Zebulon M. Pike's Explorations of the American Southwest 1806-07, Pike Plaza - Pueblo, CO - Pueblo, CO - Murals on Waymarking.com

This large ceramic tile mural map reveals the route of the 1806-07 Pike Expedition which explored the American Southwest. This is the largest monument to the Pike Expedition of 1806-07 and was created to celebrate the bicentennial of the exploration. Detailed maps of his explorations may be found at (visit link) .

The plaque reads (found at the base of the old DAR Memorial):

1806 [logo of Pike Bicentennial] 2006
Commemorating the 200th Anniversary
of Zebulon Montgomery Pike's
Exploration of the American Southwest

[List of members of the expedition]

The City of Pueblo


This monument to Zebulon Montgomery Pike and his group who were the first official American explorers in this area. The life-size bronze bust of Pike is set on poles and encircled by quotes from his diary. The plinth is a combination of steel, rocks and silhouette curves that blend into the mosaic on the sidewalk that reflects the explorations and historical finds of this official American exploration group.

"Pike Plaza, a permanent, outdoor venue in downtown Pueblo, certainly the most innovative and largest of the nation’s architectural monuments to Pike, was created by HARP [Historic Arkansas Riverwalk]" (from (visit link) )

"Zebulon Montgomery Pike (January 5, 1779 – April 27, 1813) was an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. As a United States Army captain in 1806–1807, he led the Pike Expedition, sent out by President Thomas Jefferson, to explore and document the southern portion of the Louisiana territory and to find the headwaters of the Red River, during which he recorded the discovery of what later was called Pikes Peak. The Pike expedition coincided with other Jefferson expeditions including the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806) and the Thomas Freeman and Peter Custis expedition (1806). The Pike Expedition traveled through present-day Colorado after his party confused their location. This led to capture by Spanish, who sent Pike and his men to Chihuahua (present-day Mexico), and to questioning by the governor. They were released later in 1807 at the border of Louisiana.

In 1810 Pike published an account of his expeditions, a book so popular that it was translated into French, German and Dutch for publication in Europe. He later achieved the rank of brigadier general in the Army, serving during the War of 1812. He was killed during the Battle of York, which the United States won." (from (visit link) )

Also see (visit link) , (visit link) and (visit link) .

City: Pueblo Location Name: Pike Plaza Artist: Ken Williams Date: 2006 Media: Ceramic tiles Relevant Web Site: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and description of your visit. One original photo of the mural must also be submitted. GPSr photo NOT required.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   05/27/2024 WicketMike visited it 06/04/2022 wanderfish visited it 05/16/2022 Max and 99 visited it

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