Kit Carson, Colorado

A Brief History of Kit Carson

Kit Carson grew as a Kansas Pacific railroad settlement in 1869–1870. The original town stood on Sand Creek, about three miles west of the present community, and briefly prospered as a railroad terminus with permanent buildings, tents and dugouts. Its name honored the western scout and guide, who had died in 1868. A post office opened at the present site in March 1882, marking a later chapter in the settlement’s development. Kit Carson incorporated on July 13, 1931. Located in Cheyenne County, the town is distinct from neighboring Kit Carson County; its surviving railroad heritage helps explain its origins on the eastern plains.