Just the words, 'Gateway to the West', brings a visual to any present day 'American Pioneer' of the Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. The Arch was built as a monument to Thomas Jefferson and all the pioneers who were seeking something better out west.
From a distance, the Arch provides a halo over the Old Courthouse; part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. In the 1940's, it was decided to memorialize the importance of the Louisiana Purchase by Thomas Jefferson, which made westward expansion possible. In 1947, the design by architect Eero Saarinen was chosen. The structure was built by the MacDonald Construction Company of St. Louis, with steel from the Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Company. The Arch begin construction in Febuary 1963 and the last piece of steel was put in place on October 28, 1965.
The Arch stands 630 feet tall; 63 stories. There are 142 stainless steel sections and the foundation is 60 feet deep. At the base, the legs are 54 feet wide; the top width is 17 feet. The arch weighs 17,246 tons. A tram capsule can take visitors to the top of the Arch at a speed of 3.86 miles per hour. At the top, each side of the arch has 16 small windows (7x27") which, on a clear day, provide a 30 mile view in either direction.
The Arch is located on America's river that helped Lewis & Clark discover the majestic lands out west. It is found on land that served as unmarked boundaries of the west, east, north and south; an unspoken division between slave states and free states. For some travelers, the Arch has been a destination; others, a gateway.
God Bless America.
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