Mark In Texas History: Zebulon Pike once trekked through East Texas
ALTO, Texas (KLTV) - Did you know the namesake of Pike’s Peak once came through East Texas? It’s the subject of this week’s Mark in Texas History.
In 1807, Lt. Zebulon (Zeb-you-lawn) Pike led an expedition to explore the headwaters of the Arkansas and Red Rivers and to report on Spanish settlements in the New Mexico area. During that expedition, Pike attempted to climb the summit of the peak in Colorado later named after him.
It’s not known if it was intentional or not, but during that expedition Pike’s crew crossed into Spanish territory. They were arrested and extradited to Mexico.
When the crew was later released, the expedition camped near this site in June of 1807. It is marked by this historical marker, established in 1982. The marker is on the El Camino Real (Ree-al) portion of the Caddo Mounds State Park near Alto.
You can see the Zebulon Pike Campsite Historical Marker at the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site, which is located on State Highway 21 west of Alto.
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