Sioux City in Woodbury County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Big Sioux River Valley
Lewis & Clark Expedition
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2014
1. Big Sioux River Valley Marker
On August 21, Tuesday, 1804, Lewis & Clark wrote: "…We set out verry early this morning and proceeded on under a Gentle Breeze from the S.E. … Passed Willow Creek (Perry Creek) Small on the S.S. (Starboard Side) below a bluff of about 170 feet high and one 1/2 mes. above Floyd's river …at 1 1/2 mile higher & above the bluff passed the Soues River S.S. this River is about the Size of the Grand river and as Mr. Durrien our Soues interp. sayes “navagable to the falls 70 to 80 Leagues and above these falls Still further, those falls are about 200 feet or there abouts & have two princapal pitches, and heads with the St. Peters passing the head of the Desmoien, on the right below the falls a Creek Coms in which passes thro Cliffs of red rock which the Indians make pipes of, and when the different nations Meet at those queries all is piece…"(This refers to Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota.)
The expedition made their return passage through here on Sept. 4, 1806.
You are looking out on the valley of the Big Sioux and Missouri Rivers. In 1804, the Missouri passed the mouth of the Big Sioux and swung
2. Marker detail: Sioux Pipe Bowls of Catalinite (red rock)
this page online
Erected by Iowa Dept. of Natural Services, National Park Service, State Historical Society of Iowa, and REAP Historical Resource Grant.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Native Americans • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lewis & Clark Expedition series list. A significant historical date for this entry is August 21, 1804.
Location. 42° 33.276′ N, 96° 28.159′ W. Marker is in Sioux City, Iowa, in Woodbury County. Marker can be reached from Stone State Park Drive, 0.6 miles west of Talbot Road, on the left when traveling west. Marker is located at the Elk Point Overlook in Stone State Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sioux City IA 51109, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Prairies in the Hills (within shouting distance of this marker); An American Treasure (approx. 0.2 miles away); Native Peoples of the Loess (approx. 0.3 miles away); Geology Wonders (approx. 0.3 miles away); From Settlement to State Park (approx. 0.3 miles away); You Are Entering South Dakota (approx. 2.1 miles away in South Dakota); Grand Army of the Republic (approx. 4 miles away); Prospect Hill (approx. 5 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sioux City.
Also see . . .
3. Marker detail: map
1. Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition: August 21, 1804. (Submitted on November 25, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Pipestone National Monument. For countless generations, American Indians have quarried the red pipestone found at this site. These grounds are sacred to many people because the pipestone quarried here is carved into pipes used for prayer. Many believe that the pipe's smoke carries one's prayer to the Great Spirit. The traditions of quarrying and pipemaking continue here today. (Submitted on November 25, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Stone State Park. Native Americans were the first humans to inhabit the area now known as Stone Park. The Dakota Sioux were the last Native American group to inhabit what is now northwest Iowa. They inhabited the area when Lewis and Clark ascended the Missouri River in 1804 and passed close to Stone Park. (Submitted on November 25, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
4. Marker detail: Lewis & Clark 1803-1806
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson sent an expedition commanded by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase, to seek an all-water route to the Pacific Ocean, and to make peaceable contact with the native peoples. On May 14, 1804, the explorers headed up the Missouri. They reached the Pacific in November, 1805. They returned to St. Louis on September 23, 1806, having traveled more than 8000 miles in two years, four months and nine days.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2014
5. Big Sioux River Valley Marker
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2014
6. Big Sioux River Valley Marker
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2014
7. Elk Point Overlook
Credits. This page was last revised on November 25, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 24, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 100 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on November 25, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
