[54] Las Cumbres Españolas—the celebrated Spanish Peaks. This is the place where, on the 15th of Nov., 1806, Pike’s party gave “three cheers to the Mexican mountains.” His map bears the legend: “Here the Mountains are first seen.” It is a curious fact, now forgotten by most persons, that the Spanish Peaks were called and supposed to be Pike’s Peak for some time—during the years that Pike’s Peak was called James’ Peak. Thus, Thomas J. Farnham, writing of 1839 in his Travels, New York, 1843, p. 41, says: “Pike’s peak in the southwest, and James’ peak in the northwest, at sunset showed their hoary heads above the clouds that hung around them.” Again, ibid., p. 42: “Sixty miles east of these mountains [in Colorado and New Mexico], and 50 south of the Arkansas, stands, isolated on the plain, Pike’s peak, and the lesser ones that cluster around it”—here also thus distinguishing it from James’ Peak, north of the Arkansaw. As I have said in my edition of Pike, p. 457, where I discuss the first application of Pike’s name to the peak which now bears it, the date has never been exactly ascertained; and here in Farnham we have the Spanish Peaks called by Pike’s name so late as 1839. I suppose it will be difficult, if not impossible, to trace the proper appellation of Pike’s Peak back of Frémont’s expedition of 1843-44. At the time I penned my note on the subject I did not know that the misapplication of Pike’s name to the Spanish Peaks had ever been current, and my reference to the verbal use of the term in the 30’s may have had no other foundation. Pike’s Peak having been first surmounted by Dr. Edwin James and his men, at 4 p. m., July 14, 1820, was formally named James’ Peak in Long, ii, 1823, p. 45, from Long’s MS. notes of July 15, 1820.
[55] Fowler’s supposition is correct—this is Pike’s “1st Fork” of the Arkansaw, Spanish Rio Purgatorio and Rio de las Animas Perdidas, French Rivière Purgatoire, English Purgatory river, often corrupted into Picket-wire, and also known as Las Animas river. It enters the Arkansaw from the S. in long. 103° 10´ W., midway between Fort Lyon (across the main stream) and the town of Las Animas, Bent Co. See Pike, ed. of 1895, p. 445.
Fowler names Purgatory river “White Bair crick” on June 6, 1822, beyond, from the tragic incident now about to be narrated.
[56] Grizzly bear, Ursus horribilis. Lewis Dawson may not have been the first American citizen to die and be buried in present Colorado, but I have found no such fact of earlier date.
[57] The first of these is Pike’s Peak; the second and third are the two Spanish Peaks. Besides the names of these latter which I have noted on p. [40], they have also been known as Las Dos Hermanas—The Two Sisters; and when I was in that country I sometimes heard the French names Les Tetons and Les Mamelles. The Ute Indian name, Wahtoyah, meaning Twins, is taken by Lewis H. Garrard as the major title of his book, otherwise The Taos Trail, etc., Cincinnati, 1850—a boyish piece of work, but the readable work of a very bright boy, who has much to say from personal observation of Taos, whither Fowler is bound. He is well worth looking up in the present connection.
[58] Vicinity of Robinson, about on the boundary between Bent and Otero counties, and near the site of Bent’s fort, which was a noted place for many years. See Pike, ed. of 1895, pp. 446, 447, and to authorities there cited for description add Farnham, Travels, 1843, chap. iv, beginning p. 34. Fort William was an alternative name of the same establishment—so called after one of the Canadian-French Bent brothers, who were William, George, Robert, and Charles. In 1826 three of them, with Ceran St. Vrain, built a rude stockade on the N. bank of the Arkansaw above Pueblo—perhaps halfway up to Cañon City. In 1828 they moved down below Pueblo, and began the erection of the permanent structure called Fort William, which was long better known as Bent’s “old” Fort. It existed till 1852, when Col. Wm. Bent destroyed it with fire and gunpowder. He immediately selected a new site lower down the Arkansaw, on the same (N.) side, in the well-known locality of the Big Timbers, where he erected Bent’s “new” fort in 1853, and used it as a trading-post till 1859, when it was leased to the Government; Col. Bent moving to a point just above Purgatory river for the winter of 1859-60. Next spring Bent’s place became Fort Wise, so named for the Governor of Virginia, but in 1861 this name was changed to Fort Lyon, in honor of Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, who was killed at the battle of Wilson’s creek, Mo., Aug. 10, 1861. In the spring of 1866 the river undermined this post, and it was moved to a point 20 m. lower down, though the old post continued to be used as a stage station by Barlow, Sanderson and Co.
[59] Adobe and Horse creeks. See Pike, ed. of 1895, p. 446.
[60] At or near La Junta, seat of Otero Co., where the Arkansaw bends a little S. of lat. 38° N. See Pike, ed. of 1895, p. 447.
[61] Present Crooked creek, a little above La Junta. See Pike, ed. of 1895, p. 447.
[62] Timpas creek, about midway between La Junta and Rocky Ford, Otero Co. See Pike, ed. of 1895, p. 448.