Zebulon Pike Campsite
Alto, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1807, under commission from Gen. James Wilkinson, Governor of the Louisiana Territory, Lt. Zebulon Pike led an expedition to explore the headwaters of the Arkansas and Red Rivers and to report on Spanish settlements in the New Mexico area. Heading south from present Colorado, where the party saw the mountain later named Pike's Peak for the expedition's leader, they were arrested by Spanish authorities. Under escort back to the United States, the party camped near this site on June 23, 1807. The Pike expedition furnished an important account of Spanish Texas and New Mexico. (1982)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1807 Lt. Zebulon Pike, commissioned to explore the headwaters of the Arkansas and Red Rivers and to scout Spanish settlements, led his party south from the Colorado mountains — where they had glimpsed the peak later named for him — only to be arrested by Spanish authorities. Under escort back toward the United States, the expedition camped near this spot on June 23, 1807. Pike's account became an important early window onto Spanish Texas and New Mexico.
Why it matters
Pike's expedition was among the first American reconnaissances of the Southwest, feeding a young nation's curiosity about the vast lands beyond its frontier.
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Related people
- · Zebulon Pike
- · James Wilkinson
Related events
- · Pike Expedition
Themes & tags
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