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 oeceupied 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- 
