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 

 th^y were but little more than halfway to the top. 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 firmly fixed as the most 

 appropriate one that could have been chosen. 



Pikes Peak stands at an altitude of 14,109 feet, or more than 1^ 

 miles (7,920 feet) above Colorado Springs. Its summit may be 

 reached by the Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway, better known as the 

 CogT\^heel 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 

 region over practically the same route 

 that the traveler on the Denver & Rio 

 Grande Western has followed south 

 from Denver. Maj. Long camped at 

 the mouth of Monument Creek (Colo- 

 rado Springs) to allow Dr. James an 

 oppoxtunity to climb the mountain 

 called by Pike the " Grand Peak." On 

 July 13, 1820, Dr. James and two com- 

 panions started for the mountain. 

 After dining at the "boiling spring" 

 (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 climbing the party 

 reached tlie summit about 4 o'clock in 



the afternoon. In their descent they 

 lost their way and were obliged to 

 spend another night on the mountain 

 side mthout food or blankets. On the 

 morning of July 15 they continued 

 their descent to the boiling spring, 

 where Dr. James entered the follow- 

 ing note in his journal : 



" A large and much frequented road 

 passes the springs and enters the 

 mountains, running to the north of the 

 peak. It is traveled principally by 

 the bisons ; sometimes also by the 

 Indians, who penetrate here to the 

 Columbia." 



Evidently Ute Pass was used as a 

 thoroughfare long before the white 

 man was familiar with the region. 

 The geologic cause of this low pass is 

 stated on page 40. 



