American explorer Zebulon Pike travels to the homeland of the Nuche, along the Front Range of present-day Colorado. President Thomas Jefferson tasked Pike with exploring the southern part of the Louisiana Purchase, a massive land acquisition from France bought in 1803. In addition to a failed attempt to climb the mountain that now bears his name, Pike encountered and peacefully interacted with Indigenous people throughout his journey. After he strayed into Spanish territory in the San Luis Valley, it was a group of Muache Utes who helped the Spanish capture Pike. Pike was eventually returned to the United States.