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 |
No comments:
Post a Comment