Zebulon Pike by William R. Sanford

Author:William R. Sanford [Sanford, William R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4645-1002-1
Publisher: Enslow Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2013-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

Image Credit: National Archives and Records Administration

While searching for the source of the Arkansas River, Zebulon Pike and his party lost their way in the Rocky Mountains. While the men struggled through difficult terrain and harsh conditions, Zeb somehow found time to chart their progress. He drew this map in one of his notebooks during the 1806–1807 expedition.

Winter struck with stunning force. Zeb’s men cut up blankets to make socks and cloaks. Some limped along on frostbitten feet. At night, they slept on the ground near huge fires. Zeb described their misery: “[They lay] down at night on the snow or wet ground; one side burning whilst the other was pierced with the cold wind.” Christmas dinner was dried buffalo meat, eaten without salt.

Long stretches of the river were frozen. Zeb and his men built crude sleds to haul their supplies over the ice. In the Royal Gorge, the river plunged through a deep ravine. The men bypassed the rapids by climbing the cliffs above the gorge. As the valley widened, Zeb saw open prairie to the east. The date was January 5, 1807, his twenty-eighth birthday. He wrote: “Most fervently did I hope never to pass another [birthday] so miserably.” By then he knew he had circled back to an old campsite.

A soldier shot six deer, ending the threat of starvation. Even so, Zeb knew his party was in poor shape. He told the men to build a small fort. Then he split his party. Two men stayed behind to guard the horses and baggage. Zeb, Dr. Robinson, and twelve soldiers set out to cross the mountains on foot. When they reached the Red River, they would send back for the others.

The men hobbled out of camp with seventy-pound packs on their backs. Zeb was one of the few who had not suffered frostbite. Despite the hardships, he had no intention of giving up. His spy mission drove him on.

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