Gateway Arch

1- o ! • I E° Architect Eero Saarinen and long-time collaborator Dan Kiley, a master of modern landscape architecture, designed the landscape surrounding the Gateway Arch. The tree-lined walks, rolling hills, reflecting ponds, and grand staircase descending to the Mississippi River mirror the shape of the Arch. The riverfront beneath the Gateway Arch often hosts festivals, historical events, and concerts. The soaring Arch is both a memorial to westward expansion and an icon of the city of St. Louis. History, by apprising the people of the past, will enable them to judge of the future; it will avail them of the experience of other times and other nations; it will qualify j them as judges of the actions and designs of men. . . —Thomas Jefferson, 1782 PORTRAIT/WHITE HOUSE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION SIGNATURE/UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA LIBRARY * E Eero Saarinen felt that an architectural idea must be as simple as possible to have meaning and impact. All its elements must contribute to the overall artistic expression. The central idea of the Gateway Arch is a graceful catenary curve, the shape a chain takes when suspended freely between t w o points. Neither an obelisk nor a rectangular box nor a dome seemed right on this site or for this purpose. But here, at the edge of the Mississippi River, q great arch did seem right. —Eero Saarinen, 1959 PORTRAIT/ NPS SIGNATURE/NPS ARCH SILHOUETTE/ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS it Z D GATEWAY TO THE WEST .2 'tZ o E The Gateway Arch is a memorial site where you can contemplate the epic mass-migration and settlement of the American West during the 1800s. Thomas Jefferson estimated that it might take 1,000 generations for Americans to fully extend across the vast continent. Instead, in fewer than 90 years what Americans called the frontier! had ended. c o "3i c re Q. X til "re c o T3 re z C .in 3 *- O From1 the time America was first settled by Europeans, it was seen as a place of inexhaustible land and resources—that just beyond the fringe of "civilization" here was land to create a better life for daring and hardworking peole. Many embraced Manifest Destiny, a phrase coined in 1845 to explain America's thirst for expansion. It was a new term but not a new idea. Since the beginning of the republic, leaders and citizens had aggressively claimed land for the United States. ii I A M E R I C A N IDENTITY! EXPRESSED The Gateway Arch is a world-renowned masterpiece of! modern architecture built on the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis, Mo. Rising from a forestejd park, it is a part of the national historic site created ini 1935 to memorialize the role of St. Louis in the westward expansion of the United States. Manifest Destiny crystallized the idea that it was God's will and the right of ATnericans to take over the continent. Then, in 1893, historian Frederick Jackson Turner reported that the Far d he called the "frontier"— where there were few er than two people per square mile—was gone. This concept stunned Americans because Turner also s aid that our unique American character stemmed ffom this frontier experience. The idea of this loss of the frontier still pervades our literature, art, and movies. To create the memorial, 40 blocks of old buildings were] leveled in the core of the downtown area. It was here that the French originally set up a fur trading post in 1764, arid that steamboats jostled for space in one of the nation's j busiest pre-Civil War ports. Jefferson National Expansion Memorial was designated a national historic site in 1935 to honor the type of frontier hero that Tur ler wrote of in 1893. But Turner's view of history was A iglo-centric; it ignored American Indians, African /Americans, and Spanish, French, Russian, Asian, and 01 her explorers and settlers who lived in the West long before the mass migrations. Today the park pays t i b u t e to the multicultural aspect of the peopling of America. Its centerpiece, the Gateway Arch, stands for the many cultures that made the American West what it is today. MAKING OF A In 1947 a competition challenged architects to design a memorial that would symbolize the dramatic story of westward expansion. The judges chose Eero Saarinen's Gateway Arch from among 172 entries. Saarinen's Arch, along with his other works—the TWA terminal at JFK airport in New York City and Dulles airport outside Washington D.C.—used engineering, materials, and technology to create iconic and daring designs. MONlU'MENT The stmcture of the Gateway Arch, built between 1963 aid 1965, is a sandwich made of stainless steel on the outside, carbon steel on the inside, and concrete in the middle. Nothing like this had ever been built or even attempted How could workers be sure the legs would meet at the to p? How could they keep it from tipping over? The plans call sd for exact measurements of the two freestanding legs a: 1 each piece was welded into place. Post-tensioning rod; made of steel placed within the back side of each leg kept the structure from tipping over until thefinalsection could stabilize the 630-foot stnicture. Workers struggled against high winds, biting cold, and searing heat, coupled with dizzying heights and uneven surfaces. On thefinalday of construction an excited audience watched as the crane settled the keystone into place (see left). The tram system, created in just two weeks by elevator designer Dick Bowser, annually takes one million people to the top. BACKGROUND PHOTO BY CHAD COMBS ©TERRELL ( REATIVE THOSE WHIO PASSED THIS W A Y • ••• JSo oE H It °fli K -=»LLI Over 200 years ago the land tc 1 the west of St. Louis was a blank space on the map for most U.S. citizens. Yc t by the 1890s most of that land had been explored and settled by three ger erations of Americans. They had largely displaced the original inhabitants