Lt. Zebulon Pike's Southwestern Expedition

Lt. Zebulon Pike's Southwestern Expedition. Travel the route of these explorers and read Lt. Pike's own words from his journal, U.S. Army Expedition to explore the United States' new southwest boundary with New Spain , The men , Lt. Zebulon M. Pike . Dr. John H. Robinson . "Baroney" Vasquez . Sgt. William Meek . Corp. Jeremiah Jackson . Privates: John Brown, Jacob Carter, Thomas Dougherty, William Gordon, Hugh Menaugh, Theodore Miller, John Mountjoy, Alexander Roy, Patrick Smith, John Sparks, Freegift Stout, The Expedition: , 26th and 27th December 1806 (Pike) , "Marched...to entrance of the mountains...As my boy and some others were sick, I omitted pitching our tent in order that they might have it [for covering]...we were completely covered with snow,...extreme rough road, horses had frequent falls...I am convinced that neither animals nor aborigines ever take this route"., Site of this sign: , Here Pike's journey was treacherous demanding travel on the frozen river. Packs had to be redistributed. Today the canyon has been tamed by modern road and rail and is enjoyed by people in motorized vehicles and all forms of recreational equipment for land and whitewater. Pike's men caught and caged a bird (Carolina parakeet, now extinct)., Map, center bottom: , At the end of this ill-fated part of the expedition, Pike split up his men to find a way out of the canyon and to keep moving sleds and injured horses. Continuous hunting was also critical. It took 6-7 hard days to reach the area of Cañon City where he had started the northward search for the headwaters of the Arkansas. He was surprised to see he had returned to the same area where he began., Captions , Map, top center: . From the careful logbooks by early explorers like Lewis and Clark and Zebulon Pike, the mapmakers of Washington were kept busy creating new images of the mostly unknown Rocky Mountains. This original map was published in 1807. , . November 27th: "The unbounded prairie was overhung with clouds, which appeared like the ocean in a storm..the thermometer..here fell to 4° below 0." 1806 (Pike) , . December 25th: "800 miles from the frontiers of our country, in the most inclement season of the year, not one person clothed for the winter, many without blankets..." 1806 (Pike), Map, right: Lt. Facundo Melgares' Spanish Expeditionary Command Route , . Late November: Shadowed by Lt. Pike's expedition, Lt. Melgares and his Spanish troops headed south for Santa Fe. , Bottom right: Expedition recording equipment similar to Pike's. . This historical marker is Near Howard in Fremont County Colorado