Tuesday, July 20, 2021

The Sgt. Floyd Monument-- Part 5: His After Death Saga

From Wikipedia.

On 1857,  erosion had caused most of Charles Floyd's  grave, even the original cedar post left as his marker, to  slide into the river and wash away. Concerned citizens recovered most of his skeleton, including his skull, and buried it 200 meters east of its original spot.  A forensic  reconstruction of Sgt. Floyd's probable facial appearance  based on a plaster cast of his skull is on display at the Sergeant Floyd Riverboat Museum in  Sioux City, Iowa.

After Floyd's expedition journal was published in 1894, new interest was taken in him and  his remains were reburied again on August 25, 1895, the anniversary of his death.    Sioux City residents Thomas J.  Stone,  John H. Charles, George G. Perkins,  C.R. Marks and G.W.  Wakefield established the  Floyd Association to erect a monument.

It took five years to raise $20,000 and development began in 1900 with the pouring of a concrete base.

Floyd's remains were reinterred a final time on August 20,  1900, the anniversary of his death.  The obelisk of white sandstone, standing  100 feet high was completed on May 30, 1901.  In 1960, the monument was recognized by the  U.S. Department of the Interior as the first National Historic Landmark on June  30, 1960.


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