Collection of essays exploring the expeditions and writings of Zebulon Pike (1779-1813) that provided an image of the Southwest that would shape American culture for decades. Pike, an ambitious young military officer and explorer, best known for a mountain peak the he neither scaled nor named, was destined to live in the shadows of more famous contemporaries -- explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Contributors explore: Pike's contributions to science and cartography; his relationships with Native peoples and Spanish officials; the impact of his expeditions on the environment; his role in the Aaron Burr conspiracy; and his life in comparison with other Jeffersonian explorers.

Introduction: Zebulon Montgomery Pike in American memory / Matthew L. Harris -- Pike as a forgotten and misunderstood explorer / Jay H. Buckley -- Pike and empire / James P. Ronda -- Pike and American science / John Logan Allen -- Jeffersonian explorers in the Trans-Mississippi West: Zebulon Pike in perspective / Jay H. Buckley -- An empire and ecology of liberty / Jared Orsi -- Enemies and friends: Pike and Melgares in the competition for the Great Plains / Leo E. Oliva -- James Wilkinson: Pike's mentor and Jefferson's capricious point man in the West / William E. Foley.