The soldier and explorer Zebulon Pike is remembered for two expeditions he led to explore territory acquired by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase.
It is often assumed he climbed Pike's Peak, the Colorado mountain named for him. He did not reach the peak's summit, though he did explore in its vicinity on one of his expeditions.
In some ways, Pike's western voyages are second only to Lewis and Clark. Yet his efforts have always been overshadowed by nagging questions about the motivations for his journeys. What was he trying to accomplish by trekking around in the previously unexplored West?
Was he a spy? Did he have secret orders to provoke a war with Spain? Was he simply an adventurous Army officer seeking adventure while filling in the map? Or was he actually intent on trying to expand the limits of his nation's boundaries?
