who led the arkansas river expedition to the rocky mountains
Pike expedition On November 15, Pike recorded the first sight of the distant mountain he called "Grand Peak".[7] 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 nearbyâ€”likely Mount Miller, which was named for Theodore Miller, one of the soldiers who accompanied Pike.[8] 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.