A Mountain and a River Named After Patrick Gas and Charles Floyd

Two members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition have topographical features named after them.  I wrote about Patrick Gass in this blog most of last month because he also fought in the War of 1812.  I also wrote about Charles Floyd in this blog and in my Cooter's History Thing blog this month.

Patrick Gass replaced Charles Floyd as the expedition's sergeant on Floyd's death in August 1804.

To honor Charles Floyd, Lewis and Clark named a river by where Floyd died by present-day Sioux City, Iowa, the Floyd River.   The Floyd River is a 112-mile long tributary of the Missouri River.

Mount Patrick Gass is in Montana and is quite out in the wilderness and only approachable by some serious hiking.

--Brock-Perry

The Journal of Patrick Glass-- Part 2: Death of Floyd and Plenty of Food

AUGUST 20, 1804

Continuing with the death of Sergeant Floyd, the only man to die during the entire Lewis & Clark Expedition.  The service and burial of Sgt. Floyd.

"We went on about a mile to high prairie hills on the north side of the river, and there interred his remains in the most decent manner our circumstances would admit; we then proceeded  a mile further to a small river on the same side and encamped.

"Our commanding officer have it the name  of Floyd's river; to perpetuate the memory of the first man who had fallen in this important expedition."

Of course, this is when Patrick Gass became the next sergeant of the expedition.

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AUGUST 23, 1804

"Captain Clarke and one of the men killed a deer and a buffaloe, and some of the men were sent to dress and bring the buffaloe to the boat.  We stopped at a prairie on the north side, the largest and handsomest, which I have seen.  Captain Clarke called it Buffaloe prairie.  ...we salted two barrels of buffaloe meat."

--Brock-Perry