Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-05-06

Davis, and this is below the bronze
tablet. On the west side of the mon
ument are in large, plain letters CHS
elled into the stone the word Floyd.
Underneathis this historic inscriptions:
"This shaft marks the burial place of
Sergeant Charles Floyd, member of
the Lewis and Clark expedition. He
died in his country's service and was
buried near this spot August 20, 1904.
Graves of such men are pilgrim
shrines; shrin.s to no class or creed
confined.
Erected A. d. 1900 by the Floyd
Memorial Association, aided by the u
S. Government and the State of Iowa"
l said the credit does not belong
to any one man. l saw many who
said they really did not wish to boast
but they had just little more to do
with it than anyone else. That if it
had not been for them the work would
have Jagged, and if they had not kept
pounding away it would have died out,
and all that sort Of thing, but in real
ity many people of Sioux City and
many of Iowa, and some from the
United States, are entitled to credit
1t is creditable piece of work and of
wonderful historical value.
The man who gave me much infor-
nation is John H. Charles, an aged re-
tired man of Sioux City, and one of
the pioneers. He came to Sioux City
in 1854. He was formerly steam
boat captain on the Missouri, and what
he does not know about that section
of Iowa is not worth knowing. He
remembers very well of course, the
Spirit Lake Indian massacre, although
they did not know of it for several
weeks or months after it's occurrence
Marconi was not sending wireless
messages at that time.
j. G. G. Hoskins, another venerable
and aged man, is entitled to much
praise for active work in promoting
the great enterprise. Ex-Congress-
man Perkins did much towards calling
the attention of the general govern
ment to the association. But no one
of these claims any more credit than
he is willing shall be accorded to all
the rest.
In conclusion, it may be said that the
state of Iowa takes great pride in the
achievement of the people of Sioux
City, for, after ALL if they had at any
time neglected their duty the monu
ment would never have become an ac-
tuality. If they had not worked to-
gether in harmony it is doubtful if ev-
err it would have been erected. And
after all, while the state of Iowa owes
debt of gratitude to those hardy pio-
neers Of whom Floyd was a member,
the entire west is indebted to them.
Out of the territory purchased Of
10 T lei
Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Ne
North Dakota and South Dakota, Wy.
oming and Montana.
Almost any one of the states is big
ger than France, or than England, Scot
land and Wales.
1t may be said that the Lewis and
Clark expedition accomplished only
what thousands of other men would
have done. So be it. The same was
said of Columbus, although nobody
had thought to try it till after Colum-
bus made the initial voyage. For
years after this expedition had been a
completed fact there were no settlers
to come to the west.
Washington Irving did not make his
Famous Tour of the Prairies" till 1882
and the country was just as wild then
as it had been third of a century be-
fore. Add another third of a century
and the greater part of the west es-
pecially that portion west of the Mis-
souri,, was still wilderness. Even
Iowa still had plenty of Indians fifty
years after the death of Floyd, and the
Spirit Lake massacre occurred fifty,
three years after the death of Floyd.
So. after ALL we are still young state.
yet Iowa is a glorious state, and the
elimination of the work of the Floyd
Monument association is not one OF the
least of the states achievements. May
the sleep of the hero Floyd be undis-
turbed more by friend or foe till the
sound of the last trumpet. To him
will it be said: We'll done, good and
faithful servant" Future generations
will bless the memory of Floyd and of
the old settlers who wrought SO we'll
in the monument to our early history.