The Floyd River is a
tributary of the
Missouri River, long,
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed March 30, 2011 in northwestern
Iowa in the
United States. It enters the Missouri at
Sioux City, and is named for
Charles Floyd, a member of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Course
The Floyd River rises in northwestern
O'Brien County near the town of
Sanborn and flows generally southwestwardly through
Sioux
The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...
,
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
and
Woodbury counties, past the towns of
Sheldon,
Hospers,
Alton,
Le Mars,
Merill, and
Hinton. At Merrill the Floyd collects its largest tributary, the West Branch Floyd River, which is about 40 mi (65 km) long. The West Branch rises near
Boyden in northeastern Sioux County and flows generally southward into Plymouth County, past
Maurice and
Struble. The Floyd enters Woodbury County near the
Leeds neighborhood of Sioux City.
The Floyd River has come out of its banks on several occasions, causing disastrous flooding in Sioux City in 1892 and 1953. The river has since been the focus of an intensive
flood control project. The Floyd's lower channel through Sioux City has been straightened,
channelized
Channelized in a telecommunications environment means that the line that communications have been transmitted over contains more than one message thread, separated in some fashion.
Typical channelization methods include packetizing, frequency-d ...
, lined with
riprap and banked by a high earthen
levee
A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually soil, earthen and that often runs parallel (geometry), parallel to ...
.
The Floyd River is the site of frequent
fish kill
The term fish kill, known also as fish die-off, refers to a localized die-off of fish populations which may also be associated with more generalized mortality of aquatic life.University of Florida. Gainesville, FL (2005) ''Plant Management in Fl ...
s caused by
runoff of massive amounts of animal waste from farm
feedlot
A feedlot or feed yard is a type of animal feeding operation (AFO) which is used in intensive animal farming, notably beef cattle, but also swine, horses, sheep, turkeys, chickens or ducks, prior to slaughter. Large beef feedlots are called conc ...
s into the river.
Charles Floyd
Charles Floyd, for whom the river is named, was a
U.S. Army sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
who was born in
Kentucky and was one of the first to enlist in the
Lewis and Clark Expedition.
On August 19, 1804, just three months into the two-year journey, Floyd became violently ill and died the next day of what is believed to have been a ruptured
appendix
Appendix, or its plural form appendices, may refer to:
__NOTOC__ In documents
* Addendum, an addition made to a document by its author after its initial printing or publication
* Bibliography, a systematic list of books and other works
* Index (pub ...
.
He was buried on a hill overlooking an unnamed river on the Iowa side of the
Missouri River. In his honor, the expedition's leaders,
Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...
and
William Clark, named the river Floyd River and the hill
Floyd's Bluff
Floyd's Bluff is a hill in southern Sioux City, Iowa that is named for Sergeant Charles Floyd.
Floyd, who was the quartermaster for the Lewis and Clark Expedition's Corps of Discovery, was the only fatality during the expedition. The bluff w ...
.
Floyd was the expedition's only casualty, despite the many dangers encountered in the 8,000 miles traveled in reaching the
Pacific Ocean and returning to
St. Louis.
Gallery
File:Floyd River Le Mars.jpg, The Floyd River near Le Mars, Iowa
File:Floyd River2.jpg, A channelized
Channelized in a telecommunications environment means that the line that communications have been transmitted over contains more than one message thread, separated in some fashion.
Typical channelization methods include packetizing, frequency-d ...
section of the Floyd River in Sioux City, just above its mouth at the Missouri River
File:Missouri-Floyd Rivers Sioux City Iowa.jpg, Confluence of the Missouri and Floyd Rivers in Sioux City
See also
*
List of Iowa rivers
Notes
References
Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry*
DeLorme
DeLorme is the producer of personal satellite tracking, messaging, and navigation technology. The company’s main product, ''inReach'', integrates GPS and satellite technologies. ''inReach'' provides the ability to send and receive text messages ...
(1998). ''Iowa Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. .
*
{{authority control
Rivers of Iowa
Tributaries of the Missouri River
Rivers of O'Brien County, Iowa
Rivers of Plymouth County, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Rivers of Sioux County, Iowa
Rivers of Woodbury County, Iowa