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 Kit Carson Marker, California
N 38° 41.633 W 119° 59.250
11S E 240170 N 4287044
This pass over the Sierra Nevada is named after Kit Carson and a marker at the summit honors the scout and frontierman.
Waymark Code: WM3WVG
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 05/27/2008
Views: 72
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Kit Carson, 1809-1868
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8,574 feet above sea level, Carson Pass is one of six passes across the crest of the highest mountains in the Continental US. It is named after frontiersman, trapper and scout Kit Carson who was the first European American to cross the mountains on what was then an Indian trading route. When Carson discovered the pass, he marked his name on a tree, returned to camp and brought the Fremont party back over the pass to Sutters Fort in the Sacramento Valley. Only a few years later, during the California Gold Rush, 250,000 immigrants followed Carson's footsteps over the hills into Golden California.
An extensive biography of Kit Carson can be found at Wikipedia.
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Text on the marker:
On this spot, which marks the summit of the Kit Carson Pass, stood the Kit Carson Tree on which the famous scout Kit Carson inscribed his name in 1844 when he guided the then Captain John C. Fremont, head of a government exploring expedition, over the Sierra Nevada. The original inscription was cut from the tree in 1888 and is now in Sutter's Fort, Sacramento.
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Carson Pass, Elevation 8,574 feet
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Marker Number: 315.00
Marker Name: Kit Carson Marker
County: Alpine
Has Official CA Plaque: yes
Location:
On State Hwy 88, 14.5 mi W of Woodfords
Website: [Web Link]
Marker Dedication Date: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Feel free to post a picture of you at the landmark site, but a photo is not required to log a visit.
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