Shutterstock
Table of Contents
Gateway Arch National Park
The tall steel arch in St. Louis marks America’s smallest national park. The 91-acre Gateway Arch National Park got this name in 2018, replacing its former title Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.
The park holds the 630-foot Gateway Arch, the Old Courthouse, and park grounds along the Mississippi River. It honors western expansion and St. Louis’ key role as a gateway to the West.
Flickr/RuggyBearLA
Luther Ely Smith’s Vision for a Riverfront Memorial
St. Louis lawyer Luther Ely Smith thought up the riverfront memorial in 1933 while on a train ride. He saw the run-down state of the city’s historic riverfront and wanted change…