Pike and Southwest Commerce

Pike and Southwest Commerce. An Inauspicious Beginning. 29th January. Thursday. Finding the distance too great to attempt crossing immediately to the river, in a direct line, we marched obliquely to a copse of woods, which made down a considerable distance from the mountains. Distance 17 miles. Saw sign of horses., The camp of U.S. Army Lt. Zebulon Pike's exploration party on January 29, 1807 was on Zapata Creek (tree-lined stream seen below on right). Upon entering New Spain, Pike was poised to lift the curtain of secrecy that had shielded this territory for the past century. At the time, New Mexico was rich in horses and mules for trade and silver for purchase. On America's frontier, there existed a scarcity of work animals coupled with the availability of manufactured goods. Upon discovery by the Spanish on the Conejos River, Pike was escorted to Santa Fe and Chihuahua, Mexico. Later, Pike and his men were taken across Texas and returned to the United States in July 1807. The information gained on this expedition was published in 1810. Within a decade, entrepreneurs had made their way to Santa Fe and returned with great profit. The Santa Fe Trail was thus born with Pike the acknowledged father.