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Trip Day:
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194
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Latitude:
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38°53.10 '
N
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Locks Today:
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0
|
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Miles Today:
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0
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Longitude:
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090°10.63'W
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Locks Total:
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89
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Total Miles:
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3,870
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Location:
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Alton,
IL
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We shared a car rental with Bob and Madeline today and drove to the Gateway to the West, since there are NO marinas in Saint Louis.
In 1764 French fur traders came upriver from New Orleans, founded the city and named it for Louis IX. Then, in 1803 Napoleon sold it to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the U.S. Thomas Jefferson understood the importance of this acquisition envisioning a transcontinental United States. Jefferson enlisted Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore and map the territory and find a route to the Pacific Ocean. They left with a crew of brave men in 1804 and returned in 1806 having reached the great ocean they sought. The first steamboat arrived in St. Louis in 1817 bringing travelers, explorers and trade opening a new era of commerce on the Mississippi River. Mark Twain was one of those riverboat pilots.
Now the arch. . . In 1947 architects were challenged to design a memorial to symbolize Jefferson’s vision of the westward expansion. Forty blocks of the old downtown were leveled to make way for the impressive 630 foot high St. Louis Arch which was finished in 1965. The ride up the arch takes place in a tram of eight five-seated cars. The space was cramped with very little headroom. Once at the top of the arch we could walk around and snap photos before descending.
The control booth showed the speed and elevation of the tram—just like on an plane. Back at ground level, the view of the great lawn leading to the old courthouse and city was just as pleasing. 
The museum within The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial had an amazing display showing the nation’s history by year and the important events under each president’s tenure.
Most of the exhibits centered on the role St. Louis played in the westward expansion and the explorers who changed history. There was an interesting display of the medals that Lewis and Clark carried to give to Indian chiefs to trade for horses or goods and to show they had come in peace.
After the museum, we moved on to the Anheuser-Busch tour. Our tour took us through the brewing process; ingredients, 3,600 barrel vats, fermentation, bottling and shipping. But the most impressive part of the complex was the mid 1800s buildings from the original small brewery conceived by the German immigrant, Eberhard Anheuser. The buildings with their attention to design and detail were magnificent. Even the stables had style with stained glass windows and a chandelier from the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
For the boys, the best part of the tour was the hospitality room where free beer was provided. We had a fun day in St. Louis with good food and friendship.
As we drove past the History Museum, in Forest Park, we encountered a juggling jogger, not an everyday occurrence. 
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