Cañon City record., 1900-05-24
. Eyes examined free.

Of Pike on that expedition the discov-
cry seems to have endeared him to
the romantic and adventurous senti-
msnt Of the country quite Is enthusi-
astically ~ similar sdventursrs and
explorations . generation and half
later rendered Lieutenant Fremont.
Many states have counties named after
each, and Colorado has a mountain
peak named after each.
Both rose to the rank of general in
the army, and Pike was killed in the
war Of 1912 with England.
We ef the United States have lived
- fast and progressed SO far in the
century Just closing that we have been
obliged to forget very fast in order to
keep pace with the rushing tide of
events; consequently it is not surpris-
ing that the generation which settled
Colorado. equally with most of the
generation whichlnsw inhsbits it, were
not aware that Lisutenant Pixies ex-
plorations and sdventures in the coun-
try had made him - famous and pop
ular in his day - NEStanley's explor-
stions IN Africa . fsv years ago made
him.
There was every reason Why it should
have done %. III Louisiana pur-
chass BY President Jefferson was no
more popular with tne party out of
ONCE in 1906 than he acquisition of
the Philippines : popular With the
party sat v el6cs TOD Naturally
Jefferson wished to justify his act
(which from the sxigsnciss Of the hour
had been rather precipitats and
stretched his authority to the limit
and make it popular BY proving to the
people what soft snap thsy had So
cured-just - Mckinley does today.
Consequently the administration was
far from avsrss to sesing Lisutsnant
Pike lienizsd = the hero Of the hour.
The young explorer, far from being
neglected and forgotten. WAS reward
Cd By % rapid promotion that We find
him brigsdier general in the war Of
1872, four years or lees after his re-
turn from the expedition.
He was killed in the battle of York,
Canada, in 1918, at the age of "a.
Pike in his report had designated
the peak which now immortalizes his
name, The Great Mexican Mountain
He got its altitude too high by 1900
feet through some error of calcula-
ton, but that fact did not render his
account the less enter tainiug.
He never scaled the peak nor was
able to make . close and accurate in
spsction Of 1.-THE snow was too deep.
But the first view he got of it "frsm
Ia Junta on the Arkansas' 100 miles
or more to the southwest was the most
imposing obtainable. The Ia Junta
mentioned i not the La Junta (the
junctionlof our day which is the juno
tion Of two lines or railroad, but the
junction Of the Rio Purgatoirs with
the Arkansas further east and near
our Las Animas. There was then q
trading post at that point ard the old
trail to Santa Fs followed thence the
Purgatoire southwark.
We cannot today think Of the young
enthusiast's defeat without feeling
Of rsgrstful pity he was 90 young.
only q. and this sublime was to be the
monument Of his dsathless fame. We
should like to think hs had known it
y w who live within its shadows
know tin al its phases. it seasons,
it moods and that It had, ~ it has
to u. endssred itself 70 the young
explorer whess name Il vas 90 soon
70 link forever with memotsss un-
chaagsahls.
Lst u note his medssty: Ae did not
givs Il Als own mama. but designated
Il The Great Mexican Mountain.