Pike's Stockade - Sanford, CO - Colorado Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

On this ground stood PIKE'S STOCKADE Erected in February, 1807, by Capt. Zebulon Montgmery Pike, U.S.A. First official American explorer of Colorado and the southwest. First U.S. fort on Colorado soil. Site acquired by the State, 1926. Erected by The State Historical Society of Colorado From the Mrs. J. N. Hall Foundation And by the Historical Association of the Adams State Teachers College 1936

Lt. Zebulon Pike led the second official exploration into the United States' newly acquired Louisiana Purchase territory. Crossing the Sangre de Cristo mountains into the San Luis Valley, Pike constructed a stockade out of Cottonwood logs to protect his men from the winter and from Spanish raiders. However, whether knowingly or unknowingly, Pike built his fort on Spanish soil and on February 26, 1807, a force of 100 Spanish cavalry appeared to escort him to the governor in Santa Fe. Pike was taken to Chihuahua and questioned by the Spanish. He was finally freed in July and reported his findings, having gained valuable insight into the geographical knowledge of the southern portion of the Louisiana Purchase and the Spanish presence in the southwest.

In 1926 the state of Colorado acquired land and, in 1952, built a replica of Pike's stockade. The site was selected based on detailed description given by Pike in his journal and the fort replicates the original as closely as possible. In 1962 the site was registered as a National Historic Landmark and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The fort, open from Memorial Day to Labor Day (8-5 daily), is located about 4 miles east of Sanford. A picnic area is located nearby and historic markers provide some insight into the history of the area.

Source: National Register of Historic Places, San Luis Valley Heritage, National Geographic GeoTourism Map Guide

Group or Groups Responsible for Placement: Colorado Historical Society Adams State College County or City: Conejos County Date Dedicated: 1936 Check here for Web link(s) for additional information: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new or if you were able to take any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark. If possible, please post a photo of you at the marker OR your GPS at the marker location OR some other creative way to prove you visited. If you know of any additional links not already mentioned about this bit of Colorado history, go ahead and include that in your log!

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.