Conservative ,
INCIDENTS OF WESTERN HISTORY.
[ Pike In the Mountains. ]
The explorations of Lieutenant Zeb-
ulon Montgomery Pike follow next ,
in point of time , after those of Cap
tains Lewis and Clark. There was a
great difference , however , in the na
tures of their expeditions. The cap
tains wore sent out by the president ,
to explore the vast region ho had just
purchased from the French. The lieu
tenant was dispatched by the general
of the army to plant the flag of the
young nation in the face of the host
ile neighbors on the north and south
west. In 1803 , the year following
Lewis and Clark's setting out , Pike
was ordered to the headwaters of the
Mississippi , to stop the advances of
British furtraders among the Sioux
and their neighbors. This errand he
discharged so well that ho was select
ed to lead another party in the year
following to make a military demon
stration among the Indians who were
exposed to Spanish influence from
Mexico which then covered part of
Kansas , Colorado and Wyoming , and
all south of the Oregon line. The
United States was at this time a
great , helpless , shapeless thing and
its future was very uncertain. How
much Pike's two expeditions may
have had to do with deciding its final
destiny , who can tell ?
Pike himself was a Now Jersey man ,
born in 1779 , and as he said of him
self , "a soldier from the time he was
able to bear arms. " After his return
from Mexico , he advanced rapidly in
his professionand commanded as gen
eral at the siege of York , Canada , in
1818 ; where he received a mortal
wound in the moment of victory , and
died on the field with his head pil
lowed on the captured British flag.
The expedition of 180G is the most
interesting episode in his story. The
Spanish were then making their last
bid for this region that we live in ;
their last military party had passed so
lately that the grass was still bent be
hind them when Pike and his 22 men
came along. Among the Pawnees on
the Arkansas river , in Republic coun
ty , Kansas , he hauled down the last
Spanish flag an event which Kansas
still celebrates yearly. Then he
marched on westward. What he waste
to do with summer-clad foot-soldiers
among the mountains of southern Col
orado in the dead of winter is a mys
tery to this day ; but this 27-year-old
commander and his army wore sol
diers , and they had only to obey the
orders of General Wilkinson , who
seems to have been a precious rascal.
Lieutenant Pike did not climb Pike's
Peak , nor try to , nor did he give it his
name. It was first ascended in 1820 ,
and named James' Peak. He did , how
ever , in the closing days of November ,
tnl
climb what was probably Choyouno
Peak , and had a good view of Pike's , as
will appear from the following :
"SundayNov. 28. I concluded to put
my party in a defensible situation , and
ascend the north fork to the high point
of the Blue Mountain , which we con
ceived would be one day's march ; in
order to be enabled from its summit , to
lay down the various branches of the
river , and the positions of the country.
Killed five buffaloes.
"November 24. After giving the ne
cessary orders for the government of
my men , during my absence , in case of
our not returning , we marched at one
o'clock with an idea of arriving at the
foot of the mountain , but found our
selves obliged to take up our lodging
this night under a single cedar , which
we found in the prairie , without water ,
and extremely cold.
"November 25. Marched early , with
the expectation of ascending the moun
tain , but was only able to encamp at
its base , after passing over many small
hills covered with cedars and pitch
pines. Our encampment was on a
creek ; we found no water for several
miles from the mountain , but near its
base found springs sufficient. Killed
two buffaloes.
"November 26.-Expeoting to return to
our camp that evening , we left all our
blankets and provisions at the foot of
the mountain. Killed a deer of n new
species , and hung his skin on a tree
with some meat. "We commenced
ascending ; found the way very diffi
cult , being obliged to climb up rooks
sometimes almost perpendicular ; and
after marching all day we encamped in
a cave without blankets , victuals or
water. We had a fine clear sky , whilst
it was snowing at the bottom.
"November 27.-Arose hungry , thirsty ,
and extremely sore , from the uneven *
ness of the rocks on which we had lain
all night ; but were amply compensated
for our toil by the sublimity of the
prospects below. The unbounded
prairie was overhung with cloudswhich
appeared like the ocean in a storm , wave
piled on wave , and foaming , whilst the
sky over our heads was perfectly clear.
Commenced our march up the moun
tain , and in about one hour arrived at
the summit of this chain ; here we
found the snow middle deep , and dis
covered no sign of beast or bird inhab
iting this region. The thermometer
which stood at 9 ° "above 0 at the foot of
the mountain , here fell to 4 ° below.
The summit of the Grand Peak , which
was entirely bare of vegetation , and
covered with snow , now appeared at
the distance of fifteen or sixteen miles
from us , and as high again as that we
had ascended ; it would have taken a
whole day's march to have arrived at
its base , when I believe no human being
could have ascended to its sunimit.
This , with the condition of my soldiers ,
who had only overalls on , and no stock
ings , and were every way ill provided to
endure the inclemency of this region ,
the bad prospects of killing anything to
subsist on , with the further detention of
two or three days which it must oc
casion , determined us to return. The
clouds from below had now ascended
the mountain , and entirely enveloped
the summit , on which rest etarual
snows. We descended by a long deep
ravine with much less difficulty than
we had contemplated. Found all our
baggage safe , but the provision all de
stroyed. It began to snow , and we
sought shelter under the side of a pro
jecting rock , where we all four made a
meal on one partridge and a pair of
deer's ribs , which the ravens had left
us , being the first food we had eaten for
forty-eight hours.
"November 28. Marched at nine
o'clock. Kept straight down the creek
to avoid the hills. At half past one
o'clock shot two buffaloes , when we
made the first full meal we had eaten
for three days. Encamped in a valley
under a shelving rock. The land here
was very rich , and covered with old
letan camps.
"November 29. Marched after a short
repast , and arrived at our camp before
night. Found all well. "
What this handful of brave men went
through in their wanderings in this
terrible country , which lasted until Feb
ruary , one must read Pike's journal to
understand. We quote one week's en
tries :
"January 17. Marched about four miles
when the Great White Mountain pre
sented itself before us ; in sight of which
we had been for more than a month
and through which we supposed lay the
long sought Red river. We now left
the creek on the north of us , and bore
away more east to a low place in the
mountains. About sunset we came to
the edge of a prairie , which bounded ,
the foot of the mountain , and as there
was no wood or water where wo were ,
and the wood from the skirts of the
mountain appeared to be at no great
distance , I thought proper to march for
it. In the middle of the prairie crossed
the creek which now bore almost east.
Here we all got our feet wet. The
night commenced extremely cold.
When we halted at the woods at eight
o'clock for encampment , after getting
fires made , we discovered that the feet
of nine of our men were frozen , and to
add to the misfortune , of both of those
whom we called hunters among the
number. This night we had no provis
ion. Distance advanced twenty-eight
miles. Reaumur's thermometer
stood at 18 degress below zero.
"January 18. We started out two of
the men least injured ; the doctor and
myself ( who fortunately were untouch-
