mountain. it's not clear exactly what the details of the message work, but he immediately turned around, tried to get to the mouth of the columbia, crossed over the rocky mountains, had to winter up in some past with all the snow, built canoes the next year, paddled down the columbia, you know, just another day in the life of david thompson. but he got there and was three months -- by the time he got there they have been three months. and then he went back upstream. he actually i know within. these guys, even though they might be rivals in enemies there was this cordial but jen ominous. he was welcomed with all the, you know, dinners and per geology. stayed away, and then they all turned around and went back a stream. >> so he was one of the most wealthy men in the country. you mentioned the of a blank check for the ships.

why did he not give his a story in party? >> he did. he had essentially in what amounted to a blank check, like a blank check book. one of the things i write about is the irony. in the bottom of hells canyon in the winter starving. it brings to mind, you know, what money can do in certain circumstances or not do. haunted have a blank check. this was, you know, another segment of this whole story. when he eventually got to a story he went off, the second supply ship finally arrived, a ship called the beaver three months after hunter arrived. hundt went off on the beaver to etch rate up the coast of british -- you know, vancouver island. that ended up being its own fiasco. and he and the captain had the choice of returning to a story

at in the winter when it was stormy are going to hawaii to fix is shipped. the captain convinced and to go to hawaii to fix the ship. and then he ended up in the south pacific after that. he just wanders all over the place. and, you know, he finally shows up 15 months later and it's already been sold out. he said, what are you doing? why are you selling the place? they were saying, where were you ? >> what happens with this pregnant lady that was supposed to have a baby? >> more stories. did she -- she is this incredibly tough woman, and she, you know, goes through the whole hells canyon winter starvation seen. she and her family have one horse between. they go through struggles, blizzards, all thing.

they finally get out of hells canyon. they find some indians, the big party found some indians who will guide them across the mountain range in winter. they don't want to do it, but they're convinced to do it. she gives birth at the base of blue mountains. late december. and then they have to cross blue mountains, you know, really cold, snowy conditions. the baby dies after a week. so it is just one of these things. there should be a little marker. i try to trace that trail where there were. >> barry down here in st. joseph . >> and she -- there is way more marie dorian story. she survived this incredible massacre that came later kamal branch of people up in the snake river country were massacred, including the husband.

she and her two boys escaped and and had a horse. she killed the horse, smoke is the meet. in up in the blue mounds in winter and a showman out of a horse's side and then hiked over the mountains in the spring. eventually years later she ended up as one of the first settlers in the valley. when the wagon trains came out bringing settlers she was already there. that's another face. you know, again, there are some many phases to the story. all of stumbling around one. there was a return party of cook but from of. between those two parties the return party led by robert stewart is a well-known been in

western history. they found what you all know as the oregon trail. robert stewart on the way back discover what's called self pass through the rocky mountains which was the key piece of geography kiffin that was finally discovered or you could crossed the rocky mount's with in a wheeled vehicle ten. and that was the key link in the oregon trail that allowed settlers to come last carrying their belongings. once the valley was becoming recognized as this very fertile, fertile kind of garden of eden on the west coast. in fact, it was the astorians refers to explore. they knew it was a very rich

agricultural place. it became this tremendous magnet for the some of the west and the western ford movement and for these wagons and settlers to get out there them to come out, find a way out. it was the astorians route they found. they were greeted by marie doreen. well, thanks. you been a wonderful audience. schedule for coming. call. >> on nine me my glass of water cells.

