Charles Floyd (explorer)
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
explorer, a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, and quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
in the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
. A native of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, he was a relative of William Clark, an uncle to the politician John Floyd
John Floyd (Virginia politician)
John Floyd was a Virginia politician and soldier. He represented Virginia in the United States House of Representatives and later served as the 25th Governor of Virginia....
, and a brother to James John Floyd
James John Floyd
James John Floyd , better known as John Floyd, was a pioneer of the Midwestern United States around the Louisville, Kentucky area where he worked as a surveyor for land development and as a military figure. Floyd was an early settler of St. Matthews, Kentucky and helped lay out Louisville...
. He was one of the first men to join the expedition, and the only person to die on the expedition.
While exploring the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
with Lewis and Clark, he took ill at the end of July 1804. On July 31, Floyd wrote in his diary, "I am very sick and have been for sometime but have recovered my health again." However, this apparent recovery was soon followed by a severe turn for the worse. William Clark described Floyd's death as one "with a great deal of composure" and that before Floyd died he said to Clark, "I am going away. I want you to write me a letter."
A funeral was held and Floyd was buried on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. The expedition named the location Floyd's Bluff
Floyd's Bluff
Floyd's Bluff is a hill in southern Sioux City, Iowa that is named for Sergeant Charles Floyd.Floyd, who was the quartermaster for the Lewis and Clark Expedition's Corps of Discovery, was the only fatality during the expedition. The bluff was Floyd's original burial site in 1804, and is now the...
in his honor. They camped that night at the mouth of Floyd River
Floyd River
The Floyd River is a tributary of the Missouri River, long, in northwestern Iowa in the United States. It enters the Missouri at Sioux City, and is named for Charles Floyd, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.-Course:...
, "about 30 yards wide, a beautiful evening.--"
Clark diagnosed the condition which led to Floyd's demise as bilious colic
Abdominal pain
Abdominal pain can be one of the symptoms associated with transient disorders or serious disease. Making a definitive diagnosis of the cause of abdominal pain can be difficult, because many diseases can result in this symptom. Abdominal pain is a common problem...
, though modern doctors and historians believe Floyd's death was more likely to have been caused by a ruptured appendix
Vermiform appendix
The appendix is a blind-ended tube connected to the cecum , from which it develops embryologically. The cecum is a pouchlike structure of the colon...
. The brief "recovery" Floyd described may have represented the temporary relief afforded by the bursting of the organ, which would have been followed by a fatal peritonitis
Peritonitis
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane that lines part of the abdominal cavity and viscera. Peritonitis may be localised or generalised, and may result from infection or from a non-infectious process.-Abdominal pain and tenderness:The main manifestations of...
. If that were the case, because there was no known cure for appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
at that time, he would have been no better off had he been with the best physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s of the day.
Legacy
Floyd's BluffFloyd's Bluff
Floyd's Bluff is a hill in southern Sioux City, Iowa that is named for Sergeant Charles Floyd.Floyd, who was the quartermaster for the Lewis and Clark Expedition's Corps of Discovery, was the only fatality during the expedition. The bluff was Floyd's original burial site in 1804, and is now the...
is currently within the city limits of Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
. The Sergeant Floyd Monument
Sergeant Floyd Monument
The Sergeant Floyd Monument is a monument on the bank of the Missouri River at Floyd's Bluff in what is now Sioux City, Iowa, USA. The monument honors Charles Floyd, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, who died on the upstream voyage in 1804 and was buried here.The monument is the first...
was declared a U.S. National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1960. This monument is now located in a 23 acres (93,077.8 m²) park that offers visitors a view of the Missouri River valley. Floyd's final resting place is located on old U.S. Highway 75
U.S. Route 75
U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Kittson County, Minnesota, at the Canadian border, where it continues as Manitoba Highway 75 on the other side of a closed border crossing. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 30 and Interstate 45 in Dallas,...
, in the southern part of Sioux City, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
After Floyd's expedition journal was published in 1894, new interest was taken in him and his grave-marker was stolen by thieves. He was re-buried once more on August 20, 1895, with a monument. A marble cornerstone three feet wide and seven feet long was placed in 1900. When the obelisk of white sandstone standing 100 feet (30.5 m) high was completed on May 30, 1901, Floyd's grave was moved for the fourth time to rest nearby. It was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
on June 30, 1960.
The Interstate 129
Interstate 129
Interstate 129 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway which connects South Sioux City to Interstate 29 in Sioux City, Iowa. Opened in 1976, I-129 is a long route, running in Nebraska. At , Interstate 129 is the shortest highway in the state of Iowa...
bridge between Sioux City and South Sioux City, Nebraska
South Sioux City, Nebraska
-2000 Census:As of the census of 2000, there were 11,925 people, 4,304 households, and 2,961 families residing in the city. Of the 11,925 people, 48.6% are male and 51.4% are female. The population density was 2,431.6 people per square mile . There were 4,557 housing units at an average density of...
is named the Sergeant Floyd Memorial Bridge in his honor.
