America the Beautiful

It occurred to me as we labored this morning to plant more shrubs, that I must remember that we did so in the shadow of Pike's Peak, the inspiration for one of the July 4th's most iconic songs: America the Beautiful.

Our local paper did a wonderful photographic montage: a year of all season photographs of Pike's Peak with the background of Ray Charles singing his unforgettable version. But I haven't been able to find it so I could link to it here.

But I did find this wonderful media tribute to the 200th anniversary of the "discovery" of Pike's Peak in 1806 by Zebulon Pike.

If you click on part 5, you will hear the story of Katherine Lee Bates who wrote America the Beautiful after ascending Pike's Peak. The song was published for the first time on July 4.

Bates wrote: " One day some of the other teachers and I decided to go on a trip to 14,000-foot Pikes Peak. We hired a prairie wagon. Near the top we had to leave the wagon and go the rest of the way on mules. I was very tired. But when I saw the view, I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse."