Beauty of Western Iowa Part Three

5-20-11 GUEST Blog
Lewis & Clark Statue – If I had gone to school in Iowa, I would for sure remember that Iowa was part of the Louisiana Purchase. Short story long, Iowa was part of the French Louisiana Territory (828,000 sq miles) and after the 1763 French Indian War, the Territory was ceded to Spain, then back to France. Then comes Napoleon and Thomas Jefferson and in 1803, a series of back-room deals and a treaty, “Treaty of Fontainbleu” (haha I’ve been to Fontainbleau), then comes James Monroe’s sweet deal of not only purchasing New Orleans but the whole Louisiana Territory for $15 million dollars, or five cents per acre. Jefferson then commissions Lewis & Clark to explore the territory, 1804-1806. To commemorate the expedition, SC hosts not only this statue, but an interactive interpretation center. The 5,500-pound 14-foot bronze spectacular sculpture depicts the explorers Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and Lewis’ Newfoundland dog, Seaman.  This website is amazing. http://www.nps.gov/archive/jeff/LewisClark2/Circa1804/Heritage/LouisianaPurchase/LouisianaPurchase.htm.
          

 
Next is Sergeant Floyd Monument - You can’t miss this as you drive into SC on I29, but for 13 years I did. It reminds me of the Washington Monument and from my research, it is second in size to the Washington Monument, 100-foot obelisk marking Sergeant Charles Floyd, Jr. final resting place. Floyd is known to be the only member of the Lewis & Clark team to die on the two-year expedition (hard to believe). He was 22 when he died in 1804. There’s a lot to be learned here. http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/inside/cfloy.html or http://www.siouxcitymuseum.org/sgt_floyd_5.asp,  http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/lewisandclark/ser.htm

Chief War Eagle - friend of the “white man”, 1785-1951. He was a river guide to the settlers and worked for the American Fur Company during the 1812 War. In 1837, he received a Silver Medal from President Van Buren for his work over the years. Reading his bio, he was a peace maker. He’s not easy to find, but once found, very picturesque. He’s was buried on top of the bluffs overlooking Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.   

                               

http://www.siouxcityhistory.org/people/more330c.html?id=42_0_2_0_M

 http://www.siouxcitymuseum.org/historic_landmarks.asp

Let me say, I was exhausted after seeing these memorials/monuments and we haven’t made it to the wedding yet and I have one more sight to see, (write-up at a later date) Trinity Heights.
Side-bar note, Judy this was indeed a lot of work, so I applaud you for your daily writings. I’ll stick to the weekly writings and occasional series.

Chat Later,
That Girl, Ann Marie