Sergeant Floyd Monument

Sergeant Charles Floyd was a young Kentuckian and a trusted member of the Corps of Discovery, the party Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led up the Missouri River beginning in 1804. In late August of that year, as the expedition made its way through what is now western Iowa, Floyd fell gravely ill, likely from a burst appendix, an ailment no one at the time could have treated.

He died on August 20, 1804, and the expedition buried him on a bluff above the river with military honors, naming the nearby stream Floyd's River in his memory. Over the long, dangerous journey to the Pacific coast and back, Floyd would be the only member of the Corps of Discovery to lose his life, a remarkable outcome for so hazardous an undertaking.

As the Missouri shifted its channel over the decades, Floyd's original grave was threatened with erosion, and his remains were reburied further from the river's edge more than once. In the 1890s and early 1900s, the people of Sioux City resolved to give him a fitting memorial, and they raised a tall sandstone obelisk on the bluff, dedicated in 1901.

The monument stands roughly a hundred feet tall, a slender stone spire modeled on the ancient Egyptian obelisk form, planted on the highest ground with the river spread out below. In 1960 it became the first place in the United States to be named a National Historic Landmark, a recognition of both the man it honors and the expedition that opened the West.

This stretch of the Missouri was homeland to Native nations long before the expedition passed through, among them peoples of the region whose villages and trade routes lined the great river. The Corps of Discovery met and depended upon Native communities all along its route, and the river country around Sioux City remains rich with that history.

Sioux City embraces its place on the Lewis and Clark trail, and a modern interpretive center along the riverfront tells the fuller story of the expedition, its members, and the peoples they encountered. The Floyd monument, standing watch on its bluff, is the emotional anchor of that story, marking the single grave along the whole long journey.

Spring and summer bring green to the river valley and long light to the bluff, and the open grounds are pleasant for a visit and for taking in the wide view over the Missouri. The nearby interpretive center and riverfront make for an easy pairing.

Fall colors the wooded slopes along the river, and winter strips them bare and opens the long views, though the exposed bluff can be cold and windy. The monument grounds welcome visitors in every season, a quiet place to pause and remember a young man buried far from home.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The Sergeant Floyd Monument, in the city of Sioux City in northwestern Iowa, is a tall stone obelisk on a bluff above the Missouri River honoring Sergeant Charles Floyd, the only member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to die during their historic journey across the American West. Floyd died near this spot in the early nineteenth century, and the striking monument, a National Historic Landmark and the first designated in the nation, marks his gravesite and commemorates the famous expedition. Set in a scenic overlook, it offers history and river views. With its historic obelisk and Lewis and Clark connection, the Sergeant Floyd Monument offers a meaningful stop in Sioux City, Iowa.

Sergeant Charles Floyd was a young member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the famous journey commissioned to explore the western lands after the Louisiana Purchase in the early nineteenth century. Floyd holds the somber distinction of being the only member of the expedition to die during the entire trip, likely from a burst appendix, passing away near present-day Sioux City. He was buried on a bluff above the Missouri River, and the tall obelisk monument now honors him and the expedition. Learning his story connects visitors to the Lewis and Clark journey at the Sergeant Floyd Monument in Sioux City, Iowa.

You can view the tall stone obelisk honoring Sergeant Floyd, read the interpretive information about his life and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, take in the scenic views over the Missouri River valley from the bluff-top setting, and reflect on this piece of American exploration history. It is a quick but meaningful stop, and the overlook makes a fine place to pause on a river-country drive. The historic monument and the river views are the highlights. With its Lewis and Clark history and scenic setting, the Sergeant Floyd Monument offers a rewarding stop in Sioux City, northwestern Iowa.

The monument is an outdoor site that can be visited year-round, with late spring through fall offering the mildest weather to enjoy the bluff-top overlook and river views comfortably, while the setting is scenic in any season. The site is a free, quick stop, so it fits easily into a visit any time. Winter can be cold and windy on the exposed bluff. For the most comfortable weather and best enjoyment of the views, aim for late spring through fall at the Sergeant Floyd Monument in Sioux City, Iowa.

The Sergeant Floyd Monument is in Sioux City in northwestern Iowa, along the Missouri River near the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, within reach of the Loess Hills country to the south, the Sanford Museum and Planetarium at Cherokee, and the Iowa Great Lakes region to the northeast. That makes the Sergeant Floyd Monument a historic stop to combine with Sioux City's river attractions, the Loess Hills, and the other sights of northwestern Iowa on a visit to the state.