Klem — The History of Science in St. Louis. 87 



select sites for military posts, treat with the Indians, and 

 find out what he could about the British traders who 

 still occupied posts in our newly acquired territory. 

 Navigating his boats to the vicinity of the present Little 

 Falls, he proceeded onward by land as far as the mouth 

 of Turtle River. He had an idea that the source of the 

 Mississippi was somewhere near this river, but, owing to 

 the extremely cold weather, he did not push beyond the 

 mouth of the Turtle River and returned to St. Louis in 

 April, 1806. 



In July, 1806, Pike left St. Louis on his second expedi- 

 tion to the southwestern part of Louisiana Territory. 

 While near the present site of Pueblo, Colorado, he made 

 an unsuccessful side trip which had for its object the 

 ascent of the since famous peak which bears his name. 



Captain Chittenden in his classic history of the Ameri- 

 can Fur Trade of the Far West says : "It is doubtful if 

 history affords the example of another city which has 

 been the exclusive mart for so vast an extent of country 

 as that which was tributary to St. Louis during the en- 

 tire period embraced in this work. (1807-1843.) Every 

 route of trade or adventure, to the remote regions of 

 the west centered in St. Louis. The very location at the 

 mouth of the Missouri gave it monopoly of all trade 

 originating in the valley of that stream, whether among 

 the wild tribes of the mountains three thousand miles 

 away, or among the infant settlements which were ad- 

 vancing with slow but sure foot-step along the lower 

 course of the river. The Oregon Trail, which began as 

 an independent line of travel, near the present site of 

 Kansas City, Mo., brought down the tribute from the high 

 mountain sections of the central west, from the interior 

 basin of the Great Salt Lake, and to some extent from 

 the more remote regions on the Pacific slope. In like 

 manner the Santa Fe Trail, which left the Missouri river 

 at the same point as did the Oregon Trail, and was coinci- 

 dent with it for some distance west, carried to and fro 

 that peculiar commerce which long existed with the for- 



