Author’s Note How often has one seen the disclaimer “Resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental” roll by in the credits of a particular film? Or perhaps the “Based upon the life of…” sanction? The studio that has produced the work is telling us that what we are about to see or have seen is purely imaginative in spite of the fact that the story has been crafted around the life and times of an actual person. Such is the case with Counting Coup. While I have constructed this work of fiction around the life and times of the legendary trapper and scout Kit Carson the chapters in the book have been written in a fashion that manipulates time and location and creates an imaginary protagonist and supplementary fictional characters. To be sure the names of actual westerners emerge during the telling of the story: Kit Carson, Jim Bridger, Captain John Fremont, Basil Lajeunesse, the bully “Shunar,” my ancestor Commodore “Fighting Bob” Stockton and others were all living, breathing men whose exploits helped expand our borders westward, often in a violent fashion. To produce this work of fiction I have researched a number of superb biographies, specifically John Brockmann’s “Protean Man for a Protean Nation,” Tom Chaffin’s “Pathfinder,” David Roberts’ “A Newer World,” George F. Ruxton’s “Life in the Far West,” Hampton Sides’ “Blood and Thunder,” and Marc Simmons’ “Kit Carson & His Three Wives” among others. One final thought: The pioneers that pushed westward endured great danger and hardship. Their American Indian adversaries asked no quarter and gave none. If the reader tends to embrace the folly of today’s political correctness then he or she will be offended by what they read here. I make no apologies for attempting to depict the way west as it actually was. Bob Stockton
Posted on: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 12:46:42 +0000
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