A Legendary Horseback Duel

In 1835, a large, obnoxious, French-Canadian trapper named Joseph Chouinard went looking for Americans to bully at the annual trapper’s rendezvous in Wyoming. A short, wiry trapper stepped forward, proudly claiming to be an American, and told the Frenchman to shut up or he would “rip his guts.” Both ended up armed and on horseback, facing each other. The little guy asked if the Frenchman was going to shoot. Chouinard said, “No,” and raised his rifle to open fire, but the little guy shot first and won the duel. The victor’s name? Kit Carson.