The Washington herald., 1913-07-06
Kit Carson
Pioneer Pathfinder Of she Great
Wet
by John L. Cowan

SOwus vhoBes usuih8 pst " ".Ao
settler within q thousand miles.
However, rs II trsnspired, these were
mot the mere bootless wanderings of
. fur trapper. Kit Carson had need
Of all this lsboriously acquired
knowledge Of trails and pathways
that he might fulfill his destiny.
In 1884 he gave up the vocation Of
trapping beaver, which he had pur-
sued SO long and 20 successfully. IL
was no longer profitable. The beaver
hat had gone out of fashion, and the
price of beaver pelts dropped TO
figure that drove most of the western
fur hunters out Of business.
Among the largest operators In the
fur trade In the Rocky Mountains Mt
that period were the six Bent broth
ers, with whom was associated Ceran
st. Vrain. Two Of the brothers main
tanned an establishment at 81. Louis,
disposing of the furs to eastern and
foreign dealers. st. Vrain and the
four Bents were In the wilderness,
and took no inconspicuous part In
frontier history. In 1926, they built
q trading post on the north bank of
the Arkansas River, about midway be-
and Canon City. This proved too
small for their growing business, and
was not considered well adapted for
defense, SO In 1899 q much larger
and stronger trading post was con-
structed at no great distance. This
was known as Bent's Fort. Its owner
carried on an extensive trade with
the Mexlcans, with the Commanchc,
Pawnee, Arapahoe, Cheycnnes and
Ute Indians, and with the trappers
Of the entire region to the north and
west. This was the most important
trading post on the Santa Fc Trail,
between Independence and Santa Fe,
and became as celebrated In frontier
history as Fort Laramie. For eight
years Bent's Fort was the focus of
Carson's activities. He took the con-
tract Of supplying It's forty inmates
with fresh meat. Abundant ~ were
buffalo. deer, elk, antelope and other
wild game ut that period, this was
no small undertaking for one man.
Nevertheless, we can well believe that
the years spent At this congenisl Ia
Dor were the most pleasant Of Kit
Carson's life.
This trip to 81. Louis proved to he
the turning point of his whole
career. Here he met Lieut.. John &.
Fremont, then organizing his first ex-
petition for the exploration Of the
unmapped and unknown West. FREE
mont was waiting for well-known
hunter, named Captain Dripps, who
was to act as his guide. But II Car
son would so, to wait longer on Cap
tain Dripps was unnecessary. Ar
engagements were soon completed, and
Fremont's expedition embarked at
st. Louis, May 22, 1s42, going up the
Missouri by boat as far as the mouth
OF the Kansas River.
r HIS was the beginning Of Kit Car
sons real life work, In which he
rendered his greatest services to his
country. The years Of trapping and
hunting had been but years of pre-
parstion, giving him greater famil-
iarity than any other man of his
time enjoyed with desert trails and
mountain passes, acquainting him
with the habits, peouliarities and Ian
guages of many Indian tribes, and
equipping him to guide the man whom
we call the Pathfinder of the Rock
les" from Bent's Fort on the Arkan-
sas to the Pacific Coast. Let us not
detract one iotum from the glory of
John c. Fremont, but let us not for
get that Kit Carson was his pilot.
The expedition of 1912 went only
10 the crest of the Rockies, trayersing