Kit Carson was a buffalo hunter, trailblazing rancher and military guide. Born on Christmas Eve in 1809, Carson spent most of his early childhood in Boone’s Lick, Missouri. In 1842, while returning to Missouri to visit his family, Carson happened to meet explorer John C. Fremont who soon hired him as a guide. Over the next several years Carson helped guide Fremont to Oregon, California, through much of the Central Rocky Mountains and the Great Basin. His service with Fremont quickly made Kit Carson a national hero, presented in popular fiction as a rugged mountain man capable of superhuman feats.He called Taos, NM his home for most of his life.