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As a child, Susan visited the Arch with her family during a cross-country trip one hot summer, so a stop here to share the memory with Harrison and Amanda was on our agenda. Being the centerpiece of the city, it's hard to miss this shining monument, officially called the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The tram ride to the top is exciting and the underground Museum of Westward Expansion is a thoughtfully presented history of the growth of our nation. But there is much more to see in and around St. Louis than just the Arch. We ventured out to Madison County, Illinois, to the Lewis and Clark Memorial, discovered ancient Americans at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site (Collinsville, IL), played and learned at the free St. Louis Science Center, talked with a television news crew taping a live segment near the Old Courthouse by the Arch, and browsed the shops inside the renovated Union Station downtown. St. Louis is not a huge city that swallows you up, but is large enough to provide visitors with many options and interesting things to see and do. |
) "We
went on a bumpy elevator up to the top of the Arch. The booth we rode in
looked like a round space ship. It swung slowly from side to side as we
traversed the leg of the arch. ) At
the top, we looked out on St. Louis on both sides of the river. I looked
at two strangely shaped ponds next to the arch's feet. We also spotted our
LV and car! I though it was a lot of fun." --Harrison |
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) "The
St. Louis Arch is 630 feet tall. Two Lady Liberty's stacked on top of one
another cannot reach the top of the Arch. The Washington Monument can fit
right under the Arch. It was built by making two towers and, using tram-like
vehicles to transport people and supplies to the top of them, a bar was
held between the two towers until the final sections of the arch were put
into place. The builders also used a faux arch made of scaffolding. It's
kind of amazing how they built this massive monument. A fun fact that I
learned is that the Arch sways 1 inch in 25 mph winds and is built to withstand
winds of 125 mph."--Harrison |
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The
Pioneers Go West |
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Harrison learned: "They were in Atchison, Kansas on Independence Day of 1804 and named two creeks 'Independence' and 'Fourth of July'. They spent the winter of 1804-5 at Fort Mandan, 3 miles west of Washburn, North Dakota where they hired a French interpreter and his wife, Sacagawea. In August 1805, the expedition met Shoshoni Indians who gave them horses to help them cross the Rockies. The areas they traveled through are now the states of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. That's a lot of miles!" |
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) "While
we were at the mall inside the old Union Station, we watched
some people making fudge while they sang and gave samples. When the fudge
was done cooking, they dinged a bell and we went to watch them. The poured
it on a cold marble table and played with it with a wooden paddle until
it cooled and hardened. They sang with no music, just their voices, while
it cooled. It was very yummy!"--Amanda |
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) "We
got to dig pretend fossils at the St. Louis Science Center.
We found dinosaur parts. We had to wear goggles and use shovels like real
archaeologists do. It was fun!"--Amanda |
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) ) Reporter
Lisa Zigman and cameraman Dan Eyrich had been running all day, starting
at an animal shelter taping a story about 140 dogs and kittens taken away
from a resident. While there, they were called away to cover the latest
development in a hotel lawsuit case. After an afternoon at a press conference,
Dan and two other technicians set up their equipment in front of the hotel
(where we spotted them) and Lisa did a live report in front of the hotel
for the 5:00 news. In the background of the photo on the right is the Old
Courthouse, famous for the Dred Scott Case. |
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For Younger Readers |
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What
can be seen from nearly everywhere in St. Louis--Missouri or Illinois?
What is taller than the Washington Monument and is dedicated to the
remembrance of the Louisiana Purchase and Western Expansion? It's the
Gateway Arch, of course!
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Lewis
and Clark (Cornerstones of Freedom)
Lewis
& Clark : Voyage of Discovery
Lewis
& Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
Not
Rated. 
Along
the Trail with Lewis & Clark