The National Park Service is among many federal agencies that strive to honor the service of current and former military personnel and their families. In honor of Veteran’s Day, Gateway Arch National Park, along with the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, will be hold a commemorative event honoring the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. military veterans.
Credit: Gateway Arch Park Foundation
“Salute to Veterans” will take place on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 1-2 p.m. The program will feature a performance by the Missouri Brass Quintet from the 399th Army Band based at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. The musicians will play both patriotic and traditional repertoire.
The concert will take place outdoors at Luther Ely Smith Square, located between the Old Courthouse and the Arch west entrance plaza. Admission to “Salute to Veterans” is free and open to the public.
Another way the Park Service honors veterans and military personnel is with the Annual Military Pass. The pass provides free entrance to national parks and other federal recreation areas for all current U.S. military members and their dependents, U.S. military veterans, and Gold Star Families. Click here for more information.
The Lower Mississippi Delta Region is the cradle of rich multi-cultural traditions, brimming with stories and sites that testify to both our nation’s diversity and to its struggles. Helping preserve the region’s historic and cultural treasures is the focus of the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative (LMDI), a National Park Service grant program. This year, JNPA began administering the program on behalf of the Park Service, and we recently distributed funding to 23 amazing projects!
The Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative was established by Congress in 1994 to support archeological, historical, cultural, and heritage projects in the communities of the Delta Region. The Lower Mississippi Delta Region is comprised of 219 counties across the states of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.
Each year, the initiative awards Local Heritage Grants of up to $25,000 to not-for-profit organizations to complete projects pertaining to Native American culture and heritage, African-American culture and heritage, public roads and visitor use plans, regional music heritage, museums, HBCUs, archeological sites, and historic buildings and structures. This year we were proud to award 23 grants to organizations representing every state in the region. Many of these organizations are small, emerging, and/or rural, and these grants can make a hug impact in their ability to achieve their mission.
This year’s projects included music festivals, murals, museum exhibits, educational programs for students, historic building renovations, historical markers, and others. One project that has already taken place, Arkansas Peace Week, featured activities to educate the public, promote peace, and raise awareness for local organizations. One such activity was a youth art contest with the theme of “End racism. Build peace.”
Madison McKnight, a senior at Jessieville High School, won first place in the 11th-12th grade division with her entry, “Peace Over Racism,” which depicted American civil rights activist Daisy Bates. Arkansas Peace Week.
JNPA is gratified to be a partner in this worthy project. “We are pleased to partner with the National Park Service in ensuring that communities throughout the Lower Mississippi Delta region have an opportunity to preserve and promote the culture and heritage of this vibrant region,” said David A. Grove, President and CEO of JNPA.
Other LMDI projects will be completed throughout the coming year, and we are excited to see the results! Applications for the 2023 grant cycle will be available next spring. Check the LMDI Local Heritage Grant Program website for updates.
Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota is a rugged wilderness of clear blue lakes, pine forests, and bountiful wildlife. After glaciers scoured the landscape and carved deep valleys and waterways hundreds of thousands of years ago, they exposed rock formations averaging one to three billion years old – some of the oldest rocks on the continent! Human inhabitants eventually made use of the abundant resources the area offered, from early indigenous peoples to the waves of European settlers who followed them. Among these were the intrepid explorers who traveled by canoe in search of animal pelts and other goods to trade and transport. These were the voyageurs, for whom the park is named.
But just who were they?
“Voyageurs on a sleigh on a river” by Andries Vermeulen, 1640-72
At the height of the North American fur trade in the 18th and 19th centuries, Europeans were clamoring for pelts of beaver, otter, mink, fox, and other fur-bearing animals. After the New England states were mostly hunted out, businesses started looking to the deep unexplored wilderness in middle of the continent for new sources of pelts.
