Mountain Man to Explorer: Kit Carson & the Pathfinder

Kit Carson ventured west as a teenager, looking to escape the drudgery of civilization by becoming a Rocky Mountain fur trapper. And in the years to come, Kit would find all the excitement a youngster could hope for in the life of a mountain man. For over a decade, Carson would embark on a series of fur-trapping expeditions from New Mexico and Arizona up to present-day Montana and as far west as California. According to Carson, these were the happiest days in his life – there in the mountains, far from the habitations of civilized man, with no other food than that which he could procure with his rifle. Sadly, the good times never last forever. By the early 1840s, the beaver trade was played out, Carson’s Arapaho wife passed away, and he soon found himself in a brand new career as a guide for up-and-coming explorer John C. Fremont. This partnership would elevate both men to the status of living legends. What was life like for Kit Carson post-fur trade? Who exactly was John C. Fremont guy? Why’d they call him the Pathfinder? And how much of Fremont’s success stemmed from his association with Kit Carson? We’re going to discuss all this and more, including Fremont’s expeditions, Carson’s family life, and a couple of bloody massacres that have largely remained forgotten even to this day. #wildwest #history #western

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Carson’s Autobiography - https://archive.org/details/kitcarson...

Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/

Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/

Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest

Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/

Join Into History for ad-free and bonus content! https://intohistory.supercast.com/

Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content!   / wildwestextra  

Carson’s Autobiography - https://archive.org/details/kitcarson...