Cover of The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume 3 (of 3) To Headwaters of the Mississippi River Through Louisiana Territory, and in New Spain, During the Years — Themes and Context

The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume 3 (of 3) To Headwaters of the Mississippi River Through Louisiana Territory, and in New Spain, During the Years — Themes and Context

(5 User reviews) 967

In Category - Exploration

Authors: Pike, Zebulon Montgomery, 1779-1813, Coues, Elliott, 1842-1899 [Editor] Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2013 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Mississippi River -- Description and travel; West (U.S.) -- Description and travel; West (U.S.) -- History -- To 1848; New Mexico -- Description and travel; Pike, Zebulon Montgomery, 1779-1813 -- Travel -- West (U.S.); West (U.S.) -- Discovery and exploration Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 37,745

Reading time 165 min

Text sections 2

The source record for The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume 3 (of 3) To Headwaters of the Mississippi River Through Louisiana Territory, and in New Spain, During the Years — Themes and Context measures this digital text at 37,745 words, 2 hr 45 min estimated reading time, and 2 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 6.0 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Mississippi River -- Description and travel,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #43776

Elliott Coues's 1895 edition of Pike's 1810 narrative, this volume contains the index and maps. The index reveals a dense web of place names, tribal bands, and Spanish colonial terms, while the front matter documents Coues's editorial apparatus and the original cartography.

Editorial Edition Score 4.6/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

Calculated from edition completeness, EPUB availability, text structure and catalogue metadata. Not a user rating.

How this score is calculated

Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg43776

Read the Text

Brackenridge's Travels, 361

Brackettville, Tex., 690

Braddock's defeat, 438, 531

Bradford, Col., 490, 491, 492

Bradley, Corp. or Sergt. Samuel, 1, 20, 54, 56, 108, 114, 115, 117, 124, 127, 128, 131, 136, 137, 138, 139, 172, 173, 177, 193, 359, 360, 372, 373, 401, 428, 432, 547, 845, 854, 855

Brainerd, Minn., 129, 130, 131, 135, 177, 179, 318

Branches of the Vine, 777

Branden, Pvt. Peter, 1, 854

Brannan, lxxix, lxxxiii, ci

Bras Cassé, Bras Casse, Brasse Casse, a chf., 88, 338, 347

Brasses, Brassos r., Mex., 673, 678

Brasses, Brassos, Brassus r., Tex., lii, 678, 706, 707

Bravo r., 641, 642, 643, 644, see Rio Grande and Rio del Norte

Brazito, battle and tract, 640

Brazos r., Brazos de Dios r., lii, 560, 705, 706, 707, 779, 780, 781

Breche, Brèche-dent, a chf., 176, 189, 190

brelau, brelaw, 96, 432

Brevoort, Capt. H. B., xxvi, xxviii, see also Michigan Pioneer Collections, I. p. 373, VIII. p. 449

Bridgeport, Kas., 403, 404

Brigade order, Pike's, lxxx

British generalities not indexed

British sergeant killed, xc

Broken Arm, a chf., 88, 338, 347

Broken Gun channel, 52

Broken Teeth or Tooth, a chf., 134, 176, 347

Brooks, officer of artillery, lxxx

Brother Jonathan, 711

Brouisseau, J. Le F. d'I. de, 214

Broulé r., in Schoolcraft, 1855, see Bois Brûlé r.

Brower, Hon. J. V., preface, 101, 105, 158, 159, 160, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 288, 326, 328, 331, 332, 336

Brower isl., in Hernando de Soto l., named by a committee consisting of Capt. R. Blakely, Mr. Chas. D. Elfelt, and Hon. I. V. D. Heard, for Hon. J. V. Brower

Brower ridge, 165, 166

Brower r. is the name I have given to that stream which flows into Lake Winnibigoshish and is commonly reckoned as III. or Third r., which see: see also Annals of Iowa for Apr., 1895, p. 22

Brown Cañon sta., Col., 472

Brown, Clara or Clarissa, xxx, xxxiii

Brown co., Wis., 298, 299

Brown, Browne, Dr. Jos., 388, 579

Brown, Gen. John, xxx, xxxiii, lix

Browning, Hon. D. M., preface

Brown, Pvt. John, 1, 115, 359, 360, 373, 432, 454, 457, 476, 482, 488, 489, 490, 510, 845, 854, 855

Brown's cr., br. of Ark. r., 472

Brown's cr., br. of Miss. r., 90

Brownsville, Minn., 49, 206

Brownsville, N. Y., lxxxii

Brusha for Brèche-dent, 176

Brush Hollow cr., 462

Brushy Mound, see Timbered Hill

Bruske, Bruské, Brusky, Chas., 139

Bryant, Hon. C. S., 88

Buade, L. de Frontenac de, 294

Buade l., 91, 95, 313

Bucanieus, La Touche de la Cote, 423

Bucareli, see Bacorelli. Gen. Antonio Maria Bucareli y Urzua, b. Seville, Jan. 24th, 1717, d. at Mexico Apr. 9th, 1779, was 1760-71 Governor of Cuba, and 1771 to death Viceroy of New Spain

Buck, a chf., 156, 157, 172, 173, 175, 189; Schoolcraft, 1855, p. 444, calls him Iaba Waddik

Buck cr., or Suicide cr., 556

Buck cr., Wis., another, 42

Buckman, Geo. R., preface

Buckman Hotel, Little Falls, Minn., 123

Bucks, a chf., see Buck

Bucks co., Pa., xx, 602, 656

Budd and Bartram, 656

Buenaventura, Mex., 653

Buena Vista, battle of, xix, 760

Buena Vista, Col., 469, 470, 471

Buenavista, Sonora, 773

buffalo, passim, for example, 58, 426, 427, 428, 429, 433, 434, 438, 439, 440, 441, 472, 473, etc.

Buffalo buttes, N. M., 597

Buffalo City, Wis., 57

Buffalo co., Wis., 55

Buffalo cr., br. of Little Platte r., 468

Buffalo cr., br. of Miss. r., in Minn., of Pike, 103, 110

Buffalo cr., br. of Miss. r., in Minn., being first one below Brainerd, on the E., mouth in Sect. 3, tp. 44, range 31, 4th M.

Buffalo cr., br. of Miss. r., in Mo., or Pike's Bar r., 7, 290

Buffalo cr., br. of Republican r., 404, 405, 408, 420

Buffalo crs., see Big and Little

Buffalo isl. in Miss. r., 7

Buffalo isl. in Mo. r., 365

Buffalo, Buffaloe r., br. of Miss. r., in Mo., 4, 355

Buffalo, Buffaloe r., br. of Miss. r., in Wis., 55, 56, 58, 59, 65, 290, 305

Buffalo r., br. of Mo. r., 365

Builder of Towns, a chf., 557

Bukesagidowag r., 152

Bullard's cr., 64, 69. Bullard was the trader who settled at Red Wing in 1850 and laid out the town

Bunting, Rev. O. S., preface, civ, cv

Burch, Capt. D. E., cix

Bureau of Ethnology, 238

Bureau of Indian Affairs, 238

Burger's cr. and bottom, 365

Burgwin, Capt. J. H. K., 606

burial, burying-ground, 73

Burlingame, Kas., 520

Burlington bluffs, 18, 19

Burlington, Ia., 18, 19

Burlington, Kas., 399

Burlington, Vt., cviii

Burnet's Notes N. W. Terr., 438

Burnett co., Wis., 72

Burnt, a chf., 156, 347

Burnt, Burntwood r., 308, 309, 310

Burr, Aaron, lv, lvi, 500, 501, 504, 652, 692, 826, 836

Burris cr. and valley, 55

Bustamente, Mex., 670

Butler, Capt. E., xxviii

Butler co., Kas., 549

Butte de Mort, des Morts, 300, 301, 341, 356

Butte des Morts l., 300, 301, 340

Butte d'Hyvernement, 51, 52, 53, 54

Cabaso, Father J. A., 703, 708

Caberairi, Caberarie, Cabrera, Don A., 660, 661, 662

Caberairi, Señora M. C., 659

Cabezua, see Jabezua r.

cabrie, 399, 653, 738, 772

Cache cr., in Ark., 559

Cache cr., in Col., 471

caches, 437, 439, 535

Caddo, see Caddoan Inds.

Caddoan Inds., Caddoes, 412, 526, 557, 591, 706, 708, 711, 713

Cadena pass, 674, 675

Cadillac, A. de la M., 714

Cahagatonga, 527, 591, council name of Osage chf., Cheveux Blancs or White Hair, said to mean Big Ice

Cahokia, Ill., 206, 602

Caigua is same word as Kiowa

Cajuenche was a tribe of Yuman Inds., called Cojuenchis on Pike's map

Calhoun co., Ill., 3, 4, 5

Caliente cr., 597, 598, 600

California, cxi, cxii, 446, 641, 645, 719, 725, 727, 728, 729, 733, 734, 735, 736, 742, 746, 770, 773

