Following the Louisiana Purchase, Jeferson sent out expeditions to explore what the United States had bought. Pike's Arkansas Expedition was concerned more with the southern extent of the purchase than was that of Lewis and Clark, but it was not less important. Pike reported directly to Gen. Wilkinson whose reputation as a double agent involved in the Aaron Burr conspiracy, lends spice to an otherwise ordinary expedition. It is a good beginning for further study on the subject of Mexican/American relations in the first decade of the 19th century, and an inducement to read other books about Zebulon Pike as explorer.

Volume I: Pike exhaustively recounts his daily activities on board. In almost no instance except for the frigid winter is there much drama or dialogue between he and his men. Even when he reaches what he thinks is the source of the Mississippi, he is actually mistaken, though "correct" as far as the assumptions of the day. Toward the head of the river, it is difficult to assess where Pike even is without the notes (which in themselves almost swallow the book, but of sheer necessity to the reading). We reach the headwaters of the river and return to St Louis without much fanfare or dialogue, save that Pike spoke with the English fur traders near the source and explained America's new ownership of the territory (one of his objectives).

Volume II: In this volume Pike is no better. There is an extremely boring journey across Kansas and into Colorado, and he the real drama sets in. Pike and his men are without winter clothing and now in the Colorado Rockies. The frostbite on some of his men forces them to stay behind, unable to continue. This occurs day after day, week after week, until the expedition reaches what is believed to be the source of the Arkansas River. Otherwise the volume meekly runs through Pike's capture by Spanish authorities and his return to the U.S. via Spanish escort. This last is a daily log of conversations with French or Spanish military figures, and of little interest in general.

This review refers to Volume Two. Although at times quite verbose and long-winded (due to the historical notation), the book did illustrate the adventure and hardships of early American explorers, along with political intrigue between Spanish and American relationships in the early 1800's. Pike left St. Louis in 1806 to explore the present southwestern United States.He and his men suffered and endured many misfortunes and hardships while in the Colorado mountains, then only to be arrested by Spanish authorities for trespassing into their territory. I suppose the debate will go on forever, did Pike intentionally get arrested in order to further explore Mexico so that the American government would be more enlightened as to their culture, military strengths and weaknesses, geography, trade possibilities, economy,etc.? It is a creditable, thorough and absorbing account of early American western history.

Volume I: Pike exhaustively recounts his daily activities on board. In almost no instance except for the frigid winter is there much drama or dialogue between he and his men. Even when he reaches what he thinks is the source of the Mississippi, he is actually mistaken, though "correct" as far as the assumptions of the day. Toward the head of the river, it is difficult to assess where Pike even is without the notes (which in themselves almost swallow the book, but of sheer necessity to the reading). We reach the headwaters of the river and return to St Louis without much fanfare or dialogue, save that Pike spoke with the English fur traders near the source and explained America's new ownership of the territory (one of his objectives).

Volume II: In this volume Pike is no better. There is an extremely boring journey across Kansas and into Colorado, and he the real drama sets in. Pike and his men are without winter clothing and now in the Colorado Rockies. The frostbite on some of his men forces them to stay behind, unable to continue. This occurs day after day, week after week, until the expedition reaches what is believed to be the source of the Arkansas River. Otherwise the volume meekly runs through Pike's capture by Spanish authorities and his return to the U.S. via Spanish escort. This last is a daily log of conversations with French or Spanish military figures, and of little interest in general.

This review refers to Volume One.I really had to struggle to get through this book. The historical documentation/notation was overwhelmingly exhausting, boring and tedious.Simply put,too much! As far as the actual journal itself is concerned, to quote Pike in his letter of July 2, 1806 to General Wilkinson, "The journal in itself will have little to strike the imagination, being a dull detail of our daily march." I agree. This is in no way to be demeaning of Pike's exploration efforts and the hardships he and his men suffered to get to the source of the Mississippi River. Pike had monumental responsibilities to accomplish. He was to find the headwaters of the Mississippi, bring peace between various Indian tribes, select future sites for government forts and trading posts, and to confer with the British establishments in the recently expanded territory of the United States.There were some highlights of the book however, one being the chapter "Correspondence and Conferences", which show Pike's letters to various individuals, and his speeches to certain Indian tribes. Also, the chapter on ethnography details the cultural aspects of the different Mississippi Indian tribes, which I found interesting. I hope Volume 2 (explorations into the
American West) will have more flavor.