| Abstrakt: |
Whether it is the process of placing Kit Carson on pedestals, or removing him from monuments, the memory of Carson is one dimensional. Historians and the public celebrated, and now condemn, his participation in westward American expansion. This article explores Carson's ability to adapt and operate within complicated contexts. Quickly, one learns that Carson's facility for operating within multiple cultures made him special. The Arapaho, Cheyenne, Hispanic New Mexico, and perhaps other peoples and places, left lasting impressions on Carson, molding him into something beyond an expansionist. Carson's bronze image and namesakes across the West are a direct result of his willingness and ability to adapt. Perhaps such statues and monuments do, or at least should, reflect a diverse and complicated West. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
