The Kit Carson Mountain Men
For 75 years, the Kit Carson Mountain Men club has seen many unique participants, and has
accumulated more stories than could be retold here. In the California Gold Country, they are
best known for leading wagon train reenactments, including the Kit Carson Days Wagon Train
on Highway 88, Highway 50 Wagon Train, and now, Days of 49 wagon train along historic
Highway 49.
Originally, this group of men called to preserve the traditions of early American fur traders
were called the “Whiskerinos.” The Whiskerinos changed their name to the Kit Carson
Mountain Men and incorporated in 1940. “Mountain Honeys” -- later changed to Women of the
West – are also active with the Mountain Men.
Numerous well-known individuals have visited the Mountain Men in Amador County including
Andy Griffith, John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, John Ford, Ken Curtis and more.
Ronald Reagan and Amador’s Saddle: When Ronald Reagan was the Governor of California,
local horseman Harold Cummins provided Reagan with a spotted Appaloosa horse. The horse
was renamed “Amador” in honor of the Mountain Men. Reagan, also a member of the
Mountain Men, rode Amador in parades throughout the region, including the annual Kit Carson
Days parade in Jackson. The mountain men rode behind Reagan in the parade and current
Mountain Man President John Queirolo inherited Amador’s saddle.
The Mountain Men and The Queen: The Queen of England came to Sacramento in 1983 and
specifically requested to see Sutter’s Fort and the Mountain Men, after reading a magazine
article about the Mountain Men. In Jackson, during a Mountain Men meeting, a stranger
walked in wearing a suit and tie. When the men in their coonskin caps and buckskins saw him,
they called out, “We don’t allow ties in here! Cut it off!” One of the Mountain Men, Bill Reed,
cut off the man’s tie. However, when the man informed the boisterous group that he was with
the FBI, sent by request of the President of the United States on behalf of the Queen of
England, the Mountain Men quieted down. John Queirolo was in charge of the Queen’s visit
and the organization of the Mountain Men to be her honor guard at Sutter’s Fort. After the
Queen’s visit, Queirolo discovered that one of the Mountain Men, who had been in the club for
14 months, was an FBI agent sent to ensure the Queen’s safety.
For more on the original covered wagon emigration into California, enjoy this chapter of history
by Amador County Archivist Larry Cenotto:
http://amadorgold.net/logansalley/news.php?newsid=7
Thanks to the Amador Ledger Dispatch for background on the Kit Carson Mountain Men.