife but she didn't take orders and threw him out of her TeePee.
In addition to learning lessons on getting along with women Kit learned the land and the Indians of the plains and Rockies. But the beaver were becoming scarce and little could be earned trapping them anymore.
Kit moved to Fort Bent, where he hunted buffalo to feed the traders and visitors to the Fort. Fort Bent was near where the Santa Fe Trail crossed the Arkansas River. It was on the American side of the Mexican Border. Kit made enough as a trapper and hunter to return to Taos where he married a girl of a fine family in that city. He lived with her until she died.
In 1842 Kit took his daughter back to frontier school. He stayed briefly on the frontier and then took a steamer up river. On the steamer Kit met Lt. John Charles Fremont who was leading soldiers to South Pass to demonstrate the safety of the Oregan Trail. At that time the U.S. and England disputed the border of the U.S. and Canada. The English had Ft. Vancouver on the Washington side of the Columbia River and were hunting in Oregon and northern California. The U.S. Government wanted to increase emigration into Oregon to strengthen the claim to Oregon. Few wanted to go to Oregon if they had to go by sea which was very expensive and be supplied and protected by sea. If the overland route was safe, more would go.
South Pass had been discovered only 20 years before by Jed Smith and a group of trappers including Jim bridger. Although it was much easier than the route taken by Lewis and Clark, the Indians were not as friendly. The Oregon Trail over South Pass could be traveled by wagons (called rolling lumber by the Indians). Later, this route would be followed by the telegraph, the Pony Express and the Union Pacific Railroad.
Fremont hired Kit as a guide for $100 per month and they set off. They found the Indians were on the warpath west of Ft. Laramie and many of the men did not want to go further but Fremont knew that if the Army couldn't go through the settlers wouldn't go either. Kit Carson wrote his Will the night before departure. The soldiers thought if an experienced Mountain Man wrote his Will it must be dangerous. Fremont, Carson and all the men left in the morning and had no trouble getting over South Pass. The soldiers were happy when Fremont turned back to Ft. Laramie, his mission accomplished.
The next year, 1843, Fremont led an expdition west to the mouth of the Columbia. They met Kit near Ft Bent. Fremont hired Kit again even though he already had Thomas Fitzpatrick, a man with even more experience in the mountains than Kit, and had guided wagon trains several times to Oregon. Kit had been in California before and this might be why Fremont hired him, even though Fremont's orders were to go to the Oregon coast and return.
Fremont got to the coast at the mouth of the Columbia where Lewis and Clark had camped for the winter. Although at end of his authorization, Fremont went south to California and Sutter's Fort at the confluence of the American River and the Sacramento River. Fremont had no orders to go there. He told the Mexican officials he was on a topological expedition which was true as far as it went. The Mexican Government was unable to do anything about this intrusion and did not want to create an incident so they left Fremont to his topological surveying.
Fremont surveyed California continuing down to the Mojave Desert and then left east on the Spanish Trail. Before they left California they came upon an Indian atrocity. The Indians had killed 2 men and had staked 2 women to the ground and left them to die. Carson tracked the Indians until he found them where he rode swiftly into their camp and settled the score.
Fremont returned up the Yampah river through the parks of Colorado and on to Bents Fort. Since he had gone to Oregon it wouldn't do to return from Mexico.
Fremont's expeditions became famous in the U.S. for their thrilling adventures and the magnificent lands he described. Fremont was liberal with his reports of Kit Carson's skills as well, making Kit found a celebrity in the east.
On December 10, 1845 Fremont returned to California with Kit, This time becoming the first large group to travel due west of Salt Lake City. Again he said he was to survey the south. The Mexicans again allowed him to stay but limited him from traveling near Monterey, the main fort in the area. On February 22, 1846 Fremont crossed Pacheco Pass and traveled to Santa Cruz for a coastal survey . This was in violation of the agreement with the Mexicans to stay east of El Camino Real and avoid the settlements near Monterey. .
On March 2, Fremont marched toward Monterey with the intention of turning east into the Salinas Valley and return to Fort Sutter. General Castro learned that the Americans are marching on Monterey, gathered volunteers to supplement the regular Army and marched north following Fremont who had by then turned east as he had planned. History might have been different had the Armies met on the coast.
Fremont learned of Castro's action and climbed Gavilan (Now Fremont) Peak where he built a simple fortification and raised the American Flag. Castro avoided confrontation by stopping at the base of the mountain but reinforcements were steadily arriving and Fremont dis not want an incident. Three days later Fremont struck the flag and marched to Fort Sutter. He explained that he had obeyed the letter of the agreement and had never threatened Monterey. He apologized for raising the American flag.
