The Wild West , how many dreams have been fulfilled and shattered in this wonderful territory ?
How many heroes and villains have walked these plains in order to conquer the unknown ?
Christopher ' Kit ' Carson was one of these villains or fearless warriors and his contradictions would tell the true story of how the West was won .
At the tender age of 16 , in 1826 he left home since longing for adventure the call of the West was impossible to resist .
His adventures started in Taos , the hub of the South Western fur trade on the Mexican border.
Through the years he passed from trapper to Army scout and he surveyed the West with Lieutenant J.C.Fremont , this encounter would change Carson's life and the West forever . Together they mapped out the the overland routes to the Pacific , thus creating The Oregon Trail .
In 1849 during the 49ers gold rush he was portrayed , in popular literature as The Prince of the Gold Hunters . In this role he was set up as a brutal killer of Indians . He himself tried rather to settle conflicts in a more peaceful manner whenever possible and he was appointed as an Indian Agent for the tribes of Northern New Mexico Territory .
However the 'civilizing' effort was on the move again and he had to join the forces in 1862 to wage war especially against the Navajo . They were to be established on reservations in eastern Mexico , at Bosque Resdondo , at all costs . Having forced them off their land , ruining their crops and slaughtering many he compelled those men , women and children left to walk the 3,000 miles on what was to become a death march, 'The Long Walk ' of the Navajo people .
According to Mark Samels , the executive producer of American Experience 'His life exemplifies the contradictions and complexities of a little-understood era in America's history . His life illicits both pride and shame , much like the history of America as a growing nation . '
Now watch the programme about his life and his time . I have downloaded the first two episodes of nine which you can find on American Experience in the Helpful/Useful Links section at the bottom of the blog or try :
">Linkhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carson/
Part 1
Part 2
Enjoy it !
