June 20, 1975 • Lt. Zebulon Pike has been given the distinction of being the first American to explore the San Luis Valley by many Colorado historians. His expedition into this region in 1807 met with hardship, and death and eventually led to the arrest of Pike and his men by Spanish soldiers.
 
 IKE WAS SENT to explore the southwest in 1806 by President Thomas Jefferson who completed the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Lt. Pike was to discover the source of the Red River which was then considered to be the boundary line between land holdings of Spain and the United States.
In July 1806, Pike and 22 men left St. Louis heading west along the Missouri River. In November he sighted what is now called Pikes Peak and which Pike referred to as Grand Peak. He set up a base camp in Pueblo and in the dead of winter, he and 12 of his men attempted to cross the Sangre de Cristo mountain range into the San Luis Valley on foot in search of the river boundary.
CROSS M O U N T A I N S
As the party crossed Wet Mountain Valley, three men became exhausted and were left in a temporary shelter. The remaining men crossed Medano Pass, at an elevation of 10,150, and skirted the Great Sand Dunes. They crossed the Rio Grande River below the present location of Alamosa and followed the west bank of that river to the Conejos River.
 BUILD FORT
 fter traveling along the Conejos River for several miles, Pike and his men camped and decided to build a fort for protection against the elements. On Jan. 31, 1807, the United States flag was raised over the fort, marking the first time a U.S. flag was flown over the San Luis Valley region.
But the stockade Pike and his men built was on Spanish territory and one month after completion of the fort, 100 men in a company of Spanish Dragoons surrounded the structure and offered to escort the men to Santa Fe.
 ARRESTED
Lt. Pike recognized the offer as arrest and complied with the soldiers’ requests. He and his men were held as prisoners in Santa Fe and Chihuahua for approximately one year and then released near the present-day Texas border.
Lt. Pike’s exploration fell short of its goal but much information was gathered about the terrain and peoples nevertheless. Pike was promoted to the rank of major following his release from prison and was killed in battle in 1813, during the War of 1812.
Today a replica of Pike’s Stockade is maintained southwest of Alamosa on the original site by the Historical Society of Colorado. The fort was restored following designs recorded in Pike’s diary of the expedition.
 ive years ago, a group of Alamosans began what has become known as the annual Pike Hike, retracing the steps of Lt. Pike and his men in the San Luis Valley. The hike is traditionally taken in January, when Pike crossed the Valley, although some years bad weather forces the group to delay the trip.
Members of the group change and differ in number each year with many of the participants Adams State College students. The three-day Pike Hike covers 88 miles, including 20 miles of snowshoeing over Medano Pass.
Pike’s Stockade can be reached by taking the South River Road out of Alamosa or by traveling south on Highway 285 from Alamosa, turning off on Highway 136 to Sanford and from there traveling along the designated route.
- The Valley Courier (Alamosa)
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