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.
Abram W. Pike House
At 172-years-old, the Pike House is one of Michigan's historical treasures. Built in 1844, it is one of the oldest homes still standing in Michigan and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The name, the Pike House, comes from the original occupier, Abram W. Pike. Abram Pike, a fur trader, came to Michigan in 1827. Pike lived in Port Sheldon on Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Pigeon River, and was employed as the company clerk for the Port Sheldon Land Company.