Pikes Peak

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PIKES PEAK

PIKES PEAK, standing 14,110 feet in the Rocky Mountains in El Paso County, Colorado, was first attempted in November 1806 by Lt. Zebulon M. Pike. Pike failed to summit because of heavy snow. Popular usage by trappers and others of the name "Pikes Peak" led to an official name. Pikes Peak is of historical significance as a landmark of early traders and trappers and as the name of the region now known as Colorado. The discovery of gold in 1858 brought large numbers to the region. Thousands who crossed the Plains with the slogan "Pikes Peak or Bust" opened up various mining camps near Pikes Peak or settled in the valleys of Colorado.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hollon, Eugene W. The Lost Pathfinder: Zebulon Montgomery Pike. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1949.

Montgomery, M. R. Jefferson and the Gun-Men: How the West Was Almost Lost. New York: Crown Publishers, 2000.

Terrell, John Upton. Zebulon Pike: The Life and Times of an Adventurer. New York: Weybright and Talley, 1968.

Malcolm G.Wyer/h. s.

See alsoColorado ; Pikes Peak Gold Rush .