Born in Kentucky, Charles Floyd was one of the first to volunteer for the Corps signing up on August first, 1803 along with his cousin, Sergeant Nathaniel Pryor. Floyd kept consistent records of the journey from May 14 to August 18, 1804, two days before his death. Throughout his journal he judged land quality and soil conditions enroute up the Missouri with very poor grammar. On May 25 he wrote, "The land is Good and handsome the soil Rich." He reported on June 4, "A Butifull of peas of Land as ever I saw." He also recorded his interpretations of Indian pictographs as "pictures of Devil and other things" on June 7. He was soon diagnosed with "bilious cholic" by the captains. Historians believe this to have been a ruptured appendix. Floyd later died on August 20 making his death the only fatality during the two year, four month and nine day expedition. Clark reported, "Sergeant Floyd much weaker and no better...Floyd as bad as he can be no pulse & nothing will stay a moment on his Stomach or bowels. 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. 1/2 Mile below [is] a Small river to which we Gave his name, He was buried with the Honors of War much lamented, a Seeder post with the Name Sergt. C. Floyd died here 20th of august 1804 was fixed at the head of 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. after paying all the honor to our Decesed brother we camped in the Mouth of floyds River about 30 yards wide, a butiful evening."
Floyd's gravesite lies in what is now Sioux City, Iowa beneath a 100-foot high sandstone masonry obelisk, the second largest of it's kind next to the Washington Monument. This structure was dedicated to Floyd on Memorial Day in 1901 by Dr. Elliot Couse, the editor of the 1893 annotated reprint of the 1814 Biddle Allen edition of the journals. Couse's speech included, "I must confess that I am what my friends call me – ‘a Lewis and Clark enthusiast.’ But I do not think that anyone can read that ‘national epic of exploration’ without sharing my enthusiasm. It is one of the grandest episodes in the history of our country. Every American can be proud of it. Every person in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South and North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington – for the expedition passed through all these states – has an interest in the immortal achievements of these dauntless pioneers. For every Iowan this interest focuses about the saddest incident of the whole journey – the death of Charles Floyd.”
Floyd's gravesite lies in what is now Sioux City, Iowa beneath a 100-foot high sandstone masonry obelisk, the second largest of it's kind next to the Washington Monument. This structure was dedicated to Floyd on Memorial Day in 1901 by Dr. Elliot Couse, the editor of the 1893 annotated reprint of the 1814 Biddle Allen edition of the journals. Couse's speech included, "I must confess that I am what my friends call me – ‘a Lewis and Clark enthusiast.’ But I do not think that anyone can read that ‘national epic of exploration’ without sharing my enthusiasm. It is one of the grandest episodes in the history of our country. Every American can be proud of it. Every person in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South and North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington – for the expedition passed through all these states – has an interest in the immortal achievements of these dauntless pioneers. For every Iowan this interest focuses about the saddest incident of the whole journey – the death of Charles Floyd.”