Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman, fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime via biographies and news articles. His (sometimes exaggerated) exploits were the subject of dime novels. In Christopher Carson, Familiarly Known as Kit Carson the Pioneer of the West , historian John Abbott traces the remarkable life of this early American icon.