Zebulon Pike: Why Was He Important To Colorado?

Zebulon Pike: Why was he Important to Colorado? Zebulon Pike had an immense effect on the outcome of Colorado’s history. He was the first white man to explore what is now Pikes Peak. He also fought in the War of 1812. Both of these events had a great impact on Colorado’s history. Zebulon Pike was born on January 5th, 1779 in Lamington, New Jersey. He had eight siblings and sadly, four of them died of tuberculosis. Pike had little education but he liked to read and write for fun. As a young boy, he was exposed to the military life because his father was a military officer who served under General Washington. Pike was very close with his father and learned a lot of military skills and tactics at a young age. At the age of fifteen, Pike joined the military and followed in his father’s footsteps (Walsh, 2-3).
After just five years of serving in the military, Pike was given a new position as first lieutenant in his regiment. While serving in the military, he met his wife Clarissa Brown and they had …show more content…
In the 1850’s, settlers in Colorado started to call the mountain Pike’s Peak in honor of him (McNamara). By the time of Pike’s death, he had served as a mentee to General Wilkinson. He had lead two expeditions to the south and served as a general himself in the War of 1812. Until this day, Pike is still influencing people all around Colorado. By Pike being the first explorer dispatched by the new American government, he helped influence the sense of outdoor adventure that people in Colorado still thrive on today (Walsh, 15).
In summary, Zebulon Montgomery Pike was a great American explorer who served the United States states military for over eight years and helped the United States government in many ways throughout his military career. He was also one of the main explorers who helped the U.S. gain information on the newly purchased territory. He was a great example of the adventurous American spirit that lives on