Fremont stayed at Sutter's Fort for a short while and then left toward Oregon. On April 17 Lt Gillespie arrived on the USS Cyane with orders for Fremont. Gillespie left the ship secretly and out of uniform. In fact Gillespie had traveled through Latin America out of uniform before taking a U.S. Ship from Mexico to Monterrey. Gillespie had no orders. He had memorized them before burning them. Gillespie traveled north to follow Fremont who was now near the Oregon Border. Fremont was on Lake Klamath when he learned of Gillespie trying to find him. Fremont returned and camped north of Sutter's Fort.
Fremont met with settlers and talked to them about the situation with the US and Mexico. The result was the formation of the Bear Flag Republic. It was a coincidence that Brittain and the US settled the Oregon border dispute on the same day the bear flag was raised. The US now clearly owned all of what is now Oregon and Washington State. Britain now had little reason to claim California.
The Mexicans captured and killed two American settlers. Fremont was still not able to help because there was no war with Mexico and the killings were an internal affair.
Actually the US and Mexico were at war and on July 7 Commander Sloat captured Monterrey and the U.S. Flag replaced the Bear Flag. Commander Stockton took command from Sloat and the battle for California began in earnest.
Stockton drafted Fremont, Carson and others into the Navy to establish and defend the new territory. They sailed in the Cyane to San Diego. When they arrived the Californios were not organized to fight back so the additional soldiers were not fully used. On February 15, 1846 carson and 125 men departed los Angeles for Washington D.C. with dispatches announcing the capture of California to President Polk.
The company met General Kearney coming west after capturing New Mexico. Kearney took Carson back to California and Fitzpatrick got the glory of carrying the dispatches East. Kearney also sent some of his troops back as they didn't seem to be needed in California.
The trip back was uneventful until they reached San Pasqual, a viliage North of San Diego. The Californios had formed a volunteer army and was waiting for Kearny there. When Kearney reached the Mexican pickets the Mexicans apeared to retreat. Kearney rode into trap and was ambushed by Cavalry who had been hidden. All that saved them was arrival of howitzers
Kit and Lt. Beale volunteered to go to Stockton for reinforcements. Together with an Indian, they walked barefoot thirty miles across four Mexican defense lines and got to Commander Stockton.
The Californios continued to fight hard, controlling all the areas in the South that were away from the ship's guns. They controlled all the area outside of San Diego and Los Angeles. The weather trapped Fremont in the North but was able to finally join Stockton and Kearny in Los Angeles.
The real fight was among the military leaders. Kearny believed his orders placed him in charge and as a soldier he should lead the land battles. Stockton had been first to arrive and exercised his authority while using the men he had drafted into the Navy, including Fremont, to fight the Californios. Fremont was caught in the middle but chose to stay under Stockton and disobey Kearny. Stockton appointed Fremont Military Governor of California.
Despite this infighting, the Californio's situation became hopeless because there was no help from Mexico. They insisted on surrendering to Fremont, whom they knew personally, further angering Kearny. After the surrender, Stockton left California putting Fremont under Kearny's command and vengeance. Kearny had Fremont arrested and took him east as a prisoner for court martial.
The battle for California was over and soon Mexico would be defeated and surrender Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California to the U.S. News of the end of the Mexican-American came to California at about the time Gold was discovered in Coloma. This was another coincidence, just as the Bear Flag was raised coincidentally just as the war started.
Kit Carson returned to his own gold, his family and home in Taos U.S.A. Retirement to farming did not mean boredom. In 1849, a Mrs White with her husband, daughter and four men were traveling East near Taos when Indians approched. The men did not defend themselves and all men were killed. Mrs White and her daughter were taken with the Indians. It took over three weeks before Kit and Army found the Indian camp. The indians escaped after killing Mrs White. She had been brutally handled. The daughter was never found.
The world was becoming more peaceful for Kit. Without the Mexican border there was no need for Bent's Fort to protect traders going to what became New Mexico. Bent tried to sell the fort to the Army to use for the Indian wars but they would not pay him enough. Bent finally destroyed the fort. Similarly, the Army tried to cheat Jim Bridger out of Fort Bridger, Wyoming but old Jim just gave up and abandoned it.
Kit fought against the Confederates to keep New Mexico in the Union. He died on May 23, 1869. Kit was a genuine hero and few like him would follow. He is remembered for what he did, what was named after him and what was shown of him in early movies.
Today the Boy Scouts of America use Kit's image at their New Mexico Philmont High Adventure Camp, in the New Mexico Kit so loved, to inspire the Scouts with his independence, skill and ability to lead. Kit would have liked that. Maybe fewer boys will run away now.
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