Zebulon Pike in Santa Fe
Lewis and Clark are the names most people remember when they think of important explorers and pioneers of the American West. Zebulon Pike was probably just as ambitious, but he never gained the fame of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. This was partly because of bad luck.
Zebulon Pike was a lieutenant in the United States Army when he was 20 years old. He served on the frontier. After the US negotiated the Louisiana Purchase, General James Wilkinson sent Pike to explore the new territory and document the resources.
The Impossible Task
In a way, General Wilkinson set Pike up for failure. Wilkinson instructed Pike to make peace with the native peoples, including the Osage, the Pawnee, and the Comanche tribes. He also told him to purchase territory from the tribes without alarming the Spanish forces. However, Pike could not have hoped to make such a journey without alarming the Spaniards. Following the General's orders took Pike and his men deep into Spanish territory. Furthermore, Wilkinson instructed Pike to explore the headwaters of the Arkansas River. He also told him to find the source of the Red River. The Arkansas and Red Rivers lie close to the New Mexico province.
Pike's Capture
Once in Colorado, the explorers traveled to the Conejo River. They set up a fort. Unfortunately, Pike allowed one of his men to go to Santa Fe to collect a debt. This alerted Spanish Governor Joaquín del Real Alencaster to the location of Pike's expedition. He became concerned about Pike and the intentions of the US Army. So Alencaster ordered his soldiers to find the explorers and bring them to Santa Fe for questioning.
Pike went willingly with Alencaster's soldiers to Santa Fe, though clearly he had no choice. He and his party, led by the Spanish soldiers, entered New Mexico just west of the Rio Grande. They arrived in Santa Fe in early March. The route they took back to New Mexico's capitol later became known as the Santa Fe Trail
Pike's Arrival in Santa Fe
Pike described the city of Santa Fe in his journals. He wrote that Santa Fe was located along a creek, and that it was about three streets wide and only about a mile in length. He described a much more favorable place than the one described by others who had visited Santa Fe. Most described it as shabby and run-down, Pike, however, had lived a long time in the wilderness. His impression of the capitol city was much more complimentary. On the other hand the Palace of the Governors, according to Pike, was a simple adobe building that looked nothing like a palace. It had mud floors covered with animal hides.
A Territorial Dispute
Upon Pike's arrival at the palace, the governor immediately began questioning him. Alencaster's concern with Zebulon Pike stemmed from his beliefs about the Louisiana Purchase. France had ceded a large area of land to the United States. The southwestern boundary of the land was contested by the Spaniards. The Spaniards claimed that the purchase covered only Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The United States argued that the land extended further west into Texas territory. New Mexico lay just west of Texas. So the governor set his sights on protecting his territory.
More importantly, the Spaniards had ceded the territory to the French with the understanding that it would not be sold. Yet the French sold it to the Americans anyway. Thus, the Spaniards questioned whether the purchase was legal to begin with. Regardless, the US Army was moving westward, and Pike was trespassing on Spanish territory. Governor Alencaster was aware that there had been military activity along the Louisiana/Texas border. If the US managed to acquire Texas, New Mexico was next in line. Eventually, Pike was released without harm, though he was questioned extensively by the Spanish authorities and his journals were taken.
Pike's Legacy.
Upon his return to the East, Pike presented the information he and his men had gathered from their expedition. In 1810, Pike published a book about his expedition. This information motivated future settlement in parts of the newly acquired territory gained by the Louisiana Purchase. It also led to the opening of the Sante Fe Trail a decade later. Furthermore, his information about the military weakness of the Spanish in the Southwest was a motivating force behind further annexation of their lands.
Although Pike's accomplishments were overshadowed by those of Lewis and Clark, he made significant contributions to the westward expansion of the US. He also died a military hero. Pike was promoted to brigadier general and served and died in the War of 1812.
After reading answer the question, How did Pike describe Santa Fe when he first arrived? 2-3 sentences