Pikes Peak

   On this day in 1806, Zebulon Pike first spotted the mountain that would later carry his name, Pikes Peak.
   In June of 1806, Pike lead an expedition to map some of the lower areas of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase. They started from near St Louis, just as Lewis and Clark had done, following the Missouri River. The group trekked across what would be Nebraska and then Colorado. On this day, November 15, they spotted this high peak which Pike called "Grand Peak". They wanted to scale the mountain, but with winter setting in they found they could not and wound up getting somewhat lost in southwest Colorado. They were eventually captured by Spanish soldiers and escorted back east all the way to Louisiana.
   Pikes Peak, located near Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the highest peak in the southern Rocky Mountains at 14,115ft. It also carries numerous Native American names, including "Tava" meaning "sun" by the Utes. The first (non-native) American to climb to its summit was Edwin James in 1820. It is a National Historic Landmark.