Pike Expedition
On November 15, Pike recorded the first sight of the distant mountain he called "Grand Peak". It has since been called Pikes Peak in his honor. Pike tried to climb the peak, hoping to get a view of the surrounding area to record on maps, the 14,000-foot summit. Pike's group ascended a lesser summit nearby—likely Mount Miller, which was named for Theodore Miller, one of the soldiers who accompanied Pike. With winter threatening, Pike pressed onward up the Arkansas, and on December 7 the party reached Royal Gorge, a spectacular canyon on the Arkansas at the base of the Rocky Mountains.
James E. Pike
Pike was born on 4 September 1892 in Newcastle, New South Wales., eldest child of Charles Pike and Jane Isabella Liddell He started his career as a jockey in 1907, and won the Caulfield Cup at just 15 with Welcome Jack. He went to England the following year and competed in 17 races, winning 2 and 5 placings. Returning to Australia he won his first major race at 18 in the Victoria Derby in 1910 with Beverage.