Recognizing this, the Santa Fe Trail Association (SFTA), a non-profit national organization dedicated to preservation and educational projects involving the Santa Fe National Historic Trail, formed the Zebulon M. Pike Exploration Bicentennial Commission to initiate and coordinate events commemorating all aspects surrounding the Pike expedition.

Communities all along Pike’s route, drawn to the saga of Pike’s adventures that literally unfolded in their own back yards, and aware that their communities were a direct result of the historical processes brought on in the wake of Pike’s endeavor, have likewise embraced the bicentennial as their own. See archived highlights and past features here...

This site has been funded and produced through the efforts of the Santa Fe Trail Association, with the generous support of their partner, the U.S. National Park Service.

The capable hands that will fashion the bicentennial itself, reanimate the spirit of Pike’s adventure, and illuminate its lessons for today’s world, lie with the individuals and communities, wherever they may be, who launch their own expeditions into his world.

Wet /Dry Chapter Dedicates the Zebulon Pike Plaza in Larned

Joining in the nationwide observance of the Pike Expedition, the Wet/Dry Routes Chapter of the Santa Fe Trail Association planned and developed an interpretive plaza site near the Pawnee River in Larned, Kansas, which was dedicated in a ceremony on October 29, 2006. The Pike Plaza commemorates the expedition’s crossing of the Pawnee River near the site on October 29, 1806, and the contributions made to the development of the United States and the Santa Fe Trail by his exploration of the Southwest. The chapter dedicated the Plaza 200 years to the day of Pike’s October 29 crossing of the Pawnee. The dedication was associated with Santa Fe Trail Association Rendezvous, which was held October 27-28, with the central focus of the Rendezvous being the Pike Expedition.

Included in this multi-use historical site is appropriate interpretive signage, a shelter house, barbecue cooker, and benches constructed of native limestone. The area is ringed with unique limestone fence posts particular to west central Kansas. Grassy areas planted with buffalo grass, and trees native to the area will punctuate the Plaza. The Wet/Dry Routes Chapter was generously supported in this ambitious project by the City of Larned.

A brunch was served at the Larned Community Center at 10:00 a.m. Speaking at the dedication was Santa Fe Trail Association member John Michael Murphy of Colorado Springs, Colorado, a noted Pike authority and a commissioner on the national Pike bicentennial commission. Following his presentation, a group gathered at the Zebulon Pike Plaza for a formal dedication, which included a formal flag-raising of an 1806-pattern U.S. flag by uniformed reenactors, and remarks by Rev. Roy Pike, a descendent of the explorer.

Free Pike Expedition Map and Event Guide
Now Available

Click for PDF

Thanks to a grant from Colorado’s Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), tourists who want to explore Pike’s journey through Colorado and locate the numerous events being held in his honor this bicentennial year now have a handy map. The new map and event guide is one of the first heritage tourism projects planned for the southeastern Colorado region, and is the brainchild of the Pike Bicentennial Planning Committee. The Pike Committee, composed of a wide variety of historians, community leaders, tourist destinations, and interested private citizens all along Pike’s route, worked for nearly two years to construct a map that would bring the history of the expedition through Colorado to today’s travelers.

The handsome map was published under the auspices of the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo Foundation, and features Pike’s route overlaid on a high-resolution NOAA image map. Daily campsites are marked, and modern cities are included to aid the twenty-first century traveler.

Selected passages from Pike’s journal are superimposed on portions of the map face to give the viewer a sense of the adventure and hardships the expedition faced as they traced the route across Colorado. On the reverse side is an extensive calendar of events being held in Colorado during this bicentennial year. The entire 16 x 18 inch map folds into a handy pamphlet size for easy carrying along the trail.

Click for PDF

Colorado Trio Commemorates
Pike Expedition
with Album of Acoustic Colonial-Era Songs

Three Colorado acoustic musicians have combined talents to produce an album of Colonial-era songs commemorating the bicentennial of Zebulon Montgomery Pike's travels in Colorado. Colorado musicians Tom Munch of Pueblo, Don Richmond of Alamosa and Rex Rideout of Conifer have just released a CD titled "A Voyage of Such Nature: Acoustic Music in Celebration of the Pike Expedition." The dozen songs on the album correspond with twelve points of interest on Pike's journey in Kansas and Colorado in 1806 and 1807.

"The album is a collection of songs from the era of the expedition that express the emotions and adventures we envision Pike and his men went through," Munch said. "The songs are circa 1600 to 1800 and are acoustic instrumental renditions that are faithful to the past, yet also influenced by the present and freshened to appeal to modern ears."

The concept for "A Voyage of Such Nature" was the brainchild of Munch, who started reading Pike's journals in 2005 and was inspired to find a musical interpretation. Pike's journals include very little about music, so Munch set out in early 2006 to find songs that could represent Pike's journey. He researched approximately 250 songs of Colonial America in his quest for the flavor of the expedition. " I was struck by how beautiful some of the melodies were and how much they could be used to express the mental state of Pike's men during their journey up the Arkansas River and into the mountains," he said. "I believe that music can transport one back to the trail in 1806 as much as any other vehicle we have. This recording has some gorgeous music that you can listen to without knowing it is historic, yet when taken in the context of the Pike journey, can relate the listener to the trials of that epic expedition." To listen to clips of the music, click here.

The CD cover is a copy of Pike's original map with his trail highlighted and the twelve songs listed along the route according to what was deemed "a good fit." Listeners are encouraged to follow along with the map. For example, a moment of reflection on Mt. Rosa during Pike's attempt to climb Pike's Peak is represented by the song "Mist-Covered Mountains." Pike's miserable stay near present-day Westcliffe, where he nearly froze to death, is expressed by the plaintive, sorrowful song "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair." Other songs include military marches, country dance tunes, soulful derivations of well-known songs of the time, and even the first American musical advertisement, "Nottingham Ale."

Instrumentation was discussed by the three musicians at the beginning of their project. For example, Pike mentions in his journals the use of the guitar in Mexico (In their houses the ladies play the guitar, and generally accompany it with their voices). But while Americans were playing the guitar back East, this was not an instrument they would play in the West at the start of the 19th century. "If we had stayed true to the instruments that may have been found in Pike’s expedition, there would be few to choose from, so we elected to make use of the full range of acoustic music today," said Rideout. He added that other historic instruments were a natural choice "It was well known that the Lewis and Clark expedition had fiddlers within the ranks. Pike also writes in his journals of his men enjoying the music of the fiddle during their exploration of the Mississippi."

Munch said he wanted to make this album as a way to spotlight Pike's importance in American history. "His contribution both to our country's early geography and to the commerce established in the Southwest (which helped build the nation's fledgling economy) cannot be overstated. For me, he is one of the linchpins in our country's history."

The CD includes a full fold-out page highlighting various quotes from Pike's journals so that a glimpse of the man can come through in his writings. The album title is taken from Pike's entry on Dec. 25, 1806, in which he laments the various difficulties "of a man on a voyage of such nature."

A concert tour is planned for the fall into 2007 in the towns where Pike actually traveled. To listen to sound clips or to order the CD directly, click here.