Gateway Arch National Park…An Arch with a Tram inside
Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, Missouri
On the way to Kentucky, I stopped in St. Louis and I checked out the Gateway Arch National Park. The Gateway Arch National Park includes the old courthouse, the old cathedral, the arch, and a visitor center museum.
Several things surprised me about my visit to this park. First, until I started researching the arch for my trip, I had no idea that there was a tram that people could get in to take to the top. If you are interested in taking the tram to the top, you will first go to the visitor center. In the visitor center, there will be a place to buy your ticket for the tram. Once you have your ticket, you will walk down towards the museum and you will go through security before walking through the museum area. The museum area is free and has several hands on areas/activities (see pictures below). On the other side of the museum, there is a gift shop, a cafe, and you can board your tram to head to the top. The staff does a great job of providing some history before you board the tram. The tram will take you to the top and you will be given some time to look out the windows at the top. Then, the tram will bring you back down.
I was surprised, but pleased to see the Dred and Harriet Scott Statue. I had heard some of the history of the Dred and Harriet Scott case, but when I saw this statue I had to Google them to be reminded. Dred and Harriet Scott filed lawsuits for their freedom at the courthouse across the street from arch, which is why their statue is there. Their lawsuit worked its way through the court system all the way to the Supreme Court. They did not win their case, but many say that their case was a catalyst for moving the country towards Civil War.
Resources
I was disappointed in the lack of books available for kids about the Gateway Arch and the Dred Scott case. If you are bringing your class or your kids to Gateway Arch, you could spend some time letting your students explore information about the arch as well as the Dred Scott case.
The Gateway Arch at 50: A Living St. Louis Special | June 25, 2018– Covers quite a bit of information about how the arch was built and what it is like today.
How Things Work: The Gateway Arch– Provides information about how the arch was built.
Construction of the Gateway Arch, St. Louis Program (1965)– I found this YouTube video to be incredibly dry, but it might be helpful for a student who enjoys engineering.
Britannica Kids- Gateway Arch National Park– Britannica Kids is great way for students to do research in a safe online environment. To access Britannica Kids for free, you can use this website: Research for Kids.
Britannica Kids- Dred Scott Decision
Sound Smart: Dred Scott Case– This is the type of short clip that you could use to introduce the Dred Scott Case- short, but thorough.
History Channel: Dred Scott Case– Provides a brief, but complete description of the this case.
Activities
The Gateway Arch has a museum area with a good number of hands on activities.
The following activities could be done before going to the Gateway Arch or after. One of the activities focuses on the Gateway Arch and the other activity focuses on the Dred and Harriet Scott Statue.
Activity #1
Before or after visiting the Gateway Arch, kids could work on creating their own arch. Some materials that kids could use are poster board, flexible hard plastic, legos, straws, pipe cleaners, or ask the kids what are some materials that they would like to use. Some kids might want to try to also create a tram to go on or in the arch. It might be helpful for the kids to watch the videos about the arch that I have included. This might give kids some foundation as they begin to create. For kids who like to build, this could be a fun challenge. When the kids are done, they can explain to their teacher or parent why they chose the materials they chose and why they made the design decisions they made. If the kids were younger, I would make a big deal about the fact that they are practicing to be future engineers, architects, or designers.
Activity #2
After reading and watching clips about the Dred Scott case, students could write a journal entry from Dred or Harriet Scott’s point of view. The students could also look at the Dred Scott case from a reporter’s point of view. Students could write a news article discussing the important events taking place that surround these court cases. Students could also be given the option of which type of writing they would like to do and then they could come together to discuss how their pieces of writing are going to look different because of the point of view of the writers.
A tip from someone who has been there.
Some of the other activities that visitors can partake in are river cruises and there is also a movie that visitors can watch. I was not overly impressed by the Mississippi River (although the barges floating down the river were cool), but for families who enjoy boats or if it is beautiful day out and a cruise down the Mississippi River sounds good to you then you might want to take advantage of one of the river cruises. The pricing for everything is at the following link: Gateway Arch Plan Your Visit .