>> i am going to talk about a book i have recently and i have somepability in slides for you. most of them are images that i have took the indited the

best i could to get to the spot where pike was on the same day of the year. one i cheated i have him in the wintertime is in a shot i took in june but most of them are on or near the exact date he was there. the other copy of at i want to offer some slides have a lot of words on them and that is by design but don't necessarily in vichy and he will read every single word but i wanted to give readers and the book and give you a sense of the kind of language he used in the field for the language at the time. don't worry about reading every last word i will not stand appears to read them to you but they will convey

in die will paraphrase the most important points you need to understand. let me jump in i will talk about for 45 minutes. and after the introduction one is about pikes early life and young adulthood the other is his adventures in the rocky mountains probably the most famous part of his expedition. let's begin january january 27, excuse me january 20, 18 '07. the commander of a u.s. military expedition to it had becomebadly lost the and they had wandered in the

rocking evans for several weeks in this day he found himself in the wet militant valley in colorado near the the expedition and was in a desperate situation there were too weak to go on but to imperil the not too they were cold and hungry not adequately clothed in they did not know where they were. two of his men had frostbite so bad they could not walk any longer. furnishing them with as much to ammunition and food as he could spare there were to resist their fate to with fortitude in he left them in the wilderness.

>> the world that has powerful meaning. id with the safety of a small force with the mountains there is no to retrieve sparks so they returned it to buy on february 17 in there is a dark in isn't -- dark been desperate gesture and sent them back with the rescuers

begging all that is sacred not to leave them alone in the wilderness how do they know my heart if they could suspect me of conduct so not generous? he bowed to do whatever was necessary to deliver them to their country and that concept of gratitude that the nation knows something is another concept that we come back to. would agree to make of all of this? who was pike? the explorer whose face lived difficulty opened to the nation or a reckless commander whose board decision making was exposed to unnecessary danger?

whose secret orders impelled him onward even in the face he left a few records of his early life and as a result most who have tried to figure him have looked solely at his official military journals and reports better too big thick volumes as contradictory documents as a result left with those contradictory images but what my book tries to do is employees some the strategy is. and another thing that i did was to look at some letters. he only left us only the

official military reports 14 letters in his own hand. reading between the lines in the context of the time where previous historians with pike in the past from the analytical perspective. with his young adult life to give us the cliff said a formative komen. another thing i have done is read everything that pike read. we have one dozen folks we know that he read her was influenced and i read those to try to get a sense of what kind of information about his culture began a world in then finally i pay close attention to the in

the other aspects of the physical experience of the landscape. after doing this i am convinced above all he was a nationalist the best word to characterize his nationalism. this was a given because america was a young agent fragile nation in to many at the time believed it would not or should not survive. not everybody decided to cast their lot to but pike became persuaded the best way to a fancy ambitions was to sacrifice physically for his nation by the actions

need to re-read in this light in his early life born 1779 the middle of the american revolution, his father is a soldier in and he grows up in a frontier army post down on the ohio river town with the confluence of the mississippi and as a product of the american revolution force is like this one are markers of a historic shift. for the first time in western civilization it is no longer unanimously accepted the only way to get ahead in life is to be born too high social station you can raise your social status to virtuous of behavior as

an accepted idea at the end of the 1700's. so pica was interested in the concept of virtue. what did that entail? if you stuffy old englishman had to do with manners and how you carry yourself and how he behaved in public display your virtues so a gentleman should never be caught sitting with the bashful booby. in a bid by his tutor to copy the precept of the rules of civility for which she learned such wisdom but

that was ever present literature sprung up a fumble sides especially men there was a parallel literature to counsel young man how they had to new be gave in order to get ahead in life. so they can also against excessive snapping of figures -- fingers are rubbing of hands and tapping of toes. but nobody position no matter how minute was too small to escape the attention of those that would read into the position evidence of its owners virtue. and at this point i will see if i can get rid of this.

there we go. that was distracting me. at this point talk about bodies where the cultural intersects with the natural. if we talk about bodies and brings to mind like status and wealth and beauty and occupation desire ian things we call cultural. tonight i am dressed up you were able to come more casual that shows the different roles that we play this is how the man arrested fiat about the bodies of the social position. they're also part of the natural world we're organisms that each in drinking and it's a pleasure

we get sick we are born in and living and dying tuned decomposing and produce waste in the energy and warm sand water in the security. all of these things we might describe as the natural world. tonight if you boil it down to its core that pikes life is a story of the decisions that he made. what he decided to do when his body but the culture of the early republic in the the environment of the frontier of the ohio valley that he grew up the consequences of those decisions and how they affected his activities and i will say that again.

