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Zebulon Montgomery Pike Jr. (January 5, 1778 – April 27, 1813) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 soldier and explorer for whom Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak is a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County, Colorado. It is named for Zebulon Pike, an explorer who led an expedition to the southern Colorado area in 1806....
 in Colorado
Colorado

The State of Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Mountain States of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western United States and Southwestern United States regions of the United States....
 is named. His Pike expedition
Pike expedition

United States Army Captain Zebulon Pike led the Pike expedition to explore the south and west of the Louisiana Purchase. Roughly contemporaneous with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Pike's excursion was the first United States effort to explore the western Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and marked the discovery of Pikes Pe...
, often compared to the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition

The Lewis and Clark Expedition , headed by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark , was the first United States overland expedition to the Pacific coast and back....
, mapped much of the southern portion of the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase

The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of the French territory Louisiana in 1803. The U.S. paid 60 million French franc plus cancellation of debts worth 18 million francs , a total cost of $15,000,000 for the Louisiana territory....
.

was born in Lamberton
Lamberton, New Jersey

Lamberton was the name of a port community in New Jersey in the United States of America. It was located on the Delaware River and is now considered an area that is part of Trenton, New Jersey....
, New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
, now a part of Trenton
Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton is the Capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated that the City of Trenton had a population of 82,804....
. His father, also named Zebulon Pike, was an officer in the Continental Army
Continental Army

The American Continental Army was an army formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 15, 1775, the army was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in their struggle against the rule of Kingdom...
 under General George Washington
George Washington

George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States of the United States of Americas ....
 and served in the United States Army
United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
 after the end of the Revolutionary War.






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Zebulon Montgomery Pike Jr. (January 5, 1778 – April 27, 1813) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 soldier and explorer for whom Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak is a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County, Colorado. It is named for Zebulon Pike, an explorer who led an expedition to the southern Colorado area in 1806....
 in Colorado
Colorado

The State of Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Mountain States of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western United States and Southwestern United States regions of the United States....
 is named. His Pike expedition
Pike expedition

United States Army Captain Zebulon Pike led the Pike expedition to explore the south and west of the Louisiana Purchase. Roughly contemporaneous with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Pike's excursion was the first United States effort to explore the western Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and marked the discovery of Pikes Pe...
, often compared to the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition

The Lewis and Clark Expedition , headed by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark , was the first United States overland expedition to the Pacific coast and back....
, mapped much of the southern portion of the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase

The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of the French territory Louisiana in 1803. The U.S. paid 60 million French franc plus cancellation of debts worth 18 million francs , a total cost of $15,000,000 for the Louisiana territory....
.

Early life

Pike was born in Lamberton
Lamberton, New Jersey

Lamberton was the name of a port community in New Jersey in the United States of America. It was located on the Delaware River and is now considered an area that is part of Trenton, New Jersey....
, New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
, now a part of Trenton
Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton is the Capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated that the City of Trenton had a population of 82,804....
. His father, also named Zebulon Pike, was an officer in the Continental Army
Continental Army

The American Continental Army was an army formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 15, 1775, the army was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in their struggle against the rule of Kingdom...
 under General George Washington
George Washington

George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States of the United States of Americas ....
 and served in the United States Army
United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
 after the end of the Revolutionary War. The younger Pike grew to adulthood in a series of Midwestern outposts — the frontier of the United States at the time — in Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
 and Illinois
Illinois

The State of Illinois is a U.S. state of the United States, the 21st to be admitted to the United States. Illinois is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern United States state and the fifth most populous state in the nation....
. He joined his father's regiment as a cadet in 1794, earned a commission as ensign in 1799 and a first lieutenancy later that year.

Pike married Clarissa Harlow Brown in 1801 and continued an unremarkable military career in logistics
Logistics

Logistics is the management of the flow of goods, information and other resources, including energy and people, between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet the requirements of consumers ....
 and payroll
Payroll

In a company, payroll is the sum of all financial records of salaries, wages, bonuses and deductions....
 at a series of frontier posts. His career was taken up by General James Wilkinson
James Wilkinson

James Wilkinson was a United States soldier and statesman, who was associated with several scandals and controversies. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, but was twice compelled to resign....
, who had been appointed Governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory
Louisiana Territory

Louisiana Territory was a historic organized territory of the United States consisting of the portion of the Louisiana Purchase that was not partitioned off into Territory of Orleans, which later became the state of Louisiana....
. In 1805, Wilkinson ordered Pike to find the source of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
. Lewis and Clark's expedition had followed the Missouri River
Missouri River

The Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, and the longest river in the United States of America. The Missouri begins at the confluence of the Madison River, Jefferson River, and Gallatin River rivers in Montana, and flows through Missouri River Valley south and east into the Mississippi north of St....
 northwest from St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri, located near the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Missouri River. St....
, and American claims on the most northern part of the Louisiana Territory remained unasserted.

Southwest expedition

Nearly immediately upon his return, Pike was ordered out once again to lead an exploratory expedition to find the headwaters of the Arkansas River
Arkansas River

The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast and traverses the U.S....
 and Red River
Red River (Mississippi watershed)

The Red River is one of Red River. It rises in two branches in the Texas Panhandle and flows east forming the border between Texas and Oklahoma, and briefly between Texas and Arkansas....
. Near St. Louis on July 15, 1806, Pike led what is now known as "the Pike expedition" from Fort Bellefontaine
Fort Bellefontaine

Fort Bellefontaine was the first American military installation in the Louisiana Territory.Located on the south bank of the Missouri River, in Missouri, Fort Bellefontaine was first a Spanish military post ....
 to explore the southwest.

Pike never successfully reached the summit of the famous peak that bears his name. He attempted it in November 1806, made it as far as Mt. Rosa to the southeast of Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak is a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County, Colorado. It is named for Zebulon Pike, an explorer who led an expedition to the southern Colorado area in 1806....
, and gave up the ascent in waist-deep snow after having gone almost two days without food.

This journey, which he is most remembered for, ended with his capture on February 26, 1807 by Spanish
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 authorities in northern New Mexico
New Mexico

New Mexico is a U. S. State located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. Inhabited by Native Americans in the United States populations for many centuries, it has also has been part of the Spanish Empire viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S....
, now part of Colorado
Colorado

The State of Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Mountain States of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western United States and Southwestern United States regions of the United States....
. Pike and his men were taken to Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe is the Capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the List of cities in New Mexico and is the county seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 62,203 at the United States Census, 2000; the estimate for July 1, 2006, is 72,056....
, then to Chihuahua
Chihuahua, Chihuahua

The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican Mexican state of Chihuahua . It has a population of about 748,551. The predominant activity is light industry, in the form of maquiladoras....
 where he appeared before the Commandant General Salcedo. Salcedo housed Pike with Juan Pedro Walker, a cartographer, who also acted as an interpreter and as a transcriber/translator for Pike's confiscated documents. It was while with Walker that Pike had access to various maps of the southwest and learned of Mexican discontent with Spanish rule. Pike and his men were released, under protest, to the United States at the Louisiana border on July 1, 1806.

Subsequent military duty

Pike was promoted to captain without his knowledge while on the southwestern expedition. In 1811, he was listed as Lt. Col. Zebulon M. Pike with the 4th Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Tippecanoe
Battle of Tippecanoe

The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought on November 7, 1811, between United States forces led by Governor of Indiana William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and forces of Tecumseh's growing Native Americans in the United States confederation led by his brother, Tenskwatawa....
. He was promoted to colonel in 1812. He continued his role as a military functionary, serving as deputy quartermaster
Quartermaster

Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations. In land Army, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a Military unit, who specializes in supplying and provisioning troops....
-general in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans metropolitan area metropolitan area, the largest metro area in the state....
 and inspector-general during the War of 1812
War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
.

