Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-05-30

He went to Philadelphia and devoted
for time to the study of navigation,
botany and zoology, that he might in
diligently report upon the fauna and
flora OF the region to be explored. His
study was of great value to the govern
ment later.
There We're forty-fve men in the
band which reported at ST. Louis in
the fall of 1903. There were besides the
leaders, Charles Floyd, civilian, who
was made sergeant for the command
ers. Lewis was in chief command and
was armed With letters of credit from
Washington with the expectation that
the trip might involve a return trip
around the globe by way of the Pacific
by trading vessel from Europe many
of which might be found on the west
coast in those days. Floyd was one of
nine kentuckians in the party There
were four n-cummissioned officers,
Floyd, Pryor, Ordway and Gass. They
remained in camp on the Dubois
(Wood) river in Illinois through the
winter of 1904 and May Ia, 1904, at 4
p. M, started UP the Missouri river in
q big barge and two peroques. 1t was
but ninety-nine days from the time the
trip began that Sergeant FLOYD, who
went with the party to benefit his poor
health died.
Floyds Progonitors.
Careful research by Elliott Coues, his
torian of the Lewis and Clark expedi-
ton only served to add to the doubts
as to who Charles Floyd was. 1t was
finally decided by him that the prob
abilities are his father was Charles
Floyd, of Il family of Floyds, who We're
adventurous pioneers in Kentucky. 1t
is probable that the man whose grave
is marked at Sioux City was born in
Jefferson county, Kentucky. In. Ken
lucky all memory or trace of Sergeant
Floyd has disappeared.
The history of the trip, compiled
from the various journals kept by
Lewis, Clark and Patrick Gass, and by
Floyd himself, is a voluminous work in
two great tones. Council Bluffs de-
rives its name from a great council
held on the bluffs where the city now
is, with leading chiefs of Indian tribes
in the country. Almost without eXcep-
tion the tactful leaders succeeded in
maintaining friendly relations with the
red men, and the powwow at Council
Bluffs resulted in a long session with
the pipe of peace and in the distribu-
ton of large quantities of cheap jew
elry among the aborigines.
Mark at the Grave.
The party came UP on the Missouri
and about the middle of August, 1904,
was just below the site of the present
city of Sioux City. Here Floyd was ta-
ken III and in the gray of the dawn of
the 10th he died and his body was bur-
led on the top of a great bluff over
looking the Missouri. A cedar post was
placed over his grave, bearing the
name. Ut seems remarkable that in the
midst of an unknown continent, inhab-
tied by savages, a spot thus marked
should not have been lost. Yet, when
the frontiersmen began to push their
Way into this section several decades
later. the cedar post was found where
Lewis had directed, few miles below
the mouth of the river named, for the
1 dead soldier, Floyd river, the name it
still bears. Once found, the tradition
that underneath that decaying post lay
the banes of Floyd was reserved for
many years more before the grave was
opened. A new post was placed over
the grave in 1857, but no more. 1t was
not till 1895 that the bones We're taken
up. They We're then moved to another
bluff, little nearer the present
city, and Heinterred
Money for Monument.
Then came the movement to secure a
monument over them. Hon. George ID,
Perkins, then in cons,- css, secured an
appropriation of $4,000 from the federal
| government; the Iowa legislature gave
$4,000 more, as result of the efforts of
Senator e. III. Hubbard, of this city;
nearly $1,000 more was raised by the
Floyd Memorial association. Colonel
II. M Chittenden, chief of the corps of
federal engineers for the upper river,
was architect and designer of the
shaft. 1t is severely plain, rising 100
| feet inches from the base. IL feet
square at the base, an obelisk. 1t is
built of Kettle River sandstone of buff
| color.