Callaway, Capt. Jas., 367

Callaway co., Mo., 368, 369

Calumet co., Wis., 300, 301

Calvinistic Creator, 332

Camanche Inds., 536, 563, 565, 566, 590, 706, and see Comanches

Camden co., Mo., 371, 374, 375, 376

Cameron, Mr. M., 66, 67, 70, 82, 86, 202, 208, 238

Camino a Senora, 651, 653

Camino de Monasterio, Camion de Monaseo, 670

Campagnoni, Comtesse de, 328, 330

Camp Allegheny, xxiv, xxvi

Campbell, Archibald, 25

Camp Belle Fontaine, lxii

Campbell, Mr., of Nicollet, 200

Campbell, Mr., of Pike, was John Campbell, 206, 207, 211, 269

Campbell's isl. and chain, 25

Camp Coldwater, 83. An undated military map in MS., in the Minn. Hist. Soc., marks it in a sort of cove opp. the head of the first island above Fort St. Anthony. Lieut. Douglas' Historical Rep., dated Dec. 4th, 1879, says this camp was at a spring near the old trading house

Camp cr., br. of Miss. r., 18

Camp cr., br. of Vermilion r., 400

Continue Reading →

This third volume of Elliott Coues's 1895 edition of Zebulon Montgomery Pike's expeditions is devoted entirely to the index and maps—a structural choice that foregrounds the editorial labor required to make Pike's 1810 narrative navigable. The index, which Coues states covers "all the matter of the two preceding volumes," is primarily an index of names, both proper and common, without analytical subheadings. Its entries range from individual soldiers like Pvt. H. Menaugh to Sioux place names such as Mde (Lake Pepin) and Spanish administrative terms like Maturrangos. The volume also reproduces six maps from the original Philadelphia edition, including Pike's charts of the Mississippi and the Internal Provinces of New Spain, alongside a new "Historico-Geographical Chart" drawn under Coues's direction.

The Index as a Map of Contact

The index reveals the layered geography of Pike's world. Entries for Native groups—Mdewakantonwan Sioux, Menomonee, Mescalero Apaches—sit alongside Spanish colonial terms like Maturrangos (a derogatory term for mixed-blood Spaniards) and presidio references. The inclusion of linguistic notes, such as the pronunciation guide for Mde ("two syllables, first short, last accented as if Meday´"), signals Coues's attention to indigenous toponymy. The index also documents Pike's personnel: entries for sergeants, privates, and interpreters like Meunier, Pierre (cross-referenced to Archevêque) show the expedition's multinational composition. This is not a simple list but a record of encounter—between languages, jurisdictions, and knowledge systems.

Cartographic Reproductions and Editorial Intervention

The volume's map section reproduces Pike's original charts in facsimile, including the "First Part of Captain Pike's Chart of the Internal Part of Louisiana" and the "Map of the Internal Provinces of New Spain." These are supplemented by a new map drawn under Coues's direction: the "Historico-Geographical Chart of the Upper Mississippi River." The juxtaposition of original and modern cartography highlights the editorial project's dual aim—to preserve Pike's work while correcting and contextualizing it. Coues's own background as a naturalist and editor of Lewis and Clark is evident in the meticulous indexing of geographical features, from Medano Creek to Mesa Prieta, and in the inclusion of modern county and state names (e.g., Meade co., Kas.). The maps thus become artifacts of both early exploration and late-nineteenth-century scholarship.

The Textual Condition: Inconsistencies and Provenance

The front matter reveals the volume's textual history. The transcriber's note states that "inconsistent spelling and hyphenation in the original document have been preserved" while "obvious typographical errors have been corrected." This tension between fidelity and correction runs through the edition. The index itself contains variant spellings—Maupeme, Maupemie, Mausseme are cross-referenced to Mapimi—reflecting the instability of place names in the early republic. The volume's provenance is also documented: it was produced from images provided by the Internet Archive, and the Project Gutenberg credits list multiple proofreaders. This layered production history—from Pike's manuscript to Coues's edition to digital transcription—makes the volume a case study in how exploration narratives are transmitted and transformed.

Readers approaching this volume should treat the index not as a mere finding aid but as a compressed record of Pike's world—its peoples, places, and political boundaries. The maps, reproduced in facsimile, reward close comparison with modern geography. Coues's editorial presence is felt throughout, from the pronunciation guides to the cross-references, making this edition a dialogue between an early-nineteenth-century explorer and a late-nineteenth-century scholar.

The rain kept me inside with Pike’s index, tracing names like beads on a rosary. Hours dissolved into a haze of rivers and forgotten forts. Near dusk, my finger caught on a marginal note about a far stranger journey—one I hadn’t thought of in years. I set the volume aside, reaching instinctively for that other tale, its edges worn soft, its promises darker. The Country of the Dwarfs — Edition Insights rested beside it, and somehow that afternoon belonged to both.