Eero Saarinen’s design of a simple arch was a major challenge to create. Our tour of the 630-foot-tall arch began with a movie explaining both the specially fabricated materials as well as the unique construction machinery required to build the nation’s tallest monument. It is amazing that no one was killed in its construction considering that they wore no harnesses, stood atop hundreds-feet high beams, and worked on a curved surface.
To go to the top of the arch, we bent down through the four-foot-doorway into our five seat “pod” for our four-minute ride up. This is not a trip for the claustrophobic as the window is small and all you see is the inside of the arch.
At the top, we peered down through small slit windows.
We could see the city, the river and even our RV (with a telephoto lens).
The walkway between the sets of windows follows the curve of the last piece put in place.
Our three-minute ride down returned us to the main floor brought us to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. This excellent museum has ten decades of panels chronicling from the Louisiana Purchase to the start of the 20th century. These panels were an excellent review of American history with local St. Louis history added.
Against a backdrop of tall photographs of where they had been, excerpts from Clark’s diary details his travels with Louis up the Missouri River and to the Pacific Ocean. It was interesting to see the spelling, grammar and punctuation used by this educated man.
We were surprised to see a collection of gold medals stamped with various Presidents’ heads. These Peace Medals were “awarded” to Native American tribal leaders during the many treaty negotiations.
Also part of the park is the old Courthouse, site of the Dred Scott trial.
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The decaying building has been beautifully restored though the courtroom has been relocated to the second floor. A tour guide showed us pictures from the courthouse in its early days and when it was under repair. He also discussed the case with us.
The Courthouse has several rooms showing the history of St. Louis from an early frontier town to the city it now is.
We have been along the Mississippi River at several places in our travels. In Natchez and Vicksburg, it was at pre-flood stage. At Memphis it was running high. Here it is over the banks in places cutting off roads and covering the river front walkway. Large logs and debris float quickly by.
The Arch was at the top of our list of places to visit in St. Louis and it is now on our list of places to return to when we come again.
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