DENVER & RIO GRANDE WESTERN ROUTE. 41 
the ambition to climb it, so he started off from his camp at the site 
of Pueblo, on Arkansas River, supposing that he could easily reach 
its summit and return in the course of a few “days. He was not 
accustomed to the clear air of the mountains and did not realize that 
- the peak was 45 miles distant in an air line and about 9,500 feet 
above him. The party traveled directly toward the peak, and finally, 
on November 27, 1806, after great hardships, they reached the sum- 
mit of the plateau, at an altitude of probably 9,000 feet, far south of 
the peak. The mountain was covered with snow, and they saw that 
they were but little more than halfway to the dbp: As they were 
not prepared for such cold weather, they suffered severely and con- 
cluded that it was then impossible to reach the summit. They re- 
turned as they came and then pursued their way up the river toward 
the site of Canon City. 
The first person to climb to the summit of Pikes Peak was Dr. 
Edwin James, botanist, geologist, and surgeon of Maj. Long’s expedi- 
tion, in 1820." On account of this ascent Maj. Long named the 
mountain James Peak, and it was called by this name for a number 
of years. Eventually, however, the name of its discoverer, Pike, 
was given to the mountain, and it is now peas: fixed as the most 
appropriate one that could have been chose 
Pikes Peak stands at an altitude of 14, 109 feet, or more than 14 
miles (7,920 feet) above Colorado fiprinks: Its summit may be 
reached by the Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway, better known as the 
Cogwheel Road, or by automobile over the road recently completed 
from Cascade to the top. The first part of the Cogwheel route 
“The Long expedition came to this | the afternoon. In their descent they 
region over practically the same route 
that the traveler on the Denver & Rio 
Grande Western has followed south 
from Denver. ng camped at 
the mouth of Monument Creek (Colo- 
rado Springs) to allow Dr. James an 
opportunity to climb the mountain 
called by Pike the “ Grand Peak.” On 
July 13, 1820, Dr. Herat and two com- 
panions started for mountain. 
After dining at the dig spring ” 
ing note in his journal 
“A large and much frequented road 
passes the springs and enters the 
running to the north of the 
(Soda Spring at Manitou) they began 
the ascent of the mountain, taking 
with them only a single blanket. They 
camped on their way up, probably 
before they got to the timber line, and 
Spent a very uncomfortable night. 
After much hard ¢limbing the party 
reached the summit about 4 o’clock in 
ati vb penetrate here to the 
Columbia 
Evidently Ute Pass was used as a 
thoroughfare long before the white — 
man was cress with the region. 
The geo use of this low pass is 
stated on pb > 40 
