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From Wikipedia -The Gateway Arch is a 630-foot (192 m) (both high and wide) catenary arch built to commemorate the Lewis and Clark Expedition, initiated by Thomas Jefferson, and the subsequent westward expansion of the country. The nearby Old Courthouse, across a greenway to the west of the arch, was the first site of the Dred Scott case about slavery. A museum, located in the underground visitor center below the arch, describes the arch’s construction and the country’s westward expansion.
- Established: 2/22/2018
- Annual Visitors: 2,016,180
- Size: 193 acres
Gateway Arch National Park
We arrived in St Louis, MO by about 1pm and checked into Hotel Indigo, an IHG hotel, a short walking distance from Gateway Arch National Park. This park is the only one that sits in the heart of a large city. My ankle injury from yesterday slowed me down, but we were able to walk the 3/10th of a mile from our hotel, through the park and enjoy a prescheduled river boat ride on the Mississippi River. Pics attached.
We walked by the arch to get to the riverboat cruise. 
The Mississippi River is about 3 feet below normal levels allowing for plenty of parking on the bank as we headed to our cruise. 
Rangeley’s first boat ride. He was good, but not sure he really enjoyed it too much. He would have rather been swimming in the water. 
The cars go on the top level, the commuter trains through the steel framing. 
Notice the barges on the side of the river, the train on the closest bridge and the trucks on the second bridge.
The visitor center is under the arch, literally, it is underground. I wanted to get our post card, pin and stamp so I walked into the glass windowed entrance, through a security screening very similar to an airport, took an escalator down, walked through the underground Gateway history museum and on to the gift shop. The ticket counter for the tram that runs inside the arch to the viewing windows 630 feet above ground is also in the same building. Gary will experience that tomorrow!
The river boat ride was narrated and we learned a lot about the history of the Mississippi on the shores of the arch. There is a train that runs over one of the many bridges between Illinois and Missouri. On that same bridge there used to be cars on historic Route 66. The highway has been removed from over the rail line. On another bridge there are cars with pedestrian space and below is a commuter train. There are huge barges that transport all sorts of products. The barges are arraigned in sets of 5 long and 3 deep, each single barge is 100+ feet long and 35 ft wide. The group of 15 barges are pushed down river by a large tug boat. This is the maximum size that will fit through the locks. The shores are lined with barges awaiting their turn to go through the 27 locks that enable the boats to ascend the 450 feet rise in water level between St Louis and Minneapolis/St Paul heading north. There are no locks between to St Louis and the Gulf of Mexico.
This was truly the gateway to the west since you could get cargo here by boat even in the mid 1800s. In the 1850s Henry Wells, William Fargo and John Butterfield capitalized on the country’s rapid westward expansion by building an express stagecoach delivery service from St. Louis to California. They were partners in starting The American Express Company. Yes, AMEX started as a delivery service. Wells, Fargo & Company started a couple years after The American Express Company.
Monday morning we took a beautiful stroll through City Gardens in the heart of the financial district near the arch and our hotel. The gardens were competed in 2009 and filled with large bronze art, grassy areas and lovely stonework patios. There’s a great view of the Old Courthouse (built in 1862) under the Gateway Arch from the gardens. See slide shows.
Gary – 10/26/20:
Being so close to the park has been great for Rangeley. There is plenty of grass for him to run around on (on leash) so we have been there six times this visit. After our walk in the city park, Elizabeth and Rangeley headed back to the hotel room. Today was rainy (starting at 10am) and 40 degrees, so not a great day to be outside. I headed back to the Park to ride the tram to the top of the arch. There are 8 small cabins that make up the tram. They say they can fit 5 people in each pod, but that would be extremely tight. Now they send up only groups that are together in a pod, so I had my own. The door to get in is about 18” wide and 4’ high. It takes 4 minutes to get up to the top, 630’ above the ground. The pods stay upright as you travel up the variable slope. Once on top I had my assigned 4 windows, 2 looking west and 2 looking east. We had 10 minutes on top and then it was 3 minutes down.
The view of the old courthouse from 630 feet above. You can see a few people on the walkways if you look very closely. The circular shape is the entrance to the visitor center. You can also see Interstate 70 between the big buildings and the park. Elizabeth did not know there was an interstate until I pointed it out on her second visit. 
The pod I rode to the top of the arch.
After the tram ride I watched a great movie on the making of the arch. Having a construction background I found it fascinating. There were many ingenious techniques used to build the arch since this wasn’t a typical construction project. There were no serious injuries during the construction, which took place during the early 1960s. They build the two legs skyward simultaneously and joined then with a final piece in the middle. An amazing feat. The arch can sway up to 18 inches during high winds. Elizabeth was fine watching Rangeley while I went up.
Tomorrow we are off the Arkansas to visit Hot Springs National Park.
Not all those who wander are lost.
J. R. R. TOLKIEN
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