Salida in Chaffee County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Christmas 1806

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2010

1. Christmas 1806 Marker

Inscription. Frustrated in their attempt to climb Pike’s Peak on November 27, 1806, Zebulon Pike and his party of 15 trudged on through South Park looking for the Red River, southern boundary of the Louisiana Purchase. After crossing Trout Creek Pass, the explorers came again to the Arkansas River, with food perilously low. On Christmas Eve two hunting parties shot eight buffalo, and Christmas Day was spent near the mouth of Squaw Creek (one-half mile to the south) feasting on buffalo and repairing equipment.

Early in 1807 Pike crossed into the San Luis Valley at the Great Sand Dunes and built a log stockade (reconstructed as a State Historical Monument) on the Conejos River near present La Jara, where he was taken prisoner by the Spanish.

Erected 1964 by State Historical Society of Colorado. (Marker Number 130.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Colorado - History Colorado series list. A significant historical month for this entry is November 1984.

Location. 38° 35.533′ N, 106° 5.1′ W. Marker is in Salida, Colorado, in Chaffee County. Marker is on U.S. 285, 5 miles north of U.S. 50, on the left when traveling

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north. The marker is located in a small pullout parking lot, along with three associated informational markers and a covered picnic bench. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Salida CO 81201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Finding Our Roots / New Faces Along the River / Pike Explores the Valley (a few steps from this marker); The Jackson Hotel (approx. 5½ miles away); The Salida Steam Plant (approx. 6.3 miles away); Chaffee County Honor Roll Board (approx. 6.4 miles away); Peaks to Pastures (approx. 8.2 miles away); Valley Ranching (approx. 8.2 miles away); Whose Water Is It? (approx. 8.2 miles away); Lt. Zebulon Pike's Southwestern Expedition (approx. 13.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Salida.

More about this marker. The marker is wooden and somewhat weathered.

Also see . . .
1. The Zebulon Pike Expedition of 1806/07. The Pike expedition began on July 15, 1806. Pike’s expeditionary party included 17 men from his failed Mississippi River expedition; two new volunteer soldiers; his second-in-command, Lt. James Biddle Wilkinson, son of the general; a volunteer physician, Dr. John H. Robinson; and Baronet Vasquez, an interpreter from St. Louis. (Submitted on November 28, 2013, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Pike Expedition. The Pike Expedition (July 15, 1806 –

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2010

2. Christmas 1806 Marker

The top edge of the marker is carved and painted to represent the mountain peaks seen in the background.

July 1, 1807) was a military effort authorized by the United States government to explore the south and west of the recent Louisiana Purchase. Roughly contemporaneous with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, it was led by United States Army Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, Jr. (He was promoted to captain while on the trip.) It was the first official American effort to explore the western Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains in present-day Colorado. (Submitted on November 28, 2013, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 22, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 28, 2013, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 10,658 times since then and 405 times this year. Last updated on December 27, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 28, 2013, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.