Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-05-06
Story Of an Iowan and His No
bility in an EARLY Day.
A MILLER PEN PICTURE
History of Floyd Monument Near
Sioux City, Its Erection and of Ser.
geant Floyd and the Part He Played
in Iowa's Development.

The earliest recollection / have or
anyone connected with the Lewis and
Clark expedition is from Wilson's
third reader, which was published
some twenty-five or thirty years ago.
While it may be in use today in some
localities in the United States, have
not seen one except the one used in
school, in many years.
I had no idea whether Lewis and
Clark's expedition was a raid on
somebody's hen roost or whether it
was undertaken merely as a sort of
pleasure excursion or whether it was
merely an expedition of some boys
who were playing hockey from school.
That was as familiar as / was at that
time with expeditions, and 1 appre-
bend that many who read this will re-
call very wildly some of the things
they read in school and have wonder
ed ever since what on earth they
meant. School readers are not usu-
ally very perspicacious. They are not
that, even if am not sure what the
word means. It sounds well, and I'll
risk it anyway.
The Lewis and Clark expedition we
read about in the reader concerned a
party of hunters who went out and
encountered grizzly bear. They
found bigger game than they had yet
encountered, and they had to shoot
or give up the gun. They shot, but
shot ineffectively part of the time.
Bruin made dash for them and sew.
eral of the men got into a canoe and
got away, and the others hid among
the bushes and kept shooting at inter
walls, which did not kill the bear, but
made it pursue them all the more vi
ciously. Presently when they were
pressed too hard for time they made
a run and jumped into the water.
They swan ashore while some of their
companions kept shooting at the griz.
Fly, who finally became discouraged
and lay down to die.
The picture in the reader shows that
there was much snow on the ground.
The men on the bank wore heavy
hunting shirts. Those in the water
struggling for the shore-it is impcs
sible to see what they wore. And yet
the men are swimming to the opposite
bank of the river, while the men last
out of danger make jump of twenty
feet to the ice below and land in ten
or twenty feet Of water. All of which
is a remarkable feat and entitled to
commemoration by the erection of a
monument. The picture in the school
reader also indicates that those men
were too wise or did not like the new
style of overcoat known as the rag
Ian, but they wore hunting shirts like
all hunters and explorers do in novels
and in school readers. No matter
what the weather, they have to veal
hunting shirts. I protest and claim
it is uncomfortable, but it is too late.
They will have to do the best they can,
and if they are put down as swim
ming ice-bound rivers or wearing
hunting shirts in July there is no es
cape from it.
But l will let them wear their hunt
ing shirts in summer If they insist on
doing it. If they hunt bears in that
kind of garb no wonder they were
chased to cover.
Yet this school reader never had a
word about one of the real heroes of
the expedition. 1t makes no mention
of Sergeant Charles Floyd, who is as
much a hero as Fred Funston, who
swan the Bagbag, or the bear hunt
ers who swan the river in midWinteI
when the ice was foot thick.
AS is well known the Lewis and
Clark expedition was sent out by
President Jefferson for the purpose Of
exploring all that vast empire lying
west of the Mississippi and recently
purchased of France. Napoleon was
carrying on his tire .nendous wars and,
running short of funds, he had to sell
someland and in his extremity was
Jefferson's opportunity. If Napoleon
had not warred with all Europe he
would not have been abliged to sell
Louisiana, and if Louisiana had moi
been bought there would have beer
no Lewis and Clark expedition, there
fore no Sergeant Floyd and the monu
ment which has engaged the atten
ton of the state Of Iowa, of congress
and of Sioux City in particular for
several years.
The Lewis and Clark expedition fol
lowed the Missouri river as far as pos
sible and on its journey passed the