Owner Comments:
MEDAL APPEARANCE/CONDITION:
TOP POP: Bronze Variety — Choice Brilliant Gem+/Ultra High-Relief
(Slabbed in Double-Thick Holder)
*Gorgeous, near perfect example of this fascinating design which appears three dimensional due to such high relief. — Matches its “much” rarer silver counterpart of the same design which is also included in this collection.*
MEDAL BACKGROUND:
Recognizes 'Kit' Carson's role as a frontiersman, fur trapper, wilderness guide and Indian agent in the Rocky Mountains during the mid 1800's. Carson was also breveted a Brigadier General, and took command of Fort Garland, Colorado. - The reverse of the piece displays Colorado's state seal.
—————
Front of Original Insert Included with Medal Reads as Follows:
“STATEHOOD ART MEDAL
STATE OF COLORADO
COLORADO BECAME THE 38TH STATE ADMITTED TO THE UNION when statehood was proclaimed on August 1, 1876. Before the arrival of the first white men, Colorado was inhabited by cliff-dwelling Indians in the south and southwest and by nomadic hunting tribes in the north. Francisco Vázquez de Coronado was probably the first European to enter what is now Colorado during his search for the "seven cities of Cibola" in 1540. After years saw more Spaniards pass through the area from Mexico, including two friars, Domingques, who reportedly passed through in 1776 while searching for a norland route to northern California. Later, traders and trappers from several nations began to visit the area in small numbers.”
DESIGNER: Ralph J. Menconi
RARITY: Unknown
(*TOP POP*: NGC Pop = 1; NONE Finer) [04/2022]
**Only example to be graded by NGC.**
MEDAL BACKGROUND:
(Medallic Art Company, N.Y., Bronze, 32.5mm, Round, Ultra High-Relief, Plain/Lettered Edge)
OBVERSE: Christopher “Kit” Carson / Colorado / (Ultra-High Relief Bust of Kit Carson) / Ralph J. Menconi 1970
REVERSE: (Colorado State Seal)
EDGE: Medallic Art Co. N.Y.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
(“Kit” Carson):
“Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and news articles, and exaggerated versions of his exploits were the subject of dime novels. His understated nature belied confirmed reports of his fearlessness, combat skills, tenacity, and profound effect on the westward expansion of the United States. Although he was famous for much of his life, historians in later years have written that Kit Carson did not like, want, or even fully understand the fame that he experienced during his life.
——-
When the Civil War ended, and the Indian Wars campaigns were in a lull, Carson was appointed brevet brigadier general (dated March 13, 1865) and appointed commandant of Ft. Garland, Colorado, in the heart of Ute territory. Carson had many Ute friends in the area and assisted in government relations.
——-
After being mustered out of the army, Carson took up ranching, settling at Boggsville in Bent County. In 1868, at the urging of Washington and the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Carson journeyed to Washington, DC, where he escorted several Ute Chiefs to meet with the US President to plead for assistance to their tribe.
——-
Soon after his return, his wife, Josefa, died from complications after she gave birth to their eighth child. Her death was a crushing blow to Carson. He died a month later, age 58, on May 23, 1868, in the presence of Dr. Tilton and his friend Thomas Boggs in the surgeon's quarters at Fort Lyon, Colorado. His last words were "Goodbye, friends. Adios, compadres." The cause of his death was abdominal aortic aneurysm. His resting place is Taos, New Mexico.” — Credited Source: Momaday, N. Scott (October 29, 2006). "Cowboys and Indians". The New York Times
—————
(Colorado Ties/Association):
“Kit Carson’s Colorado associations were many. He trapped throughout Colorado as a young man and later traversed the state during the Frémont expeditions. He had direct connections to Bent’s Fort as well as Forts Davy Crockett, St. Vrain, and El Pueblo. As Indian agent his area of responsibility included southern Colorado, where he later took charge at Fort Garland. He regarded South Park as the finest hunting ground in the Rockies. It was an injury from a hunting accident in the San Juan Mountains that, years later, led to his fatal aneurysm. He lived the final year of his life in Boggsville near present-day Las Animas, and it was near there that he died.“ — Credited Source: APA 6th Edition; Zier, C. J. (2016, March 14). Kit Carson. Colorado Encyclopedia.