Several large trading corporations – mostly based in Montreal – recruited hearty French Canadian men to transport their precious cargo over the region’s many rivers and lakes. These canoe-bound adventurers came to be known as voyageurs (French for travelers). A typical voyageur was a short man (better to fit in a canoe) from an impoverished background who was eager to find a calling that would pay well. He would take to the wilderness with a group of other company recruits for months or years at a time, subsisting on rations of pork, corn, rice, and fish.
“Voyageurs” by Charles Deas, 1846
The life of these cargo haulers was a physically grueling one. It was expected that each voyageur would work at least 14 hours a day, paddle 50 strokes a minute, and carry two bales of 90 pounds each across each portage. To keep a rhythm for their paddling, the voyageurs sang a variety of songs. Singing also helped pass the time and made the work seem lighter.
“At the Portage: Hudson’s Bay Company’s Employés on their annual expedition” by Harry Ogden in George Monro Grant’s Picturesque Canada, Vol. I (New York: Belden Brothers, 1882)
Many voyageurs maintained good relations with local tribal nations. In Minnesota, that was primarily the Ojibwe and the Dakota. They learned from indigenous people how to survive in the regions they travelled, and they adopted many of the Natives’ traditional methods and technologies. In fact, the canoe itself was a Native American invention.
It is this historic interplay of both indigenous and European cultures that created a lasting impact on the peoples and area now known today as Voyageurs National Park.
Header image credit: “Canoe Manned by Voyageurs Passing a Waterfall” by Frances Anne Hopkins, 1869
The tallest monument in America will become the spookiest monument when the Gateway Arch transforms into a family-friendly Halloween party full of tricks and treats. The kiddies won’t want to miss this unique way to trick-or-treat, complete with a haunted tram ride!
Grab your costume and start your Halloween celebrations early as Frights and Heights returns to Gateway Arch National Park. On Saturday October 15, the Arch visitor center will welcome your little goblins and ghosts to a fun evening of games, crafts, treats and other Halloween-themed activities.
Here’s a sampling of what you can do that evening:
Trick or Tram: Your ride to the top of the Gateway Arch features spooky sights and sounds!
Puppet Shows: Don’t miss the puppet shows at 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm as Lewis and Clark describe their adventures in the American West and share some spooky and true stories from the trails!
Boo-loon Animals: Artists will bring your favorite creepy crawlers to life!
Freaky Fudge: If you’ve got the guts for it, try some Halloween-themed specialty fudge flavors!
Creepy Crafts: Express yourself by decorating a small pumpkin to take home!
Live Music: Join the Halloween dance party when a DJ will take over the Arch mezzanine!
Playful Face Painting: You’ll look hauntingly good after a little makeover!
Family-friendly costumes are encouraged, though no weapons – real or pretend – are allowed, and masks must be removed while going through the security checkpoint. Children can pick up candy and special prizes from various trick-or-treat stations set up throughout the Arch. They’ll also receive a free ticket for a one-hour Riverfront Cruise on the Mississippi River.
The fun starts at 6:30 p.m. and lasts until 10:00 p.m. Get your Frights and Heights tickets here. You may also want to pre-purchase garage parking downtown to avoid higher prices for other downtown St. Louis events.
And visitors are encouraged to share a photo of their costumes or your time at Freights & Heights on social media with #FrightsandHeights, and tag GatewayArchSTL on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Julia Dent grew up in the early 19th century on a plantation near St. Louis named White Haven. The fifth of seven children, she was an outgoing, active girl who fished, rode horses, and played in the woods with the plantation’s enslaved children. Julia once told her school friends she would someday wed “a gallant, brave, dashing soldier.” Little did she know that she would indeed marry a soldier, and that he would become commander of the armed forces and later the 18th president of the United States.
Some would say Julia Dent and Ulysses Grant were an unlikely pair. She was spirited and gregarious; he was shy. She was raised in a slave-owning family; his family was opposed to slavery. In fact, Grant’s choice to marry into the Dent family worsened tensions with his father, and none of the Grants attended Ulysses and Julia’s wedding in 1848.
