Friday, March 23, 2007

Lewis & Clark Statue Underwater Near St Louis Arch and Eads Bridge

The Captains Return Statue is underwater near the Eads Bridge. Betty Kluesner of the Discovery Expedition of St Charles took these photos on March 22, 2007 and reports that many people were taking photos. Some asked, how did they ever put the statue up in the water? The water level generally rises in the Spring.  During the great Mississsippi River flood of 1993 the water rose halfway up the giant staircase leading up to the grounds of the Arch. If you look closely, you can find a plaque on the side of the staircase steps indicating how far the water rose.

The statue by sculptor Harry Weber was dedicated at the Final Signature Event in St Louis on September 23, 2006.  The statue is located very near the Gateway Arch, which commemorates the location of the old St Louis riverfront community. The site of William Clark’s house and Indian Council Chambers and Museum, built in 1816, is within view of the statue.

To view a fascinating interactive map of old St Louis, created by National Park Service historian Bob Moore, visit  the NPS Jefferson National  Memorial Expansion website. Scroll down to the very bottom of the front page and click on the Lewis and Clark material to be brought to the Lewis and Clark Journey of Discovery section. Then locate the Circa 1804 Map at the top left. Then click on the different buildings in the scrolling map to learn more. Clark’s first house is located in Block 9A.  The second house and Indian Museum is located in Block 12.

The Eads Bridge was designed and built by one of America’s greatest engineers, James B. Eads. It was completed in 1874 at a cost of over $10 million dollars. The world famous bridge was the first major bridge to use steel in its construction, and to be built entirely using cantilever supports. Its pier supports, shown here are still some of the deepest in the world. One was sunk 100 feet below the surface of the water to reach bedrock. The bridge was rebuilt and reopened in 2003. It is a combined road, rail and pedestrian bridge.

Visit the Trip Planner on the Lewis and Clark Road Trips website  for Region Four, Old St Louis Riverfront for destination websites and individual MapQuest maps. 

Posted by Kira Gale on 03/23/2007 at 08:00 AM

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