Zebulon Pike, discovered what came to be known as Pike's Peak in Colorado in 1806

On October 7, 1906, Fairbainks Daily Times reported on the Pike centennial festivities In Colorado Springs, Colorado. This is an excerpt of the article written by W. E. Maxwell, including passages taken directly from Pike's expedition diary.

CELEBRATION OF DISCOVERY OF PIKE'S PEAK

    It was on the afternoon of Nov. 15, that Pike caught his first glimpse of the lofty mountain which was destined to bear his name. Four months before he had been put at the head of an expedition consisting of fifteen men and sent by the commanding general of the army, James Wilkinson, who was also governor of the newly purchased territory of Louisiana, to explore the region west of the Mississippi. The previous season he had made a military excursion to the upper Mississippi, but had not penetrated further.

    That General Wilkinson had implicit confidence in Pike is evident from the fact that he permitted his only son to accompany the young lieutenant on his second expedition. Although several attempts were made, not a member of the company was able to set foot on the summit of the height which they had discovered. Two days after Lieutenant Pike and his men sighted the peak he made this entry in his diary:

    "Pushed on with an idea of arriving at the mountains, but at night found no visible change in their appearance from that of yesterday." Seen through the dry, clear atmosphere of the great divide, the elusive mountains mocked him by their apparent nearness, just as they do the unsuspecting tenderfoot of today.

    Arrived at the foot of the peak, they prepared to ascend it. For six days they struggled bravely to accomplish the feat, but it was too much for them. The weather was bitter and the men's feet were frozen. Pike made this entry in his journal:

    "The summit, bare of vegetation and covered with snow, now appears at a distance of fifteen to sixteen miles. It is as high again as what we have ascended, and it would take a whole day's march to arrive at its base. I believe that no human being could ascend to its pinnacle."

    It was twelve years later when the first ascent was made. Dr. Edwin James, a member of the Long expedition, which explored the region in 1819, ascended the summit with two companions, whose names are unknown. The were undoubtedly the first white men to accomplish the feat.

Zebulon Montgomery Pike

Pike's Peak - Elevation: 14,114' (4,302 m)

Original Article