Albert Pike was born at Boston Massachusetts in 1809, the eldest of six children. A precocious pupil, at the age of 15 he passed the Harvard University entrance exam but could not attend because of lack of funds. Instead, he joined a number of hunting/trading expeditions, travelling west until finally settling around Fort Smith, Arkansas. In 1850, at age 41, Pike was initiated into the Craft and just 8 years later, he was elevated to the...