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Zebulon Pike. James Boyd GEOG/HIST 4950 Summer 2010. Zebulon Pike. James Wilkinson. http://www.history.army.mil/books/cg&csa/_notes/James%20Wilkinson%20%28B%29.jpg. http://www.famousnewjerseyans.com/Images/ZebulonPike.jpg. General Background. January 5, 1779 in Lamberton, New Jersey
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Zebulon Pike James Boyd GEOG/HIST 4950 Summer 2010
Zebulon Pike James Wilkinson http://www.history.army.mil/books/cg&csa/_notes/James%20Wilkinson%20%28B%29.jpg http://www.famousnewjerseyans.com/Images/ZebulonPike.jpg
General Background • January 5, 1779 in Lamberton, New Jersey • Second of eight children • Four died in infancy • Three were invalids • Father was an officer in Washington’s continental army • Limited education but still learned French and Spanish • At age 15 joined the Army as a cadet • He liked outdoor sports, was a crack shot and had great physical endurance, probably the result of his childhood on the frontier. He did not drink liquor.
Exploration • Protégé of James Wilkinson, the commanding general of the U.S. Army. • Wanted to impress his boss • His mission was most likely to spy on the Spanish
Spying ? • No record of equipment from first journey • Failed to locate the source of the Mississippi river • Miss identified the source of the Mississippi river • Still got promoted to captain by Wilkinson • Woefully unprepared for second journey • Summer uniforms (Didn’t expect to encounter cold weather) • Not enough horses • Very little scientific equipment • one copy of the Von Humboldt map
Spying ? • Woefully unprepared for second journey • Summer uniforms (Didn’t expect to encounter cold weather) • Not enough horses • Very little scientific equipment • one copy of the Von Humboldt map • Purposely perused Spanish calvary, who were looking for him. • Flew Old Glory in Spanish controlled lands
Travel and accomplishments • Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Mexico, Texas • Important geographical information for Louisiana territory • First white to complete a high-altitude alpine ascent of a North American mountain. • Smuggled valuable intelligence on the Spanish in the barrels of his rifles.
Significance • He made no lasting contributions • Pikes peak is only natural monument • Failed in his mission as an explorer • Succeeded in his mission as a spy
http://www.shepherdoftherockies.org/wp-content/themes/LivingOS_UPSILON/smoothgallery/images/shine/PikesPeak.jpghttp://www.shepherdoftherockies.org/wp-content/themes/LivingOS_UPSILON/smoothgallery/images/shine/PikesPeak.jpg