his life is a story when he decided what to do with his body that the culture of the public in an environment of the frontier simultaneously so his letters suggest is and this little book economy of life one of the most important and influential publishers of the middle of the 18th-century and talked a lot about bodily position in condemns people who use their body to draw attention to themselves.

and pike was in no danger to have the financial means they images the readers are sitting by a fireside but remember that plague reading this on the ohio frontier. it was far from comfortable. joining the army in 1795 at the age of 15 for the next decade spends most of his time as a river render transporting military supplies up and down the ohio river and the tributaries to keep the town's ian the post will provision to. but traveled along the river for less messy and difficult a year and unpleasant.

when their courage was high. so we have to guard against the danger in to take all the supplies off but including the boats themselves on the back of men and animals. also those that wade into the ear of the water with chunks of vice floating by? transporting supplies they were too hot or hungary or tired or cold or mosquito britain were simply just exhausted. in this environment it

involved more insurance and suffering than simply remembering not to scratch were walking and a measured pace. that battered men's bodies in tight occasionally considered quitting the army. he saw the example for older officers and his was mentally debilitated by the age of 50 and he fiat i don't want this life this will be to me up and chewed me out i will be kicked out when i am now useful but he did not quit in to provide some clues why he did not. he devoted an entire year's section and choose the concept of for a two-tiered

that he meant it a physical sense it was filled to show fortitude in the face of hardship. this is the same one he used to resist their fate with fortitude. if he was says taken s.c. was with the rest you could have easily reasoned himself into accepting the army's promise of suffering to college degree to virtue was also from high-profile examples of george washington. oil hebron's the ohio river washington voluntary steps down from the presidency in declines to run for a third term to which she almost certainly could have been elected.

not anybody could sacrifice in the where president could to give up a third term in office. nevertheless he said all are not called to guide the armies in nation's nine everybody is called to be a general or a president but that does not mean everybody is called to be virtuous. in to do well sony is to a virtuous sacrifice the man of no reputation, no welfare honor or property what does somebody have that he can sacrifice? one day in the margin of the

book next to the entry of sincerity pike scribbles that is where he can sacrifice for his nation. his life. his body. then adjust his own body heat will discipline for the nation. , then begins to discipline the men under his charge. one quick story. cold morning december 18 '01 the crew of 70 min in a tent kraft fleet carrying supplies down the ohio river to build the new forth at the mouth of the mississippi. it had to kinds of boats. supply boats which were very heavy to carry all the good scene and company boats that were much lighter to carry the man and personal supplies.

at dawn and the pike soldiers were hustled out of their tents tupac lead with scramble for the lighter company boat to avoid the editorial to pull the heavenly they didn't supply go. he implies is an insensitive pick up a smoldering logia and flings it at the slackers' then another and another quickly order is restored. to him shirking of physical beauty is the worst kind of dishonor a violation of the covered of self sacrifice in and calls for bodily discipline by pelting of fire logs. life caved pike lots of opportunities to discipline other people's bodies and soon he would get his own

opportunity to test his own 42. in darr rather lose situlas was looking for a few bin and guardian spirit with the a granted venture all the way to the pacific ocean william clark he was not tender consideration for this expedition in debt had an intriguing proposition always knew that jefferson was planning to send out several more expeditions in

he wanted them to be led by the army's most capable officers. in the spring of 18 '05 he was ready a to embrace the physical sacrifice that exploration will lead it acquire and a sacrifice he did. his order said come home by december 1st but he overreaching and stayed in the minnesota wilderness and spent a cold and hungry and exhausting printer there and comes back the following spring. can make new he overstepped his orders his supervisor that we will talk more about

wrote to the secretary of war that pike is a good soldier but has a habit to overstep his orders in he will do this again before we're done with him tonight. by this time he is 27 years old. what has he learned so far? he has a sort the culture of the year republic but he has refracted at. to the physical experience coming to the conclusion the bodily sacrifice is the best way to win the gratitude and honor and glory tuned social events mayor. he test this theory in the minnesota wilderness had its