Pike was promoted to brigadier general in 1813. Along with General Jacob Brown
Jacob Brown

Jacob Jennings Brown was an American army officer in the War of 1812....
, Pike departed from a rural military outpost, Sackets Harbor, on the New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 shore of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. The lake is bounded on the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south by Ontario's Niagara Peninsula and by the U.S....
, for his last military campaign. On this expedition, Pike commanded combat troops in the successful attack on York, Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
 (now Toronto) on April 27, 1813. Pike was killed by flying rocks and other debris when the retreating British garrison blew up its ammunition without warning as the town's surrender negotiations were going on. His body was brought by ship back to Sackets Harbor, where his remains were buried.

Journals

Although his actual journals were confiscated by the Spanish authorities, and not recovered from Mexico until the 1900s, Pike's account of his southwest expedition was published in 1810 as The expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike to headwaters of the Mississippi River, through Louisiana Territory, and in New Spain, during the years 1805-6-7 and later published in French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
, German
German language

German is a West Germanic languages, thus related to and classified alongside English language and Dutch language. It is one of the world's world language and the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union....
, and Dutch
Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic languages spoken by over 22 million people as a first language, and about 5 million people as a second language."1% of the EU population claims to speak Dutch well enough in order to have a conversation." Outside the European Union the number of second language speakers of Dutch is very small. Most native...
. His account became required reading for all American explorers that followed him in the 19th century. Pike's account had a dramatic effect on the exploration of the southwest. He described the politics in Chihuahua that led to the Mexican independence movement, as well as the trade conditions in New Mexico and Chihuahua, which descriptions helped promote the development of the Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe Trail

The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th century transportation route through southwestern North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico....
.

Named for Zebulon Pike

  • Pikesville, Maryland
    Pikesville, Maryland

    Pikesville is a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. Pikesville is just northwest of the Baltimore city limits....
  • Pike County, Alabama
    Pike County, Alabama

    Pike County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of General Zebulon Pike, of New Jersey, an explorer who led an expedition to southern Colorado and discovered Pikes Peak in 1806....
  • Pike County, Arkansas
    Pike County, Arkansas

    Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2000, the population was 11,303. The county seat is Murfreesboro, Arkansas....
  • Pike County, Illinois
    Pike County, Illinois

    Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population was 17,384. Its county seat is Pittsfield, Illinois, Illinois....
  • Pike County, Kentucky
    Pike County, Kentucky

    Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 68,736. Its county seat is Pikeville, Kentucky. Pike is Kentucky's largest county in terms of land area....
  • Pike County, Mississippi
    Pike County, Mississippi

    Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of 2000, the population was 38,940. The county seat is Magnolia, Mississippi....
  • Pike County, Missouri
    Pike County, Missouri

    Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. The county was organized in 1818 and named for Zebulon M. Pike, explorer. As of 2000, the population was 18,351....
  • Pike County
    Pike County, Indiana

    Pike County is a county located in the Southwestern Indiana part of the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 12,837. The county seat is Petersburg, Indiana....
    , Indiana
    Indiana

    The State of Indiana was the 19th U.S. state admitted into the union. It is located in the Midwestern United States of the United States of America....
  • Pike County, Ohio
    Pike County, Ohio

    Pike County is a county located in the Appalachian region of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of United States Census 2000, the population was 27,695....
  • Pike County, Pennsylvania
    Pike County, Pennsylvania

    Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of , the population was 46,302. Its county seat is Milford, Pennsylvania....
  • Pike County
    Pike County, Georgia

    Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia . It was created on December 9, 1822. As of 2000, the population was 13,688. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 17,204 ....
    , Georgia
    Georgia (U.S. state)

    Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....
     and its county seat Zebulon
    Zebulon, Georgia

    Zebulon is a city in Pike County, Georgia, Georgia , United States. The population was 1,181 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Pike County, Georgia....
  • USS General Pike
    USS General Pike (1813)

    USS General Pike was a corvette in the United States Navy, which took part in the Engagements on Lake Ontario during the Anglo-American War of 1812....
  • Fort Pike
    Fort Pike

    Fort Pike is a decommissioned 19th century fort which formerly guarded the Rigolets pass in Louisiana. It is now within the city limits of New Orleans, and was long a tourist attraction....
  • Pikes Peak
    Pikes Peak