Mr. and Mrs. Grant
Against the odds, the Grants’ marriage lasted for 37 years, and through all their many hardships and accomplishments, their close bond never wavered. The couple endured numerous separations as Grant pursued his military career. And though Julia was sometimes able to accompany her husband to distant Army postings, she returned home to White Haven for the birth of their four children. During the Civil War, she served as the financial manager and agent for White Haven in her husband’s absence, leasing sections of the farm, collecting rent, and consolidating land titles.
Ulysses and Julia Grant and their children. Credit: Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site.
As the nation’s First Lady, Julia was an active participant in presidential matters and reveled in her eight-year role as hostess to the nation. She entertained lavishly and welcomed dignitaries from around the world to the White House. At the end of Ulysses’ second term, the couple embarked on a two-year worldwide tour that further burnished her reputation as a valuable partner to the former president.
Grand reception of the notabilities of the nation, at the White House 1865. Credit: Library of Congress
Her later years were difficult, however. Grant lost most of their money in a bogus financial deal, and the couple was nearly destitute. By the time he signed a lucrative contract to write his now-famous memoirs, Grant was dying of throat cancer. Julia lived as a widow for 17 years until she died at age 76 in 1902.
This Saturday at 10 a.m., you’re invited to learn more about the long eventful life of Julia Dent Grant. Historian Pam Sanfilippo will present “Julia Dent Grant and Family,” the annual John Y. Simon lecture at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site.
Pam Sanfilippo
Pam served as park ranger, education director and historian at the park for many years and is now Program Manager for Museum Services and Interpretation at Gateway Arch National Park. She is the author of numerous essays, articles, and publications. Her biography of Julia Dent Grant is scheduled for publication by Southern Illinois University. Pam’s talk will present highlights from her research on Julia and her family.
For reservations to this presentation, call (314) 842-1867 x230.
Love the Gateway Arch? Then join in an upcoming effort to clean up its “front yard.” On Saturday September 24, join in a fun trash pick-up event to tidy up the St. Louis riverfront. And also enjoy special programs on the Arch grounds.
September 24th is National Public Lands Day, the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort. National parks around the country will host outdoor events for hundreds of thousands of volunteers who will help restore, preserve, and clean up their beloved public lands. In St. Louis, Gateway Arch National Park, Gateway Arch Park Foundation, Beyond Plastics, and Living Lands & Waters are organizing a community trash pick-up event to help tidy up the downtown riverfront. It’s part of a nationwide effort to connect people with the outdoor recreation spaces in their area.
Photo by Gateway Arch Park Foundation
Riverfront cleanups will occur from 9:00-11:00 and from 11:00-1:00. All volunteers will receive materials they’ll need during the cleanup and will be entered to win a drawing for prizes. Sign up here to volunteer.
Photo by Gateway Arch Park Foundation
Don’t miss out on other fun happenings in the park that day. How about a free yoga class underneath the Arch at 9:30 a.m.? Gateway Arch Park Foundation sponsors this Just Breathe Yoga session offered by The Collective STL. Go here to register.
Photo by Gateway Arch Park Foundation
In the afternoon, you and your favorite pooch can join in a dog walk led by four-legged B.A.R.K. Superintendents (dog ambassadors) as part of the day’s B.A.R.K. Ranger activities. Learn how your pup can become an official NPS B.A.R.K. Ranger by visiting the table from 2-5 p.m. on the Arch grounds.
Photo by Gateway Arch Park Foundation
Or if butterflies are more your thing, attend the MonArch Migration event to learn about butterfly flight patterns and native plants. This annual National Park Service program celebrates the Monarch butterfly’s spectacular north-south migrations, and features information on which native plants can help these winged friends. The event takes place from 1-4 p.m. in the Explorer’s Garden on the north end of the Arch grounds.
