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KF5JRV > TODAY 28.10.19 16:52l 36 Lines 1914 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Today in History - Oct 28
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Sent: 191028/1550Z 16781@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQK6.0.18
On this day in 1965, construction is completed on the Gateway Arch, a
spectacular 630-foot-high parabola of stainless steel marking the
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial on the waterfront of St. Louis,
Missouri.
The Gateway Arch, designed by Finnish-born, American-educated architect
Eero Saarinen, was erected to commemorate President Thomas Jefferson’s
Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and to celebrate St. Louis’ central role in
the rapid westward expansion that followed. As the market and supply
point for fur traders and explorers—including the famous Meriwether
Lewis and William Clark—the town of St. Louis grew exponentially after
the War of 1812, when great numbers of people began to travel by wagon
train to seek their fortunes west of the Mississippi River. In 1947-48,
Saarinen won a nationwide competition to design a monument honoring the
spirit of the western pioneers. In a sad twist of fate, the architect
died of a brain tumor in 1961 and did not live to see the construction
of his now-famous arch, which began in February 1963. Completed in
October 1965, the Gateway Arch cost less than $15 million to build. With
foundations sunk 60 feet into the ground, its frame of stressed
stainless steel is built to withstand both earthquakes and high winds.
An internal tram system takes visitors to the top, where on a clear day
they can see up to 30 miles across the winding Mississippi and to the
Great Plains to the west. In addition to the Gateway Arch, the Jefferson
Expansion Memorial includes the Museum of Westward Expansion and the Old
Courthouse of St. Louis, where two of the famous Dred Scott slavery
cases were heard in the 1860s.
Today, some 4 million people visit the park each year to wander its
nearly 100 acres, soak up some history and take in the breathtaking
views from Saarinen’s gleaming arch.
73, Scott KF5JRV
Pmail: KF5JRV @ KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
Email: KF5JRV@GMAIL.com
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