Sergeant Charles Floyd, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, died in his country's service and was buried near this spot on August 20, 1804. His burial place was marked as a shrine honoring men whose memory is confined to no class or creed. The monument also honors the Louisiana Purchase made during the administration of Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, on April 30, 1803, its successful exploration by the heroic members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and the valor of the American soldier and the enterprise, courage, and fortitude of the American pioneer, to whom the great states west of the Mississippi River owe their secure foundation.