🇺🇸 WEEKLY AMERICAN HERITAGE: Gateway Arch National Park

(Explore the history and landscape of the United States with us as we approach the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution and American Independence. Get out your homeschool atlas and almanac and follow along!)

Missouri is our homeschool state-of-the-week, so why not spend a few minutes today with your students learning about one of Missouri’s most important historic places: Gateway Arch National Park, which honors Missouri’s historic role as the “Gateway to the West.”

“Gateway Arch National Park commemorates President Jefferson’s vision of a continental nation, the individuals and cultural groups who helped shape its history, St. Louis’ role in westward expansion, and Dred and Harriet Scott, who sued for their freedom in the Old Courthouse.”

Gateway Arch National Park, formerly Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, consists of the Gateway Arch, the museum under the arch, and St. Louis’ Old Courthouse.

During a nationwide competition in 1947–48, architect Eero Saarinen’s inspired design for a 630-foot stainless steel arch was chosen as a perfect monument to the spirit of the western pioneers. Construction of the Arch began in 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965, for a total cost of less than $15 million. The Arch has foundations sunk 60 feet into the ground and is built to withstand earthquakes and high winds. Fees are charged to ride the unique tram system to the top. A Grand Staircase leads from the St. Louis levee to the base of the Gateway Arch.

Located just two blocks west of the Arch, the Old Courthouse is one of the oldest buildings in St. Louis. Construction began in 1839. It was here that the first two trials of the Dred Scott case were held in 1847 and 1850. The building is currently closed for renovations and installations of new exhibits. The park’s total acreage is 90.96 acres.

The park collections include books, images, objects and papers about the history of the park, the history of westward expansion, the Lewis and Clark expedition, and St. Louis history.

In 2018, the name of the park changed from Jefferson National Expansion Memorial to Gateway Arch National Park. (nps.gov)

You can find a wealth of additional information about the park’s history, landscape, location(s), and visitor facilities on the website for Gateway Arch National Park from the National Park Service, and also on the park’s page on Wikipedia.

Explore America’s National Parks, National Historical Parks, National Historic Sites, National Monuments, and more via Wikipedia and via the U.S. National Park Service’s website today.

What historical American treasures are you and your students exploring in your homeschool this Orion Term? 🇺🇸

❡ The great globe itself: This is one of our regular Homeschool Geography posts featuring important natural and historical sites in the United States. Print your own copy of our River Houses American Heritage Calendar and follow along with us, and add your name to our weekly mailing list to get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox all through the year. 🌎

❡ We set to-day a votive stone: If you want a wonderful long-term history and geography project for your homeschool, explore the Historical Marker Database online (hmdb.org) and make a plan to find all the markers that are listed in your local area. Add any new ones you know of that are missing, and add new photos or descriptions for the ones already included. Your students will gain a better appreciation for your local community and will learn a wealth of new information about history and geography. 🏛

❡ Print this little lesson: Down at the bottom of this post you'll find a special "Print" button that will let you create a neat and easy-to-read copy of this little lesson, and it will even let you edit and delete sections you don't want or need (such as individual images or footnotes). Give it a try today! 🖨

❡ Books in the running brooks: You can always turn to your River Houses atlas and almanac for more information about any of our homeschool states-of-the-week. The almanac has detailed profiles of all the U.S. states and territories, and the endpapers of the atlas are indexes that will show you where all of the individual national and regional maps may be found. 📚

❡ Homeschool calendars: We have a whole collection of free, printable, educational homeschool calendars and planners available on our main River Houses calendar page. They will help you create a light and easy structure for your homeschool year. Give them a try today! 🗓

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❡ Join us! The aim of the River Houses project is to create a network of friendly local homeschool support groups — local chapters that we call “Houses.” Our first at-large chapter, Headwaters House, is now forming and is open to homeschoolers everywhere. Find out how to become one of our founding members on the Headwaters House membership page. 🏡