1806 - Zebulon Pike sets out for the Rocky Mountains

       In 1806, the Zebulon Pike expedition to explore the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains was more famous and noteworthy to the average American than the Lewis and Clark expedition. (click here for more on Pike)  Pike set off on his celebrated adventure with twenty-three white men and fifty-one Indians, and accounts of the expeditions exploits were reported and followed like modern celebrities.