Welcome to the American Story.

Stories about what it is that makes America beautiful and worthy of our love.

This is Chris Flannery with the Claremont Institute.

I call this one just Kit Carson.

Two men in a savage desert pursue day and night an unknown body of Indians into the defile of an unknown mountain,

attack them on site without counting numbers, and defeat them in an instant.

And for what?

To punish the robbers of the desert,

and to avenge the wrongs of Mexicans whom they did not know.

This expedition may be considered among the boldest and most disinterested

which the annals of Western adventure

so full of daring deeds can present.

These words and the details of the adventure they refer to appeared in a government report

published in 1845 titled, Report of the Exploring Expeditions to the Rocky Mountains in the year

1842 and to Oregon in North California in the years 1843, 1844.

As one good historian wrote in the mid 20th century,

no government reports before or since have been as readable.

Francis Parkman read them, decided to make a Western trip himself and wrote the Oregon Trail.

Brigham Young read them and led his Mormon followers to Salt Lake.

Farmers read them, sold their farms, and began the long journey by wagon to the

Willemid Valley.

The author of the reportsamad Valley.

...