The bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition is bringing out history buffs of all ages and another event is scheduled for this weekend that’s expected to draw many hundreds. Sioux City Welcome Center supervisor Kathy Meisner says the northwest Iowa city is hosting a living history encampment along with a reenactment of the burial of Sergeant Charles Floyd. He was one of the young Kentuckians recruited for the expedition, the only member of the permanent party to lose his life. Floyd is buried in Sioux City beneath a tall sandstone obelisk that’s about one-fifth the size of the Washington Monument in the nation’s capitol. Meisner says some people like to think there’s a little mystery about how Floyd died.Many historians think it was a burst appendix but she says, with all the new interest in the anniversary, some people are skeptical. Meisner says the historic 1804-era encampment will include musters, inspections, arms drills and a flag-raising ceremony, all done by the Corps Discovery, a reenactment group from Omaha.For more information on the weekend’s events, call (712) 279-0198 or surf to “www.sioux-city.org/museum”.
