Zebulon Pike - The Rest of the Story?

Post (C) Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

An early photo of Pikes Peak

I've been talking about Colorado becoming a state. In this post, I'll be looking back to before Colorado was even conceived.

Zebulon Montgomery Pike: Born in January of 1779 in Lamington, New Jersey. His father, Zebulon Pike Sr., was an Army officer who began his career in 1775 during the Revolutionary War. Pike Senior achieved the rank of Major and moved from New Jersey to Illinois, Pennsylvania, and other western areas. He died in Indiana in 1834 at the age of 82.

Pike Jr. enlisted at the age of 15. In 1805, he was sent out on an expedition to find the source of the Mississippi River. He erroneously said the river began at Leech Lake. The actual source was Lake Itasca, twenty-five miles further.

Of course, 1806 was his journey into the 'Southwest' and the failed attempt to climb the mountain that now bears his name. He was arrested in 1807 by the Spanish for entering their territory, in what is now Southern Colorado, and taken to Santa Fe.

He continued his military service through the southern portion of the United States, and when the War of 1812 started, then-Brigadier General Pike led a successful attack on York (Toronto) but was killed in 1813 in the same area when a powder magazine exploded.

He also eloped with his cousin Clarissa Brown in 1801. Of their five children, only one child, a daughter, lived to adulthood.

When he was captured by the Spanish in 1807,  they confiscated his journals and other papers. They were returned by the Mexican government in 1907.

I had the privilege of viewing and photographing Pike's saber and journal. Enjoy.

All images property of Doris McCraw

Until next time:

Stay safe - Doris

Angela Raines - Amazon

Doris A. McCraw - Amazon

On This Day in the Old West August 14

 On August 14, 1848, the United States Congress approved the formation of the Oregon Territory. At that time, the territory included the present-day states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming. Its southern border was the 42^nd parallel north, (the boundary of the Adams-Onis Treaty of  1819) and it extended north to the 49^thparallel. The capital city was Oregon City, not far from Portland. This was moved to Salem, then briefly to Corvalis, then back to Salem again. Despite its size, Oregon Territory had a sparse population. The 1850 census recorded only 13,294 residents.

This was a time of rapid expansion under the James Knox Polk administration, with its emphasis on Manifest Destiny and territorial expansion. The Oregon Territory quickly became a magnet for diverse groups of immigrants and settlers. The deep wagon wheel ruts created by the massive migration can still be seen, marking the Oregon Trail. Two years previously, the United States and Great Britain had signed the Oregon Border Treaty, which guaranteed the U.S. claims to the Oregon Territory. In December 1848, President Polk announced the discovery of gold in the newly conquered territory of California. 90,000 immigrants raced from their homes around the world to the newly discovered goldfields. These provided residents of Oregon Territory with an important and valuable market for agricultural and timber products.

Initially, Oregon Territory suffered population losses due to California gold, but the long-term population gains and prosperous markets created by the gold rush brought additional settlement to the Pacific Northwest. It also led to firmer federal control of the newly conquered lands and the violent displacement of Native American settlements. 

In 1853, Washington Territory was carved out of the original Oregon Territory, with the southern boundaries being the lower Columbia River and the 46^th parallel east of that river. The Oregon Constitutional Convention was held in 1857 “to draft a constitution in preparation for becoming a state.” Delegates approved this document in September, and the populace voted “yea” in November. The territory entered the Union on February 14, 1859 as the U.S. state of Oregon, with its current boundaries. The rest of the eastern portion of the territory (the portions of present-day southern Idaho and western Wyoming) were added to Washington Territory.

Your characters might have come down the Oregon Trail to settle in the new territory, or they might have been born and raised in Oregon. At any rate, Oregon Territory and Oregon state make great settings for your stories.

 

J.E.S. Hays
www.jeshays.com
www.facebook.com/JESHaysBooks

Sources:

https://www.nps.gov/places/formation-of-the-oregon-territory.htm

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/oregon-territory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Territory

https://www.nwyc.com/article/this_week_in_history_oregon_territory