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 SGT. FLOYD OBELISK
N 42° 27.758 W 096° 22.675
14T E 715581 N 4704475
Designation: SIOUX CITY FLOYD MON TIP SHAFT.
Marker Type: Monument.
Setting: setting not listed - see long description.
Stability:
Waymark Code: WMN2H
Location: Iowa, United States
Date Posted: 08/22/2006
Views: 114
Documented History (by the NGS)
1/1/1934 by CGS (FIRST OBSERVED)
NO DESCRIPTIVE TEXT AVAILABLE.
1/1/1940 by CGS (GOOD)
NO DESCRIPTIVE TEXT AVAILABLE.
1/1/1948 by CGS (GOOD)
NO DESCRIPTIVE TEXT AVAILABLE.
1/1/1962 by CGS (GOOD)
NO DESCRIPTIVE TEXT AVAILABLE.
1/1/1966 by CGS (GOOD)
NO DESCRIPTIVE TEXT AVAILABLE.
Today, part of a 23-acre park, a 100-foot obelisk of heavy Kettle River sandstone marks the final resting place of Sergeant Charles Floyd, Jr.
The Sergeant Floyd Monument, a National Historic Landmark, in Sioux City, Iowa, is located along US Hwy. 75, one mile north of 1-29 Exit 143. It is open daily, year-round. The Sergeant Floyd River Museum and Welcome Center is located nearby at 1000 Larsen Park Rd.
In 1877 a railroad built into Sioux City and ran its track along the base of the bluff. Dirt from the construction was dumped near the gravesite. Gradually its location was forgotten. In 1895 the Sioux City Journal agitated for its identification. As many people as possible who had witnessed the 1857 burial were assembled at the site. Excavation at the spot they selected yielded a coffin, containing a skull and some other bones.
About the same time, the Floyd Memorial Association was formed to raise funds to commemorate the 91st anniversary of Floyd's death, on August 20, 1895. On that ceremonious occasion, his bones were removed from the casket, placed in an urn, and reburied. The association also inaugurated a movement to erect a memorial. In May 1899 it purchased a tract of about 22 acres that included the gravesite. In addition, funds were raised to construct a monument. The Federal Government appropriated $5,000; the State of Iowa, $5,000; and the city of Sioux City, Woodbury County, and popular subscription provided $10,000 more. Subsequently, the Floyd Memorial Association deeded the tract to Sioux City, which continues to administer it as a city park.
The U.S. Corps of Engineers drew plans for the monument, and in 1899 construction began, later under the supervision of Capt. Hiram M. Chittenden. On August 20, 1900, exactly 96 years after Floyd's death, his remains were placed in the concrete foundation and the cornerstone laid. The dedication occurred on May 30, 1901.
Monumentation Type: Dressed stone
Monument Category: other (not included below)
Monument Category (if other): LEWIS AND CLARK MONUMENTS
Accessible to general public: yes
Historical significance:
The Sergeant Floyd Monument commemorates Sergeant Charles Floyd, Jr., the only member of the Corps of Discovery to die on the journey. Writing in his diary on July 31st, Floyd noted, "I am verry sick and has ben for Sometime but have Recovered my helth again." However, this quick recovery was followed by a turn for the worse. The night before his death, Clark remarked, "Serjeant Floyd is taken verry bad all at once with a Biliose Chorlick we attempt to relieve him without success as yet, hr gets worst and we are much allarmed at his Situation, all attention to him"
On August 20, 1804, Floyd passed away, most likely from peritonitis, caused by the inflammation or rupture of his appendix. He died from an illness that even the best doctors of the day could not have cured. Clark wrote:
. . . Serj. Floyd died with a great deal of composure. Before his death he said to me, "I am going away. I want you to write me a letter." We buried him on the top of the bluff ½ mile below a small river to which we gave his name. He was buried with the Honors of War much lamented. A seeder post with the (I) Name Sergt. C. Floyd died here 20th of August 1804 was fixed at his grave. This man at all times gave us proofs of his firmness and determined resolution to doe service to his countrey and honor to himself.
County: Woodbury
USGS Quad: Floyds Bluff, USGS Sioux City South (IA,NE,SD)
NGS PID: NM1694
Approximate date of monument: 05/30/1901
Monumentation Type (if other): Not listed
Explain Non-Public access: Not listed
Monument Website: Not listed
Other Coordinates: Not Listed
Other Coordinates details: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
1. A closeup photo of the monument is required.
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2. A 'distant' photo including the monument in the view is highly recommended. Include the compass direction you faced when you took the picture.
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