Today’s post is 1600 words, 26 photos, one video, a 9 minute read. Enjoy!

Greetings and salutations,

Last week, I took you on a tour of a few towns along the Interstate Highways in Illinois. Click here if you missed that post. This week I’ll take you to the Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis. This park is the smallest national park coming in at 91 acres. It’s also one of the newest, established in 2018. Before becoming a national park, this site was the designated in 1935 as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Construction of the Arch began in 1963 and was completed 1965. More later on the construction.

Gateway Arch National Park

We arrived in St. Louis at about 3:30 PM and checked into our hotel near the Arch. The weather was mild and the Arch didn’t seem like a long walk from the hotel. We asked at the hotel desk about parking and walking. He had concerned look on his face for our safety and recommended that we drive the several blocks and park near the Arch. When we came back we could use the hotel valet parking in a secured lot. That’s what we did. We learned later that St. Louis is one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S.

Our drive over to the Arch took about ten minutes. We parked under the Arch on the Mississippi River. Here was our view.

The “Big Muddy” always fascinates me. The tugs pushing freight up and down the River. In fact many of the early settlers including the French explorers arrived by water on a vessel of some type.

We turned toward the Arch and began the walk up the Grand Staircase.

When we reached the top, we stood and looked up to admire the beauty and craftsmanship of the arch. We’ve seen the Arch several times from a distance as we made our way to and from New Orleans. I was there once in the mid-1990s after a business meeting. There wasn’t time to ride to the top but I did take a quick look at the museum. Since then the museum has greatly expanded with a focus on early St. Louis, Jefferson’s vision, the impact of the Manifest Destiny to justify westward expansion, the Frontier, and building the Arch. It’s free and a well-done museum. The PBS Newshour published an article this week about the work to preserve the history and keep this national park up-to-date. Click here for the article.

We entered the visitor center through the underground entrance. There the rangers answered our questions and directed us to the security line. It was busy, lots of families with kids. The security process was robust, very similar to the airport. The staff were friendly and efficient, we cleared security in less than ten minutes.

Since it was late in the afternoon, the visitor center closed at 6:00 PM, we spent about an hour checking out the well-done exhibits in the museum. What I liked about this museum is that it didn’t sugarcoat the injustices done to Native Americans or slaves of African descent.

Upon entry, we noticed there was a ranger program after hours titled “The Ghosts of the Archway Park.” Since it was just before Halloween and we didn’t have anything better planned for the evening we decided to come back for the program. Before heading off a nearby place for a quick dinner I snapped few photos as the sun was setting in the west.

Ranger Richard, a long time National Park Service employee, presented the program. He first clarified the title, there are no known ghosts haunting the Arch, he would talk about some of the historical incidents that occurred with frightening consequences and a bit about people behind creating the park.

One of the interesting things that we learned from Ranger Richard was that the next day, Saturday October 28 was the anniversary of the completion of the Arch. Not only would we ride the tram to the top of the Arch, we also could meet some of the men involved in the building of the Arch.

When we left the Arch that evening the weather had cooled down, we wished we had our jackets. As we walked to where our car was parked, we looked forward with excitement for tomorrow on this significant anniversary.

The Tram Ride to the Top

The next morning after breakfast and checking out of the hotel, we were back at the Arch. To ride the tram to the top, one must purchase a timed ticket. We bought our tickets online to make sure we had a spot, these tickets are in demand. We were glad we did, it was another busy day at the park.

We had a little time before our reservation so we spent it checking out the exhibit on the building of the Arch. We would later see the “Monument to the Dream” film that came as part of our ticket to ride the tram.

The exhibit was very educational, I spent most of my time reading about Art Witman, the lone photographer hired to document the building of the Arch. He had full access to the construction site during those three years. I said to myself, I wish I could have done that. I changed my mind after seeing the fore mentioned film, heights are not my thing. I got a flutter in my stomach and weak in the knees from parts of the film. This was the time before OSHA was created to ensure workplace safety. It’s a miracle no one was killed during the construction, no safety harnesses, puny guard rails, little hearing protection, or safety glasses.

When the time came, we took our place in line for the tram ride. Each of us received a ticket indicating the car number. The tram can hold up to 40 passengers. An estimated 10,000 ride the tram each day. Over two million people visit each year.

Prior to reaching the tram cars, we were led to an area where the group was presented information about the Arch and the ride to the top. The Arch is the tallest human-made monument in the US. It stands 630 feet tall and 630 feet wide at its base. In comparison,  the Washington Monument is 555 feet tall and the Statue of Liberty 305 feet tall.

The Arch is designed to sway up to 18 inches in high winds. Only a few times has the Arch been shut down due to weather, usually in the event of lightening. The cost to build the Arch was $13,000,000 equivalent to about $130 million in today’s dollars. The funds came from federal, state, and local sources including private donations.

The tram ride to the top takes about four minutes, the return about three minutes. When we arrived at the cars, we stood at the entrance waiting for the signal to enter and take a seat. Those cars are quite small, it would be a close fit for four adults. Once inside and seated, I snapped a photo inside looking out before the doors closed.

The ride is a little herky jerky when the car has to adjust to the curvature of the Arch, kind of like a Ferris Wheel. Here’s a short video of our ride to the top. Since this was taken at lower level of the Arch, you can see more to the mechanical structure of the interior. And yes, there is an emergency stair case, it has never been used.

 

When the car stopped at the top of the Arch, we disembarked for a short walk up the stairs to the observation deck. Our times was limited to less than ten minutes, we would ride the same cars down again.

The promotional literature states that on a clear day, visitors can see up to 30 miles. Our day at the top was cloudy so no long distance viewing.

Looking to the east, we saw an expanse of the Mississippi River and East St. Louis, Illinois.

And looking to the west, we saw the city of St. Louis. Note the building with the green roof in the middle of the photos. This is the Old Courthouse also part of the park. Currently closed for renovations, this was the place where the Dred Scott case was tried. Scott was an enslaved man who sued in federal court claiming that he had lived in Illinois and Wisconsin, both non slave states, and met the requirement to purchase his freedom. This case went to the US Supreme Court that found against Scott because he or anyone of African descent couldn’t claim US citizenship because of the Missouri Compromise that passed in 1820. Look it up, it’s complicated. Anyway, the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision created an uproar and caused even more tension between the advocates of slavery and the abolitionists. This case was one factor that led to the US Civil War.

Just to the left of circle surrounded by green grass is the Old Cathedral (aka Basilica of the Saint Louis IX)  built in 1834. This Catholic parish was established in 1764 and continues today. It is open for visits and has a small museum. 

Looking to the southwest, we could see Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinal baseball team.

After the allowed time for gawking at the world around us, we were back on the cars for the ride down.

Meet the Builders

After the tram ride, we saw that a large crowd had gathered to meet some of the surviving builders. For $1, visitors could purchase a poster and have the builders sign the poster. The line moved slow as the builders told their stories. Everyone was having a good time.

The Arch is a fitting example to describe the “Gateway to the West.” The Arch’s simplicity,  strength, and beauty symbolize the independence and resilience of the people who came before us. If you visit plan to spend a day or more at the Arch and don’t forget to make the tram reservations.

Next up, Hot Springs National Park.

Until then, happy travels.

Tom