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


sick, as the diary of the expedition
says, with "Biliose Chorlick." We
should think it was enough to kill him,
as it did. "Biliose Chorlick" doesn't
give man much of show for his life,
should Judge. This was on August
10. On the following day, still quoting
from the dairy, they made "fiew
preasants to the interpreter, Mr.. Fan
fou, and gave the Indians a canister
of whisky" Which shows that civil
cation was thus being rapidly and
surely extended to the aboringines.
Sergeant Floyd still got no better, and
August 20, 1904, he died. He was
buried on the highest point of land in
that vicinity, and the hill, which is
several hundred feet high, was called
Floyd's Bluff, and the name remains to
this day. It is still called Floyd's
Bluff. The little river just north of
the burial place of Floyd is named for
him.
The next day the explorers proceed.
ed On their journey, which was to take
them year or more, and which was
destined to open territory larger
than. the whole United States up to
that time. These facts were largely
lost and would have remained buried
in oblivion and mystery except that
the dairy kept by Sergeant Floyd him
self was discovered by accident some
years ago. The record as kept by
Floyd was found in the Wisconsin His
torical society among lot of rubbish
which is common to such institutions.
The further details of the diary would
be of no particular interest to the gen.
eral reader. But l give few of the
rotations made, which shows that
Floyd was true sportsman and knew
a good fish story when he saw it. In
one paragraph he says: Capt. Clark
and ten of his men and myself went a
fishin' and caut 800 and II fish of
difernt Coindes." Isn't that a pretty
good fish story for those early days?
One would hardly expect so good a
fish story from pioneer and from a
man who had not much practice, but it
shows that Floyd had the making of a
great man if he had lived But "Bili-
ose Chorlick" was too much for him,
too much. But Clark goes him several
better and reports over LOO fish, and
it was perhaps not a good day for fish.
ing either. 1t is a wonder that Clark
survived after telling such whopper.
A cedar post was erected at the
head of Floyd's grave, which was to
be the only mark of this humble hero
for over half century. AS the ex-
petition returned that way in 1906
they revisited the spot and found the
grave had been somewhat disturbed.
Whether by wolves or Indians the
explorers did not know. They refilled
it and went on, leaving their comrade
to sleep till the final awakening of
Gods chosen in the great day of reck-
oning.
The earliest settlers who came to
Sioux City by way of the Missouri can
remember the cedar post which stood
there as silent sentinel for so many
years until the erection of fitting
monument to endure forever. Travel
ers passed the Bluff, and there are a
great many references to the post and
to the grave. Almost every one who
| passed relates how he replaced the
post which had fallen. 1t seems from
the accounts that the post took a keen
delight in falling down as fast as one
traveller would put it up.
In 1857 the river got very high and
the Bluff began to wash away. A
L
! and the cedar post fell into the flood
and was carried down the river. The
old settlers who appreciated fully the
historic Importance of Floyd's grave
organized for the purpose of rescuing
the remaining portion of the body of
Floyd and for burying in safer place
the remains. DR.. Sloane, whose son is
Sam Sloane, editor Of the Charles City
1ntelligencer, was one of the rescuing
party, and as he was the lightest in
weight Of any of the men allowed a
rope to be fastened around his waist
and he was lowered over the Bluff and
secured the coffin, or that portion of ii
which had not been lost.
The skull and some of the bones OF
the lower extremities were the only
ones found. The rest had been lost
probably by falling into the river
Among the rescuing party were such
well known men as eX-Gov. Carpenter,
DR.. Yeomans, Congressman Oliver,
ct al. The body was reburied with
suitable ceremonies and an effort was
made to erect monument at that
time. But it died out again, as such
schemes invariably seem to do. !
should have stated also that the body
was buried on the same Bluff, but was
taken further back from the river
bank out of any future danger from
freshets or from any disturbance OF
the rivers bank.
The original cedar post was no long
er than a walking stick before the
river finally claimed it. Every trav-
i eler who came along and "set it up
also took portion of it for relic,
and it was mostly carried away. 1t is
claimed that piece is in the museum
in London. Some people will defile a
graveyard for relic. 1t is to be
hoped that someone will deface their
ItombStones some day.
i Thus Floyd's grave had passed
through good many changes during