Poor Zebulon Pike. His life had as many ups and downs as the Rocky Mountains he was sent to explore. He and his team of 20 soldiers left St. Louis in July of 1806, just a few months before Lewis and Clark returned to that city. Lewis and Clark have always been a big deal since their two year trek to the Pacific and back. They didn’t find a water route to the sea, but they brought back something just as valuable: knowledge of the new American territory.
Lieutenant Pike, was on his own when he was sent to explore the more southerly portion of the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis and Clark has each other for support. Plus they had the native woman Sacagawea who had a compass in her head.
The previous year, Pike had been sent up the Mississippi to find its headwaters, to make peace between the Dakota and the Ojibwa tribes, and to inform British fur trappers that this was now American territory. He reached Minnesota in September and by the time he finished building a fort there, the Mississippi had frozen and he had to continue north on foot. He reached Cass Lake and declared it the source of the river though the actual source was another 80 river miles west and a little south. At a fur post nearby, he shot ceremonial holes in the British flag and raised the American flag in its place.
Pike and his men spent the rest of the winter in their fort and were back in St. Louis by April. Just three months later he and his group were heading up the Missouri River toward the Rocky Mountains. They spotted what would eventually be called Pike's Peak on this day in 1806. It is the most prominent peak in the area and Pike wanted to climb it to survey the surrounding country. Easier said than done. As he and his men climbed a nearby mountain, he estimated that Pike's Peak was still a two day hike away. His men were dressed in light coveralls and lacked socks, and the snow was waist deep. Also, there was no game to provide food, so he skipped the ascent.
Pike's main assignment on this expedition was to find the headwaters of the Red River of the South. This is where Pike's story gets a little crazy. The source of the Red River is in Oklahoma near the Texas Panhandle. Pike had been following the Arkansas River towards its source in Colorado. He left the Arkansas for the Red but headed north instead of south. He eventually reached the Platte River and assumed it was the Red. The expedition followed the Platte to it's headwaters in northern Colorado.
From the headwaters of the Platte, they returned to the Arkansas. It's a mystery why they didn't simply paddle down the Arkansas and make their way to safety. Instead, they hiked through the mountains until they reached the Rio Grande in southern Colorado. Here Pike built a fort for the winter. Unfortunately, they were now in Spanish Territory, and they were soon captured and taken to Santa Fe. Pike as an officer, was treated well but most of his men were locked up.
Pike was taken all over Texas and down into Mexico. He gained a lot of military information and learned that the Mexicans were preparing to revolt against Spain. The Spanish were nervous that American setlers would start encroaching on their territory. After protests by the U.S. Pike was sent home in early summer, though some of his men remained in Mexican prisons for several years.
Pike continued in the army, eventually being promoted to brigadier general. In the War of 1812, he led a successful attack on the fort at present day Toronto. But the retreating British mined their powder magazine and as Pike approached the fort he and several soldiers were killed in the explosion. He was 34.
The peak named after him has had many names over the centuries: Tabeguache, Tava, Heey-otoyoo, by native bands, El Capitan by the Spanish, James Peak, in honor of the first man (that we know of) to climb it in 1820, and finally Pike's Peak, by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names in 1890. Pike himself called it "Highest Peak."
Pike would be surprised to see what has become of the mountain he never reached. There's a cog railway (the highest in the world), a paved road, annual car, bike and foot races. three restaurants and half a million visitors per years.
The previous year, Pike had been sent up the Mississippi to find its headwaters, to make peace between the Dakota and the Ojibwa tribes, and to inform British fur trappers that this was now American territory. He reached Minnesota in September and by the time he finished building a fort there, the Mississippi had frozen and he had to continue north on foot. He reached Cass Lake and declared it the source of the river though the actual source was another 80 river miles west and a little south. At a fur post nearby, he shot ceremonial holes in the British flag and raised the American flag in its place.
Pike and his men spent the rest of the winter in their fort and were back in St. Louis by April. Just three months later he and his group were heading up the Missouri River toward the Rocky Mountains. They spotted what would eventually be called Pike's Peak on this day in 1806. It is the most prominent peak in the area and Pike wanted to climb it to survey the surrounding country. Easier said than done. As he and his men climbed a nearby mountain, he estimated that Pike's Peak was still a two day hike away. His men were dressed in light coveralls and lacked socks, and the snow was waist deep. Also, there was no game to provide food, so he skipped the ascent.
Pike's main assignment on this expedition was to find the headwaters of the Red River of the South. This is where Pike's story gets a little crazy. The source of the Red River is in Oklahoma near the Texas Panhandle. Pike had been following the Arkansas River towards its source in Colorado. He left the Arkansas for the Red but headed north instead of south. He eventually reached the Platte River and assumed it was the Red. The expedition followed the Platte to it's headwaters in northern Colorado.
From the headwaters of the Platte, they returned to the Arkansas. It's a mystery why they didn't simply paddle down the Arkansas and make their way to safety. Instead, they hiked through the mountains until they reached the Rio Grande in southern Colorado. Here Pike built a fort for the winter. Unfortunately, they were now in Spanish Territory, and they were soon captured and taken to Santa Fe. Pike as an officer, was treated well but most of his men were locked up.
Pike was taken all over Texas and down into Mexico. He gained a lot of military information and learned that the Mexicans were preparing to revolt against Spain. The Spanish were nervous that American setlers would start encroaching on their territory. After protests by the U.S. Pike was sent home in early summer, though some of his men remained in Mexican prisons for several years.
Pike continued in the army, eventually being promoted to brigadier general. In the War of 1812, he led a successful attack on the fort at present day Toronto. But the retreating British mined their powder magazine and as Pike approached the fort he and several soldiers were killed in the explosion. He was 34.
The peak named after him has had many names over the centuries: Tabeguache, Tava, Heey-otoyoo, by native bands, El Capitan by the Spanish, James Peak, in honor of the first man (that we know of) to climb it in 1820, and finally Pike's Peak, by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names in 1890. Pike himself called it "Highest Peak."
Pike would be surprised to see what has become of the mountain he never reached. There's a cog railway (the highest in the world), a paved road, annual car, bike and foot races. three restaurants and half a million visitors per years.
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| There are 19 peaks in Colorado higher than Pike's. PR matters. |
Don't you ever get winded? Your research is daunting and your stories well worth the readings. JPSavage
ReplyDeleteThank you. I had to leave out lots of fascinating stuff. There's an indication that Pike was set up to get captured by the Spanish so that he could spy on Spanish territory about which the U.S. knew nothing. Pike figured that as an officer he'd be treated well since Spain and the U.S. were not at war. This worked well for him. Not so well for some of his men who languished in Mexican prisons for years. I ordered a full biography of Pike to get to the bottom of this.
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