Zebulon Pike
American brigadier general and explorer of the Louisiana Purchase.
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Zebulon Montgomery Pike was born on January 5, 1779, in Lamington, New Jersey, to Isabella Brown and Zebulon Pike. His father began his own military career in 1775 at the start of the American Revolution, and through him, Zebulon Jr. was a direct descendant of Robert Pike, a noted opponent of the Salem witch trials of 1692. Pike grew up at various frontier outposts in Ohio and Illinois, then the northwestern edge of the United States. He was commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry in 1799 and promoted to first lieutenant later that same year.
Marriage and family
In 1801, Pike married his cousin Clarissa Harlow Brown. Only one of their five children, a daughter named Clarissa Brown Pike, survived to adulthood; she later married John Cleves Symmes Harrison, son of President William Henry Harrison. Pike was also the great-granduncle of Medal of Honor recipient Emory Jenison Pike.
Military career
Pike’s military career involved logistics and payroll work at frontier posts, including Fort Belle Fontaine near present-day St. Louis. There, General-in-Chief James Wilkinson—appointed by President Thomas Jefferson as the first governor of Upper Louisiana Territory—became Pike’s mentor. In 1796, Pike shadowed an expedition led by French officer Georges Henri Victor Collot, who was mapping the Mississippi frontier for potential French claims.
First expedition
In the summer of 1805, Wilkinson ordered Lieutenant Pike to find the northern source of the Mississippi River, explore the northern Louisiana Territory, and expel any British or Canadian fur traders operating within U.S. borders. Pike left St. Louis on August 9, 1805, traveling upstream by pirogue. On September 21, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, he negotiated the Treaty of St. Peters with the Dakota, purchasing the site that would become Fort Snelling. The expedition built a winter camp at the mouth of the Swan River on October 16.
On December 10, they continued on foot along the frozen river, visiting North West Company trading posts. They reached Leech Lake on February 1, 1806, and stayed nearly three weeks. Pike told the traders they were now on U.S. soil and must follow American law. He met with Ojibwe chiefs, convincing them to surrender British medals and flags in exchange for American peace medals, and urged the Ojibwe and Lakota to end hostilities—though both nations declined an invitation to a peace conference in St.
Background
Pike was born on January 5, 1779, in Lamington, New Jersey, the son of Isabella (Brown) and Zebulon Pike. Through his father, he was a direct descendant of Robert Pike, an opponent of the Salem witchcraft prosecutions of 1692. He grew up at a series of outposts in Ohio and Illinois, was commissioned as a second lieutenant of infantry in 1799, and promoted to first lieutenant later that same year. He married his cousin Clarissa Harlow Brown in 1801; they had one child who survived to adulthood, Clarissa Brown Pike, who later married President William Henry Harrison's son.
In the summer of 1805, General-in-Chief James Wilkinson ordered Pike to locate the northern source of the Mississippi River, explore the northern portion of the Louisiana Territory, and expel any British or Canadian fur traders. Pike left St. Louis on August 9, 1805, proceeding upstream by pirogue. He negotiated a treaty with the Dakota Indians, purchased the site of Fort Snelling, and reached Leech Lake on February 1, 1806, where he informed traders they were within U.S. boundaries and replaced the British flag with the American flag. He designated Upper Red Cedar Lake as the upper source of the Mississippi and returned to St. Louis on April 20, 1806.
Second expedition
Pike's second expedition began July 15, 1806, to explore the southwest, find the headwaters of the Arkansas and Red Rivers, evaluate natural resources, and establish friendly relations with Native Americans. In early November 1806, Pike and his team sighted and tried to climb the peak later named after him, but gave up in waist-deep snow. They built a fort for shelter but crossed the border into Spanish territory, whether through confusion or deliberation.
Spanish authorities captured Pike on February 26, 1807, and took him to Santa Fe and then Chihuahua for interrogation. He was treated well but his men were kept prisoner; Spanish authorities feared the spread of democracy and Protestantism. Pike was released and escorted to the Louisiana border on July 1, 1807.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Zebulon Pike (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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