The Arch
 |
Very few cities in the United States are so closely associated with a landmark as St. Louis is with the Arch. Representing the Gateway to the West, the Arch stands 630 feet above the ground near the western bank of the Mississippi River. The Arch dominates the skyline and is visible throughout the city. A city ordinance forbids any other structures from exceeding the height of the Arch. It is the tallest man made monument in the country. In the foreground is the old courthouse, site of the first Dred Scot trial in 1847. |
Tours are available that take you to the top of the Arch. We were going to go up, but ran out of time. We went Friday morning, but there was going to be a 3 hour wait and we only had a couple of hours before we had to be elsewhere. There is a pretty cool museum there as well. Much of it is devoted to the Louis and Clark Expedition. In May, 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led an expedition to explore the western lands. The trip lasted over 2 years and lead to many discoveries about the land out west including the discoveries of several new species of plants and animals. This trip helped St. Louis lay claim to the title, "Gateway to the West".
The expedition was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson in hopes of learning more about the lands west of the Mississippi and with very high hopes of finding an all water route to the Pacific Ocean. |
 |
The museum exhibit provides a time line of events as well as lots of interesting facts about their trip.
As you might expect, the great deal of the museum is also dedicated to the history of the Arch itself. The idea behind the Arch was conceived by Eero Saarinen. Construction began on the Arch in 1963 and was completed in October, 1965. The Arch is open to the public and is currently maintained by the National Park Service. For a small fee, you can ride a tram to the top. We were hoping to do so, but our schedule did not permit it.
For more information, visit: