Who Was Kit Carson?

Among those names that have come down to us from the Wild West—Buffalo Bill, Jim Bridger, Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane—Kit Carson gets my vote as the most heroic, unassuming, skilled, lucky, and decent of them all. He lit out from Kentucky at an early age, spent a decade as a mountain man, and became a government guide on the Fremont expeditions that earned that well connected explorer the nickname “The Pathfinder.” He went on to serve as an Indian Agent for the Utes, testified often on behalf of Native Americans at various government hearings—and became a dime-novel hero to boot.
But what about that campaign against the Navahos? Well, you can read the whole story here.