    Pikes Peak is a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County, Colorado. It is named for Zebulon Pike, an explorer who led an expedition to the southern Colorado area in 1806....
  • Pike National Forest
    Pike National Forest

    The Pike National Forest is located in the Front Range of Colorado, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado and including Pikes Peak. The forest encompasses 1,106,604 acres within Clear Creek County, Colorado, Teller County, Colorado, Park County, Colorado, Jefferson County, Colorado, Douglas County, Colorado and El Paso County, Colorado counti...
  • Pikes Peak (Iowa)
    Pikes Peak (Iowa)

    Although not nearly as famous as Pikes Peak in Colorado, Pikes Peak in Iowa, named by the explorer Zebulon Pike in 1805, is a bluff rising 500 feet above the Mississippi River near the town of McGregor, Iowa....
  • Piketon, Ohio
    Piketon, Ohio

    Piketon is a village #Ohio in Pike County, Ohio, Ohio, United States, along the Scioto River. The village is best known for the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant located there ....
  • Pikeville, Kentucky
    Pikeville, Kentucky

    Pikeville is a city in Pike County, Kentucky, Kentucky, United States. The population was 6,295 at the 2000 United States Census. It is the county seat of Pike County, Kentucky....
  • Pike Island
    Pike Island

    Pike Island is an island at the confluence of the Mississippi River and Minnesota Rivers in southwest Ramsey County, Minnesota in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota....
     in Fort Snelling State Park
    Fort Snelling State Park

    Fort Snelling State Park is a Minnesota List of Minnesota state parks at the confluence of the Mississippi River and Minnesota River rivers. Its most notable feature is the historic Fort Snelling, Minnesota, which dates from 1820....
    , Minnesota
    Minnesota

    Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
  • Pike Creek Township in Morrison County
    Morrison County, Minnesota

    Morrison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2000, the population was 31,712. Its county seat is Little Falls, Minnesota....
    , Minnesota
  • Pike Township
    Pike Township, Marion County, Indiana

    Pike Township is one of the nine townships of Marion County, Indiana, Indiana, United States, located in the northwestern portion of the county....
    , Marion County
    Marion County, Indiana

    Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of July 2007 its population was estimated at 876,804 making it the largest county in the state and 55th List of the most populous counties in the United States in the country, greater than the population of List of U.S....
    , Indiana


Ancestry and family

Pike is descended from John Pike
John Pike (settler)

John Pike was a founder of Woodbridge, New Jersey, New Jersey and a judge and politician of the early colony of New Jersey.Pike was born in Wiltshire, England....
, an early immigrant settler and founder of Woodbridge, New Jersey. Zebulon married Clarissa Harlow Brown in 1801. Their daughter Clarissa Brown Pike married John Cleves Symmes Harrison, a son of President William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison was an Military history of the United States and Politics of the United States, the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, and the first president to die in office....
. Zebulon died without a son to carry on his family name, so there are no Pikes who are direct descendants. However there is an active DNA effort to document relatives and there are a large number of PIKEs that are related to Zebulon.

See also

  • Pike Expedition
    Pike expedition

    United States Army Captain Zebulon Pike led the Pike expedition to explore the south and west of the Louisiana Purchase. Roughly contemporaneous with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Pike's excursion was the first United States effort to explore the western Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and marked the discovery of Pikes Pe...
  • Pikes Peak
    Pikes Peak

    Pikes Peak is a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County, Colorado. It is named for Zebulon Pike, an explorer who led an expedition to the southern Colorado area in 1806....


External links

  • at Internet Archive
    Internet Archive

    The Internet Archive is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building and maintaining a free and openly accessible online digital library, including an archive site of the World Wide Web....
    .
  • - related to Pike's journey to find the source of the Mississippi River and the building of his fort in what is now Morrison County, Minnesota
  • - the animals Pike and his men encountered in central Minnesota
  • - an examination of the often-heard critique of Pike's Mississippi River expedition
  • - award winning film produced with the help of Pike Historian W. Eugene Hollon, the U.S. Army, the Smithsonian and the National Archives about the explorer's time in what is now Colorado