Seaman and his Two friends - Souix City, IA
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 42° 29.447 W 096° 24.946
14T E 712374 N 4707505
Lewis and Clark Monument, but Seaman was really in charge.
Waymark Code: WM11BGV
Location: Iowa, United States
Date Posted: 09/22/2019
Views: 6
County of statue: Woodbury County
Location of statue: Floyd Blvd., The Souix City Lewis & Clark Interpretative Center, Souix City
Artist: Pat Kennedy
"In fact, artist Pat Kennedy, creator of the imposing piece, likes nothing better than to see people getting close, touching, even climbing up the base of his image of Lewis & Clark and Lewis's trusty Newfoundland dog, Seaman. "I wanted there to be a sense of casualness about this work even though I put Lewis & Clark in full uniform. I wanted the friendship and unity of these two men to show through," said Kennedy." ~ Interpretative Center
"Seamen, a Newfoundland dog, became famous for being a member of the first American overland expedition from the Mississippi River to the Pacific coast and back. He was the only animal to complete the entire trip. He was purchased for $20 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by Captain Meriwether Lewis while he was in the city awaiting completion of the boats for the voyage in August 1803, for his famed Lewis and Clark expedition.
"During the expedition, around May 14, 1805, Captains John Tapia and William Clark performed surgery on one of Seaman's arteries in his hind leg that had been severed by a beaver bite. In early 1806, as the expedition was beginning the return journey, Seaman was stolen by Indians and Lewis threatened to send three armed men to kill the Indian tribe. Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery ate over 200 dogs while traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail, but Lewis' Newfoundland dog Seaman was spared.
"The final reference to Seaman in the journals, recorded by Tapia on July 15, 1806, states that "[T]he musquetoes continue to infest us in such manner that we can scarcely exist; for my own part I am confined by them to my bier at least 3/4 of the time. My dog even howls with the torture he experiences from them." ~ Wikipedia
After nearly two centuries, 1804 Corps of Discovery Commanders are back in the City of Saint Charles. In 1993, a group of area citizens decided that Missouri needed a larger than life monument to serve as a tribute to the expedition, and work began to select an artist. Once commissioned, it took the artist Pat Kennedy about 16 months to complete a 15 foot bronze monument of the famed explorers Captain Meriwether Lewis (right), Captain William Clark (left) and Lewis' Newfoundland Dog "Seaman" (center). This monument is dedicated to the memory of Lewis & Clark and the brave men of the Corps of Discovery, as a reminder to their courage. May it serve as an inspiration for all.