and brought their own customs an i cultures to the region. EXPLORERS The period of westward expansion began in earnest with explorers who set out from the St. Louis area: Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their Pacific Ocean expedition (1804-1806); Zebulon Pike on his southwest expedition (1806-1807); and Stephen Long's trips to survey western rivers and mountains (1819-1821). ST. LOUIS St. Louis played a central role in this huge migration and cultural shift. Founded as a French fu r trading post in 1764, St. Louis became a center of commerce along the Miss ssippi and Missouri rivers. For over 100 years river trade built, shaped, and transformed St. Louis into a bustli ig and multicultural metropolis. TRAPPERS AND MOUNTAIN MEN In 1822 St. Louis politician and fur trader William H. Ashley advertised for 100 men to work as trappers in the Rocky Mountains. Those who answered Ashley's call became the first of the legendary mountain men. Ashley devised the rendezvous system in which trappers, Indians, and traders met to exchangeftrrsand merchandise. His innovations profited St. Louis and helped open the T (/est to expansion. TRAILS WEST rirom 1841 until the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, thousands of wagon trains headed west on a four- to sixmonth journey. Mjany gathered supplies in St. Louis, takinjg steamboats to the trailheads near Independence, Mo. Over 300,000 settlers traveled overland, some seeking free land, others religious freedorrj, and others gold. j SOLDIERS IN THE WEST St. Louis was a major military depot throughout the 1800s, supplying western forts with munitions and subsistence as the army displaced Indian tribal groups, forcing them onto reservations. The city was the scene of the negotiation of many Indian treaties in which tribes reluctantly ceded their lands to the government. END OF AN ERA The story of westward expansion was not a single tale of manifest destiny but was comprised of multiple stories from thousands of different perspectives. Some were stories of triumph, others of defeat. St. Louis played a significant role in a majority of the events surrounding this mass-migration, events commemorated today by Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. William Clark's Map of the West. 1805-1838, was first compiled during the Lewis and Clark expedition; it later hung in Clark's Indian Council Chamber in St. Louis. Fur traders, explorers, and Indians amended the map during visits to Clark, making it the most accurate view of the American West of its time. ST. LOUIS Settled near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, St. Louis became a center of trade. PLANNING YOUR VISIT Welcome t o Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (JNEM). Atypical visit includes riding the tram to the top of the Gateway Arch; viewing a film in one of t w o theaters; visiting the Historic Old Courthouse, where the Dred Scott case began in 1846; and enjoying t h e Museum of Westward Expansion. For details visit: www.nps.gov/jeff. ST. LOUIS The Gateway Arch is in downtown St. Louis, Mo., in a metropolitan area of 2.5 million people. For information about attractions and services, visit the St. Louis Convention and Visitor's Commission at www.explorestlouis.com VISIT THE MUSEUM The Museum of Westward Expansion beneath the Arch charts the history of the American West from the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to the closing of the frontier in the 1890s. You can see how American Indians and pioneers lived. Exhibits show artifacts used by farmers, buffalo hunters, miners, cowboys, and others w h o played a role in westward expansion. Watch for a stagecoach, a covered wagon, a bullboat, and a wheel used to steer a steamboat. o E o "J75 03 a x LLI "03 c o •S ISSSSSSSSB 03 z C o c • ••• a x LU RIDING THE TRAM The highlight of most visits to JNEM is a ride to the top of the 630-foot Arch. The north-leg and south-leg trams—a unique capsule-transporter system—consist of barrel-shaped capsules joined together to form a train-like vehicle that runs on tracks inside the hollow legs of the Arch. Each capsule holds five passengers and maintains a level position throughout the four-minute ride to the top. Tickets are required. HISTORIC OLD COURTHOUSE AND OLD CATHEDRAL Two historic buildings are within walking distance of the Arch. The Historic Old Courthouse, part of JNEM, was the site of a lawsuit that gained | world-wide notoriety. In 1846 Dred Scott | and his wife Harriet sued for and were J granted their freedom. Later the U.S. I Supreme Court declared that slaves were ? property and had no right to sue, a decision that hastened the Civil War. It offers exhib- * its and a museum store. The 1834 Old Cathedral, still an active Catholic parish, is I open for visitation and has a small museum. ENTRANCE FEES HELP PROGRAMS Like many national parks, JNEM collects fees that support public programs and 'f preservation projects. Fees are paid at , the ticket counter on the east side of the Gateway Arch Visitor Center. Thank you ! for your support. FOR YOUR SAFETY The usual cautions that apply in urban areas are important during a visit to JNEM. Lock all valuables out of sight or take them with you. Be care ful crossing streets and on steps and ramps ask the park about accessible routes. Keep your children with you at all times. Report suspicious activity to a park ranger. Visitors entering the Gateway Arch Visitor Center are subject to search and examination of all carry-in items. Emergencies: Call 911. MORE INFORMATION Jefferson National Expansion Memorial 11 North 4th Street St. Louis, MO 63102 314-655-1700 www.nps.gov/jeff Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is one of over 390 parks in the National Park System. To learn more about national parks visit www.nps.gov. v,GPO:2014—383-644/30274 Last updated 2013 Printed on recycled paper.