limits and it worked. he comes back and not only wins the praise of his military commanders but of thomas jefferson as well. within three days he gets back to st. louis with another high-profile assignment with another opportunity to sacrifice or with glory on behalf of the nation isn't the second assignment letter brings me to the end of the first part of my presentation now i would like to fast forward to the middle of the expedition. this is an overview. this begins in

st. louis july 15 in the first part takes them across the great plains to play a diplomatic visit. thank those of the arkansas of river and wanders around lost and then wasrested growing into the spanish army. so they call him a trespasser anand the first taken to santa fe then the city of of july lot to explain himself to civil authorities to march across back taxes to redeposit on

u.s. soil july 18 '07 almost a few days sure to of one year from when he left st. louis . one of the chapters in my book follows him across the plains. another in northern mexico we will join him right now right about here in southeastern colorado november 15, 18 '06, the 16 man caribbean riding along the arkansas river in and then he spots what he thinks is a small blue cloud he takes the spyglass and realizes that is a militant. the menopause in give three cheers for the destination is in sight.

from this point reading his journal is almost comical. it is the marker that marks the site where he first spotted it. you could not see the mountain on this particular day but in the days after his journal is somewhat humorous. he thinks he will march to the mountains that day. he is disappointed they look the same is in the morning. than to they are nothing

like the allegheny's at all in and he does not understand what he sees. he has not acclimated himself to the clear air and along the sight lines is soaring heights of the american west saw the possibility to see a mountain to be more than 100 miles away he could not wrap his mind around. segreant peak is only the first mistake the pinnacle was not ede's march ended in the interim to climb the mountain without food or blankets or even stocks. he with these men and wearing summer are reid

cotton uniforms into the morning of the first blizzard and cross twice without the need to do so he with the frost bit and then in the wilderness and contemplate suicide and print to execute and raised an american flag on spanish soil. this was strange to have led to speculation in his day that perhaps there are secret orders to get to santa fe possibly for treacherous resents. in fact, his terrible ordeal underscores the commitment to sacrifice for the nation

to understand that to back up the few days to earlier is in the fall. he had located the arkansas river put it almost all the way to the mountain in handler and much about indian culture so he had accomplished most of what was asked him to do only to find the head waters of the water back to the mississippi river in the late scrooch earlier -- grew chilly and put the mission in jeopardy and was determined to press on.

that raises the question was he pursuing? in depicting the louisiana purchase in very clear terms with well-defined boundaries after the united states and in spain and in 18 '03 in it looked more like this. louisiana was a blank spot on the map.

nobody knew where it stopped or started. it and what that meant diplomatically i like this matt. and along the mississippi river was spain he thought he had purchased from france. you can see there will be some problems. louisiana was a blank spot on the manhattan whoever would control letter would be determined by whoever could occupy it first. to set up for the united states and although jefferson knew about pike's

expedition he did not order it to. this man one of the arch robo of american history who had been an informant on the table -- payroll from the louisiana territory were ever that stopped and started he was the governor also the ranking general in the united states are me. he plans to use the to post to rich himself. killing dash enrich himself so they speculate he gave pike secret orders to spy on santa fe to a finance his own commercial schemes to corner the market with the lucrative capital or to spy

as part of a scheme that will consume was cooking up with this man. burr was trying to it actually was accused of this he was trying to get a succession with the western states and territories belonging to the united states. and trying to launch a filibuster expedition to gather a private army end capture portions of spanish texas and louisiana to carve out a new nation in the middle of north america they he could be the head of. . .

we will talk more about this in a minute but this is likely the first map drawn, first american map drawn showing the relationship of st. louis which is down here with santa fe which is appear at the top. north is that way on the map so you kind of have to look at it like that. and west or southwest is up.

