The Gateway Arch in St. Louis: Crossing to the West

Leaving Illinois and entering Missouri through the I-55, we passed by the tallest arch in the world. 

The Gateway Arch of St Louis seen from the bridge over the Mississippi River - Photo: Still Gravity.
The Gateway Arch seen from the bridge over the Mississippi River - License our images here.         

The structure is 630-foot tall and made of stainless-steel. It was completed in 1965. What is it for? It celebrates the emigration to the West - or the conquest of the West, whatever you prefer. 

St. Louis has been part of the United States for little over 200 years. The country got it with the purchase of Louisiana in 1803. 

The US only wanted New Orleans, but Napoleon offered the whole Louisiana. The French saw those lands as a worthless swamp. He only asked fifteen million dollars. 

President Jefferson rushed to secure the bargain. He was ready to pay ten million only for the city of New Orleans, so the extra five for that long strip of land appeared in a moment. 

Bad for France and good for the United States. Can you picture the East and West coasts separated by land owned by another country? 

The American government asked Lewis and Clark to map the new territories and find a waterway connection to the Pacific the following year. And, of course, St. Louis was the departing point for the famous expedition. It was the Gateway to the West. 

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