This is the "pod" we used to ride up to the top of the arch, another engineering marvel.


We shared our pod with another couple who took this picture.


 
THE GATEWAY ARCH (630 feet tall by 630 feet wide) designed by Eero Saarinen in 1947 and completed in 1965 as a symbolic gateway to the West.  


This is a picture of the Eads Bridge taken from the top of the arch.  This bridge is the oldest bridge across the Missippi River, completed in 1874!!!  It is also the longest truss bridge in North America.  St Louis needed it to survive.  It provided a way across the river.

It is an engineering marvel, the first steel structure of any type.  The stone pier foundations were deeper than ever used before.  Workers were getting the "bends" when they surfaced too quickly.  The term "bends" resulted from the men bending over in pain.  Many lost their lives.


View of the entrance from the top.  Notice how small the people seem.


 View of the courthouse and downtown from the top.


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