装备卡森, born Christopher Carson in Kentucky, ran away from home and traveled to Taos, 新墨西哥, where at 17 he began to make his living as a trapper, 猎人, 和指导. 卡森领导U.S. 探险家约翰·C. Frémont on three expeditions through the Rocky Mountain region. Accepting a commission as a colonel in the U.S. Army in 1861, Carson fought against Native American and Confederate forces.