Charles Floyd, Sgt. with Lewis & Clark-- Part 2: What Did He Die Of and His Legacy

William Clark diagnosed  the condition which killed Floyd as bilious colic, though modern doctors and historians believe Floyd's death was more likely to have been from a ruptured appendix.  The brief "recovery" Floyd recorded may have represented the temporary relief brought about by the bursting of the organ, which would have been followed by  a fatal peritonitis.

If that was the case, because there was no known cure for appendicitis at that time, he would have been no better off had he been with the best physicians of the day.

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LEGACY

Floyd's Bluff is currently within the city limits of Sioux City, Iowa.  The Sergeant Floyd Monument on it was declared  a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1960.  This monument is now located in a 23-acre park that offers an astounding view of the Missouri River Valley.

Floyd's actual body, however, is buried on old U.S. Highway 75 in the southern part of Sioux City.

--Cooter