Launched in 1932, the M.V. Sergeant Floyd is a former inspection boat of the Army Corps of Engineers. The “Motor Vessel” is named in honor of Sergeant Charles Floyd, the only man to die on the Lewis and Clark expedition. He is also the first United States soldier who died west of the Mississippi River.

As the explorers reached an area just south of Sioux City, Iowa, Floyd became seriously ill with "bilous cholic." Although expedition leaders did everything they could to help the young soldier, Floyd became weaker. "At the last," he told Captain Clark, "I'm going away and I want you to write me a letter." Sergeant Floyd died sometime in the afternoon of August 20, 1804, most likely due to appendicitis.

Located on the Sioux City riverfront, the Sergeant Floyd River Museum and Welcome Center offers visitors the chance to learn about the Lewis and Clark journey and Missouri River transportation history. A forensic reconstruction of Sergeant Floyd is among the first displays on the self-guided tour. Using a plaster cast of his skull and other skeletal measurements, a forensic scientist was able to re-create the image of Floyd. Other exhibits chronicle the Missouri River’s development as a major shipping route and the key to Sioux City’s success in the early years of its founding. Visitors will also see rare photographs, artifacts, and dioramas. Special features include Native American displays, an authentic dugout canoe, and fur-trapping industry history. The facility features one of America’s largest presentations of Missouri River steam and keelboats. Its Welcome Center serves the tri-state areas of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota as a travel and information center.

Call (712) 279-0198 or visit http://www.siouxcitymuseum.org/sgt-floyd-river-museum-a-welcome-center for more information concerning operating hours, fees, directions, etc.

Credits and Sources:

Content for this Next Exit History site sponsored by the Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. For more information visit http://lewisandclark.org/.

Lewis, Meriwether, William Clark, and Bernard De Voto. The Journals of Lewis and Clark, foreword by Steven Ambrose(Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Co., 1997).

Sioux City Public Museum. “Floyd, Sergeant Charles.” Accessed June 14, 2014. http://www.siouxcityhistory.org/notable-people/11-sergeant-charles-floyd.

Sioux City Public Museum. “Sergeant Floyd River Museum & Welcome Center.” Accessed June 17, 2014. http://www.siouxcitymuseum.org/sgt-floyd-river-museum-a-welcome-center.

Sioux City Public Museum. “Visitor Experience.” Accessed June 17, 2014. http://www.siouxcitymuseum.org/visitor-experience-sgt-floyd.

Sioux City Public Museum. “Welcome to the Sergeant Floyd Riverboat Museum & Welcome Center.” Accessed June 17, 2014. http://lewisandclarktrail.com/section1/iowacities/SiouxCity/FloydMuseum/index.htm.