Gateway Arch is proud to host these fun events, says Pam Sanfilippo, the park’s Program Manager for Museum Services and Interpretation. “The Arch grounds are a place for everyone to enjoy – whether it’s to practice yoga, see butterflies migrating, or play fetch with your four-legged best friend. Join us on National Public Lands Day to experience firsthand the incredible spaces here at the park.”
A ride to the top of the Gateway Arch is an unusual experience. Visitors sit in somewhat cramped little capsules that carry them upward and downward through the legs of the Arch. All the while, they hear strange clicking noises as the capsules constantly pivot to stay upright. Most people probably give very little thought to how this one-of-a-kind transportation system came about. But it’s a fascinating story, mostly centered on one very clever inventor.
Dick BowserPhoto loaned with permission from Harry Breitenstein
The Arch tram ride was conceived in just two short weeks by a humble man who never received a college degree. Dick Bowser was a 38-year-old second-generation elevator manufacturer working in Des Moines, Iowa, when Gateway Arch architect Eero Saarinen asked him to develop a way to bring visitors to the top of the Arch and back down. The project was extremely challenging given the curve of the Arch (it is much narrower at the top than at the base), and the fact that he had to leave room for an observation platform at the top as well as space for a maintenance crew stairway.
A cross section view of the tram ride to the top of the Arch.
Another challenge was Saarinen’s timeline – Bowser was given just two weeks to submit a design for the Arch passenger system! Working day and night at home in his basement, he came up with a concept that borrowed from the mechanics of both Ferris wheels and elevators, resulting in a small curving train of linked passenger capsules. His tram concept was accepted by Saarinen and his team. Bowser was hired to build and install the tram, which opened in 1967, two years after the Arch itself was completed. He then served as tram maintenance supervisor until 1972.
A cross section view of the tram load zone.
Dick Bowser passed away in 2003, but his crowning achievement lives on. “Dick Bowser is a trailblazer in innovation and invention and will always be an important figure in Arch history,” says Pam Sanfilippo, Program Manager, Museum Services & Interpretation, Gateway Arch National Park. “Without his Tram Ride to the Top design, tens of millions of visitors to the Arch would not have had the experience of ascending 630 feet to the top of the monument.”
That’s why the National Park Service will be honoring Bowser’s memory this Thursday September 15 on the occasion of his 101st birthday. The daylong public celebration at the Arch will include a panel discussion by previous and current tram mechanics as well as ongoing ranger talks and kids’ activities. The Arch Store will offer a rare 25% discount on our unique Arch cable replicas, made from the cables that pull the tram cars, and the Arch Café will hand out free cupcakes.
Are you looking for a satisfying and fun full-time or part-time job? Do you enjoy meeting new people? Would you be proud to work at the renown Gateway Arch? Then come join our retail team at The Arch Store!
The Arch Store at Gateway Arch National Park currently has job openings for both full-time and part-time sales associates. Responsibilities include processing sales transactions, providing great customer service, maintaining our beautiful store, and being a friendly ambassador to St. Louis’ greatest treasure.
Working for JNPA is a rewarding experience. Not only will you encounter travelers from all over the world, but you will also have the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping advance our mission of protecting America’s vital national heritage. Plus, you’ll receive a competitive salary and great benefits.
Our ideal job candidate is at least 16 years old; is able to work a flexible schedule including evenings, weekends and holidays; and is friendly, fun and dependable. If this sounds like you (or someone you know), then we encourage you to apply online today!
JNPA is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. We give consideration for employment to qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.
Voyageurs National Park may owe its very existence to a furry, flat-tailed rodent. The 218,000-acre park, 40% of which is covered by water, is the perfect habitat for one very unique mammal… the American beaver. Beavers have historically played a pivotal role there, since the titular French-Canadian “voyageurs” first came to the area to trade with the Ojibwe tribe for beaver furs. While trapping is no longer allowed in what is now the national park, beavers continue to make an impact on the ecosystem.
