Zebulon Pike
In early November 1806, Pike and his team sighted and tried to climb to the summit of the peak later named after him (Pikes Peak). They made it as far as Mt. Rosa, located southeast of Pikes Peak, before giving up the ascent in waist-deep snow. They had already gone almost two days without food.
Poncha Springs, Colorado
The discovery of the Poncha hot springs is widely disputed. Some historians believe Lt. Zebulon Pike, after whom Pikes Peak is named, made the discovery in 1806. Others credit frontiersman Kit Carson, who passed through Poncha Springs in 1832.
John Burnett, Henry Weber, and Paul Irvine built the first spring-fed bath in 1868 by digging a large pit, which they lined with logs to contain the water. The town flourished when the railroad passed through, and the springs became a popular attraction. Two hotels were constructed on the site, but both burned down. In 1904, a year after the last fire, the Holman family arrived to manage the springs. By then a hand-plastered rock pool, two cabins, two baths, and a sleeping room had been built.