[Transcript]

Introduction to Gateway Arch Trail

Welcome to stop number four of Shaka Guide's Gateway Arch National Park walking tour. We're currently on the west side of the Luther E. Lee Smith Square. This is the starting point of the Gateway Arch Trail, which leads down to the arch and winds through the park's lawn and gardens. 

There are some concrete benches nearby if you'd like to sit down or walk the path toward the arch while you listen to this next story. Follow the blue line to map marker number five while I tell you about the honorable, sometimes selfish, and even fraudulent origins of this national park.

Luther E. Lee Smith’s Vision

The namesake of this square, Luther E. Lee Smith, has been described as the father of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.

If you don't know what that is, well, you're standing on it. You see, before this place was upgraded in 2018 to Gateway Arch National Park, it was called the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Luther E. Lee Smith was a local lawyer and civic booster. 

In 1933, he had the idea to create some sort of memorial for Thomas Jefferson. Truth be told, there was already a national memorial to Thomas Jefferson in St. Louis. It was built 20 years earlier on the site of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, about five and a half miles west of here. 

So, what connection did Thomas Jefferson have to St. Louis that warranted two monuments in his name? After all, the man never even set foot in the city. Well, it was from this city that the famous Lewis and Clark expedition set off to explore the Louisiana Purchase and find a path to the west coast. We'll talk more about the Louisiana Purchase later, but basically, Jefferson acquired land from France that essentially doubled the size of the United States. 

It's often considered Jefferson's greatest achievement as president. Luther also figured that this new memorial would have the added benefit of cleaning up the area along the Mississippi River. The riverfront was pretty run down since trains and automobiles had become more popular than passenger boats. 

In response, the city's mayor created the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association and appointed Luther as chairman, a position he held for 14 years. And in 1935, just one year after the committee was created, they convinced Congress and President Franklin Roosevelt to officially sign the memorial park into existence. Before anything could be built, they, of course, had to raise the money.

And so, the city voted on a seven and a half million dollar tax levy.

Fraudulent Beginnings of the Memorial

Surprisingly, the issue passed with 71% of the votes in favor, but a few local reporters suspected something fishy going on. Turns out, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper uncovered plenty of evidence that the voting results were fraudulent, and that most people had actually voted against the tax levy. 

Apparently, the mayor wanted the project badly enough to cheat. The newspaper even won a Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for their expose. But despite obvious fraud, the voting results were upheld and plans for the park went ahead. 

The city then had to demolish 40 city blocks of old and sometimes beautiful buildings. And even after all that, there was still the issue of what the memorial would even be. All that work, and they didn't even know what they were going to build. 

Imagining the Future Memorial

In 1942, seven years after the site was dedicated, reporters asked Luther what he imagined it might eventually look like. He replied, quote, there should be a central figure, a shaft, a building, an arch, or something which would symbolize American culture and civilization. End quote. 

Gee, I wonder which of those ideas they finally went with. We'll finish that story later, after we reach the arch. For now, let's continue down the Gateway Arch Trail. 

Ready to take the tour? Check out Shaka Guide's Gateway Arch National Park Tour!

We hope that we’ve given you all the information you need to make the most of your day. Your vacation is extremely important to us so if you have any questions feel free to reach out at aloha@shakaguide.com.

For more detailed information to help you plan, check out our Gateway Arch National Park Itinerary and Know Before You Go article.