also incriminating is that hike wrote a letter to wilkinsowilkinso n on july 22, a few weeks after he left st. louis and this is one of those paragraphs those texting slides that you don't need to read every word of but basically his s i happen toge what's pike -- run into spaniards wink, wink i'm looking for the red river and i'm trying to get back to the united states. if they happen to require that i go to santa fe to explain myself to officials there so much the better so are the sanguine expectations that he is referring to there, is that code for secret orders to get to santa fe? some people have suggested yes and we will see. whatever his objects they impelled him forward. between november 24 and

november 29, he attempted to climb the grand peak and that is actually an interesting story in and of itself that it's not essential to understanding what happens next so i'm going to pass over that aspect of his journey but if you would like to talk about it in the q&a session at the end of my comments here i'd be happy to go into more detail there. this is the image. this is the view that he likely had. this is the closest spot that he got to the grand peak, pikes peak rate he never fully climbed it. i will go back here a second. by november 30, the men were ready to enter the mountains and it was snowing and it turned out to be the first heavy blizzard of the year. by december 5, pike reached a quandary. he was in the vicinity of modern

canyon city of place were several small tributaries of the arkansas river come together and pike wasn't sure which of the tributaries was the main branch so he camped for five days. he sent men to fan out across the countryside into the mountains to figure out this question and on december 10 he decides that he's going to use turn north. this is perhaps a curious decision for a man who is looking for the red river. this slide, this picture on the left here is the santa fe trail map that he had carried with him and this is the arkansas river right here. and you probably can't read it but this right here says something about several small branches of the red river and again this direction is north so to get from the arkansas to the

red you want to go south or southwest. now this map over here, we don't have evidence for certain that pike carried this map with him but it's quite likely that he did or least he knew of its contents. this is a map prepared by the great prussian geographer of the time and he had not been to this area but he traveled to mexico and asked spanish officials what they knew of the geography. here you can see at the top of the map something labeled rio in the plussed way which is spanish for the arkansas river so this is the arkansas and this is the red river so again if you are on the arkansas the best way to get to the red is to go south or southwest. but pike chose to go north. one of the thing to point out

about this is that those of these maps turn into the -- the red river is not within 300 miles of sub five. the headwaters of the river in northern texas. so elusive are that more and finally pinpointed until 1859 and many explorers after pike would come looking for them in this vicinity northwest of santa fe and not find them, not find the headwaters. so pike is up around here and he decides to go north and the reason he decides to go north is twofold. one is who looks to the southwest and he sees the sundry decrease the mountains 14,000-foot peaks and he says it's impossible to cross them. the other thing he finds a human trail heading north for now canyon city up one of the creek beds and sub by this confused about the geography and he decides i want to get

directions. i want to talk to anybody, spaniards and indians i don't know who they are but i want to talk about what's going on here. so he travels north into what is south park colorado and wanders around there and doesn't find anything. and then he travels to the southwest. he says i'm going to go looking for the red river to the southwest. he travels over trap creek pass which is followed today by highway 24 and 285 out of south park and here's another one of my summertime pictures. he crosses and finds a broad river valley which he takes. the men have not eaten for several days at this point but on december 24 they killed several bison and they have a christmas eve feast. they can't -- camp near saliva and they fix their moccasins.

they dry out their meet and dry out their tents and blankets what's left of them and things like that and they prepared for the homeward journey down the red river. calamity strikes a couple of days later when they find themselves on a narrow canyon with sheer walls. the river runs bank to bank in several places and other places is frozen over into a series of rocky puddles. the horses start tripping and falling in a couple of them have to be shot. the men tried to escape the canyon a couple of times and they find there's no way out. they go several days without any food in the party become separated. they try to unload the horses and build makeshift sleds dragged the horses and the goods down the river on sleds and it becomes spread out over several miles through the canyon. on january 1 his 20th birthday he comes over a ridge and he spies his december 5 camp.

36 brutal days in the mountains had yielded only the rediscovery of the arkansas which he has been following since mid-october. so this was still the arctic thaw where was the red? texas was not one of the places that cross the pike's line. he decides it must be to the southwest over those mountains and he decides to cross. now some have interpreted this as evidence of pike's secret orders. he's going to get to santa fe no matter what even if he has to cross uncrossable bounds. maybe so bad a look at the santa fe trail map reveals that if he is on the arkansas the red river right here and santa fe right here