born Jan. 5, 1779, Lamberton, N.J., U.S.
died April 27, 1813, York, Ont.
U.S. explorer.
He joined the army at age 15. In 1805 he led an expedition to find the headwaters of the Mississippi River, traveling 2,000 mi (3,200 km) from St. Louis to northern Minnesota, where he erroneously identified Leech Lake as the river's source. In 1806 he was sent to the Southwest to explore the Arkansas and Red rivers. Passing through Colorado, he tried unsuccessfully to climb the 14,110-ft (4,301-m) mountain later named Pikes Peak . His party continued into northern New Mexico (1807); his report on the Santa Fe region encouraged later expansion into the Southwest. In the War of 1812 he was killed in the attack on York (Toronto).