Credit: NPS
Beavers are the largest rodents in the United States and are one of the only animals (outside of humans) who actively alter their habitat to suit their needs. The animals mate for life, and beaver parents raise their young in structures they build called “lodges.” These lodges are constructed on the edges of ponds and lakes and are made of mud and sticks chewed by the beavers. By locating the single lodge entrance underwater, the parents are better able to protect their babies (called “kits”) from predators. Beavers’ construction talents can alter entire ecosystems. If there is not an existing body of water large enough on which to build their lodge, they will dam up a river or stream to create a suitable habitat for their homes. This activity will flood the surrounding area, killing trees and undergrowth. The resulting wetland will then attract insects, fish and other wildlife, greatly increasing the area’s biodiversity.
A beaver lodge at Voyageurs National Park. Credit: NPS
Not only are beavers great architects, but they also have some other truly unique characteristics. Beavers have two large incisors which grow continuously throughout their life. They use these teeth to cut down trees and branches. Beavers are also known for their distinctive large flat tail. Most people would correctly assume that they use it to help with swimming, but did you know that they also use it to help balance while standing up to chew branches? They will also slap it on the surface of the water (making an incredibly loud noise!) in order to scare away any intruders.
Credit: NPS
As one of the many beloved animals that call Voyageurs home, beavers have been studied extensively by park staff. During a research project from 2006-2009, biologists tagged nearly 500 beavers. By tracking the tagged beavers over the next few years, they were able to determine that young beavers can travel up to 30-50 miles from where they were born! This mobility may be due to the interconnected lake system in Voyageurs, which allows young beavers to travel long distances without ever leaving the water (and thus avoiding predators). Beavers are adapted quite well to water. They can hold their breath for up to 15 minutes and have see-through eyelids which they use as goggles!
Credit: David Stang
Today the highest recorded density of beavers in the U.S. can be found in the protected waters of Voyageurs: between 3,800 to 4,750 animals, based on 948 active beaver lodges found in a recent park study. If you visit Voyageurs National Park, you may be lucky enough to see a lodge or even catch a glimpse of a beaver, and there are things you can do to help protect these wonderful animals. Make sure to always keep your distance from any wildlife you encounter, both for their safety and yours. Also, do not approach, touch, or walk on a beaver lodge. This could damage the structure and disrupt or even injure the animals inside. You can learn more about the beavers and other wildlife that call Voyageurs home by clicking here.
The National Park Service is turning 106 this Thursday, and you’re invited to help celebrate. With more than 400 park units across the country, there are countless ways to join in the fun.
On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson charged the Department of the Interior with establishing a new federal bureau to protect the 35 national parks and monuments then managed by the department. The new agency, dubbed the National Park Service, was directed “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”
Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Kerry on Pexels.com
The creation of the iconic Yellowstone National Park in 1872 actually pre-dated the establishment of the Park Service. In subsequent years Congress authorized additional national parks and monuments, many of them carved from the federal lands of the West. But it was not until the National Park Service was created that all of these parklands were administered by one centralized agency.
Today, the national park system has expanded to 423 sites, covering more than 84 million acres in 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands. These sites range from national battlefields and military parks to national rivers and lakeshores to national historic sites and monuments.
Voyageurs National Park
In honor of its 106th birthday, the Park Service wants you to share your favorite WOW moments from past visits to any NPS location. These could include an occasion when you encountered breath-taking scenery, heard an inspirational ranger talk, or were surprised when you learned about a compelling historical event. You’re invited to share your WOW moments via social media and tag it with #NPSBirthday.
The NPS app
You’re also encouraged to experience parks virtually. There’s the NPS app, where you can learn about all of the national park sites and get tips to help you on your next visit, as well a number of podcast series that highlight the stories and wonders of various national parks. And for kids (of all ages), be sure to check out NPS Games and Challenges where you can test your park knowledge or learn something new about many national parks. One of our favorites is Where the “Park” Am I? – it’s not as easy as it sounds!
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
However you decide to celebrate the long history of the National Park Service, we’re sure you agree with author Wallace Stegner, who famously said “National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.”
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