Photos: Floyd Monument
Sgt. Charles Floyd was the only member of Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery to die during the trip. On Aug. 19, Floyd and other members of the expedition took part in dances with local Indians who visited their camp. He became ill that night. His condition worsened the next day as the expedition moved up the river, and Lewis and Clark ordered the boat to be pulled to a low bank on the shore, where he died, according to Clark’s journal, with “a great deal of composure.” Clark wrote: “We buried him on the top of the bluff, one-half mile below a small river, to which we gave his name. We buried him with the honors of war — much lamented. A cedar post was fixed at the head of his grave: Sgt. C. Floyd died here, 20th of August, 1804.” Historians believe Floyd died from a ruptured appendix.
In 1960, the Floyd Monument becomes the first National Historic Landmark designated by the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior. This photo shows the dedicatory celebration. The remains of Sgt. Charles Floyd, the only member of the Lewis and Clark expedition to die during the trip, are in urns that are encased in the concrete core of the current monument. Floyd died and was buried with military honors Aug. 20, 1804.
A groundbreaking ceremony is held for the Sergeant Floyd Monument atop a hill overlooking the Missouri River in Sioux City in 1900.
Men take a break for a photo during construction of the Sergeant Floyd monument. The monument's foundation was laid May 29, 1900, and the capstone placed April 22, 1901. A memorial dedication was held May 30, 1901.
Floyd Monument capstone being laid on April 22, 1901.
This image shows the Missouri River looking north toward downtown Sioux City. This hill is the site where Sgt. Charles Floyd was buried after dying during the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1804. The current Floyd Monument was built in 1900. The is the earliest known photo of the Sergeant Floyd burial site. This is a doctored photo. Someone painted the board on the image.
In May 28, 1857, Sgt. Charles Floyd’s remains are reburied after Missouri River washes away part of original grave. A group of citizens formally organize Floyd Memorial Association in June 6, 1895, to build a monument. The temporary granite marker, shown, marked the grave from 1895 to 1900.
The 100-foot-tall sandstone obelisk, the Sergeant Floyd Monument, overlooks the Missouri River from Floyd's Bluff in Sioux City. A proposal to rezone an area near the monument for storage units has drawn letters of concern from the National Parks Service and Iowa State Historic Preservation Office.
The moon rises behind the Floyd Monument Sunday, November 14, 2010. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)
The sun sets behind the Floyd Monument in Sioux City on Nov. 14, 2010.
Early day Sioux City photographer P.C. Waltermire captured this image of part of the crowd on hand for the Aug. 29, 1895, reburial ceremony for Sgt. Charles Floyd, the only member of the Lewis and Clark expedition to die during its travels. Sgt. Floyd died Aug. 20, 1804 and was burined on a high bluff overlooking the MIssouri river. In 1857 high water washed away part of the bluff exposing the original grave. The grave site was marked by a marble slab to remain until a more suitable monument might be erected. Pioneer citzens inthe picture are identified by number: 1. J.C.C. Hoskins, president of the Floyd Memorial association, 2. John H. Charles, 3. Isaac Pendleton, 4. Mrs. John H. Charles, 5. Mrs. J.C.C. Hoskins, 6. Seth Swigget, publisher of the Eagle, first newspaper published in Sioux City, 7. Dr. S.P. Yeomans, 8. John M. Pinckney, 9. Mrs. Elliott Coues, 10. George W. Young, 11. L. Letellier, 12. John W. Lewis, 13. White Horse, chief orator of the Omaha Indian tribe, 14. Thomas J. Stone, 15. Henry D. Osborne, 16. Eugene W. Rice, 17. James Nelon, 18. Lafayette Miles, 19. C.J. Holman, 20. C.R. Marks, 21. Unidentified, 22. F.E. Gill, 23, E.A. Herman, 24. Unidentified, 25. William Chaffee, 26. Thomas W. Jordan, 27. Unidentified, 28. Unidentified, 29. Claude M. Smith, 30. Arthur F. Statter, 31. Thomas C. Tees, 32. Judge George W.Wakefield, 33. Dr. Elliott Coues, 34. Paul. B. Jenkins, 35. Miss May Pendleton, 36. Frederick R. Holman, 37. Geo. D. Perkins, publisher of The Journal, 38.. Miss Ruth Jenkins, 39. Rev. H.D. Jenkins, 40. Cadet Fred Johnston, 41. Charles Bryan, 42. A.J. Westfall, 43-45 Unidentified, 46. B.P. Yeomans, 47. Unidentified, 48. Mrs. J.D. M. Crockwell, 49. E.E. Crady, 50. George W. McGibbons, 51. A.M. Holman, 52. C.H. Lewis.
The cornerstone of the 100-foot obelisk, shown in this photo from 1900, marks the Sioux City grave of Sgt. Charles Floyd, member of the Lewis and Clark expedition who died here Aug. 20, 1804. During the cornerstone ceremony the urns in which the remains had been buried in 1895 were dug up and taken to the base of the monument a few feet away. There they were covered with concrete.
