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.

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.

Senate Endorses the Bicentennial

In honor of Zebulon Montgomery Pike’s explorations into the West, including Colorado, United States Senator Ken Salazar (D-Colorado) drafted a Senate Resolution to officially recognize the bicentennial in 2006.

Sen. Salazar

“When people think of Colorado, they think of Pikes Peak,” said Senator Salazar. “It is only fitting that as we near the 200th anniversary of his explorations we honor Zebulon Pike’s contributions to the great state of Colorado and this nation.”

Senator Salazar’s resolution, S.Res 252, was co-sponsored by Senator Wayne Allard (R-Colorado), and passed on November 15, 2005, exactly 199 years to the day of when Pike first glimpsed the mountain that would bear his name.

Sen. Allard

To access the resolution click here.

Colorado Artist Designs The Bicentennial Logo

The image that will be seen with increasing frequency as the Pike bicentennial unfolds was created by Pueblo, Colorado, artist Ken Williams.

The Pike bicentennial logo actually grew out of a much larger project begun in 2001, when the city of Pueblo embarked on an ambitious project to create a plaza dedicated to Pike near the actual site of one of his camps. Williams' design for the plaza included a large bronze medallion of Pike peering through his spyglass as a major graphic element.

Today, Pueblo’s Pike Plaza stands along with Pikes Peak as the premier monuments to the expedition’s intrepid leader, and Williams’ medallion has taken on a new life as the emblem of the bicentennial. For more on Pike Plaza and its designer, see “A Plaza for Pike” below.

Colorado Springs Kicks Off Bicentennial

The Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site in Colorado Springs, Colorado, hosted a special Pike expedition bicentennial event on Sunday, January 22, 2006. With assistance from historical reenactors from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Indian Representatives, the purpose of the event was to depict interaction between Pike and his men and the American Indians he met along his route.

Over 400 people attended the activities and had a chance to learn what life was like in 1806. The afternoon program featured a lecture by independent historian Mark Gardner. This program capped off a full weekend of activities in Colorado Springs that marked the beginning of the bicentennial year. In all over 2,200 people participated in special events at Rock Ledge Ranch and the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum.

A full slate of exhibits and programs are scheduled at the two Colorado sites through the end of the year and into 2007. For more on the numerous bicentennial activities in Colorado Springs, and elsewhere, click here.

A Plaza for Pike

Pueblo, Colorado’s renowned Pike Plaza, one of the largest and certainly the most innovative of the nation’s architectural monuments to Pike and his expedition, will be the centerpiece of an ambitious program of bicentennial events. Click here for more.