Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Urban Innovation and 

Practical Partnerships: 

An Administrative History of 

Jefferson National Expansion 

Memorial, 1980-1991

Bob Moore

1994

TABLE OF CONTENTS

jeff/adhi/adhi.htm

Last Updated: 02-Feb-2004
Urban Innovation and Practical Partnerships:

An Administrative History of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial,

1980-1991

Bob Moore

Historian, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

National Park Service

United States Department of the Interior

1994

Recommended

Gary W. Easton, Superintendent

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

Concurred

David N. Given, Associate Regional Director

Planning and Resource Preservation, Midwest Region

Approved

William W. Schenk

Acting Regional Director, Midwest Region

Administrative History

Bob Moore

Cover

Color photograph of the Gateway Arch by Kurt Hosna

List of Illustrations

List of Abbreviations

Acknowledgements

Introduction: The National Park Comes Into the Grid

A Visit to Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

Meet Jerry Schober

A Note on the Text

Chapter One - The Arch Parking Garage
Chapter Two - The 70mm World Odyssey Theatre

Rock Removal

Projection System

70mm Film Production

Chapter Three - The Veiled Prophet Fair

History of the Event 

Minimizing the Damage 

Visitor Protection

"A Gift or a Desecration?"

The Importance of the VP Fair

The Fairs:

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

The VP Fair and JEFF

Chapter Four - Maintenance

Part I - Building Services and HVAC

Maintenance Management System

Heating and Air Conditioning

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site

Cyclic Maintenance

Old Courthouse Repairs

Physical Improvements and Preventative Maintenance

Entrance Ramps

Water Intrusion

Part II - Grounds

Duties

Landscaping

Tree and Ground Cover Replacement

Pruning

Integrated Pest Management and the Ash Borer

Bermuda Grass and Weed Control

Tree Inventory

Mowing

Snow Removal 

Reflecting Ponds 

Flooding

Parking Garage

Irrigation
The VP Fair

Youth Conservation Corps

Part III - Tram Maintenance

The Unique Arch Transportation System

Repairs and Maintenance

Electrical Systems

Unique Systems and Repairs 

Specialized Staffing Problems 

Motor Generator Set Replacement

Part IV - Custodial Services

Conclusion

Chapter Five - Old Courthouse Rehabilitation and Restoration

Early Restoration Efforts, 1930-1946

Further Restoration, 1947-1974

Inspection of Conditions, 1975-1977

Lantern Restoration and Fire, 1978-1980

Dome Restoration, 1980-1981

Exterior Restoration, 1982-1986

Interior Restoration 1983-1988

Chapter Six - Accessibility

Video Programs

Further Accessibility Improvements

Chapter Seven - Entrance Fee

Chapter Eight - The Role of the Jefferson National Expansion Historical Association

Enlargement and Modernization of the JNEHA Store 

Donation Expense - Funding Provided to the NPS 

Sales Items Controversy

Union Station

Interpretation at Union Station

The Future

Chapter Nine - Museum Services and Interpretation

Interpretive Planning at JEFF

The Museum of Westward Expansion

Interpreting the Museum

Visitor Center Rehabilitation

Old Courthouse Exhibit Galleries 

The Museum Education Program 

Beginnings: 1977-1980

Folklife Program

Education Program, 1981-1985

Education Program Revisions

New Directions
Interpretive Programs in the Late 1980s

JNEHA and Interpretation 

Special Interpretive Activities 

Folklife Program

Storytelling

Black Heritage Month 

Christmas Programs 

Scout Programs

Union Station Urban Initiative Project

Victorian 4th of July 

Other Programs 

Special Events

25th Anniversary Celebration

The 75th Anniversary of the NPS 

Volunteers-In-Parks Program 

Collections Management

Library

Archives

Exhibit Staff and the Temporary Exhibit Program 

American Indian Peace Medal Exhibit 

Publications

Conclusion

Chapter Ten - Division of Law Enforcement and Safety

Safety

Emergency Medical System

Hazardous Duty

The VP Fair

Rank Identification at the VP Fair

Arch Parking Garage

The Staff

The Gulf War 

Dispatch 

Horse Patrol 

Bicycle Patrol

Chapter Eleven - Two New Parks Are Created: The Ulysses S. Grant and Harry S 

Truman National Historic Sites

Harry S Truman National Historic Site 

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site 

Early Years and Development, 1796-1821

The Dent Family and Ulysses S. Grant at White Haven, 1821-1860

Grant's War Years, 1861-1865

Grant Owns White Haven, 1866-1885

White Haven in the Post-Grant Years, 1885-1979

Creation of a National Historic Site, 1980-1991

Chapter Twelve - East Side Expansion - Taking the Dream Across the River

Chapter Thirteen - Unusual Events and Occurrences at JEFF 

Bibliography
Appendices

A. Chronology of Events, JEFF, 1980-1991

B. Visitation Figures, 1980-1990

C. Chronology, East Side Expansion Effort

D. JEFF Amendments Act of 1984

E. Law Enforcement Statistics, 1981-1991

F. Chronology, U.S. Grant National Historic Site 

G. U.S. Grant National Historic Site Legislation 

H. Ash Borer Statistics

I. Agreement between JNEHA and NPS

Maps and Diagrams

1. Area Map, Downtown St. Louis

Landscape, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial:

2. Original Landscape Plan, 1947

3. Modified Landscape Plan, 1959

4. Schematic of Landscape, 1980s

Index (omitted from the online edition)
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Administrative History

Sharon A. Brown

LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND ILLUSTRATIONS

I. President Harry Truman, center, confers with Luther Ely Smith at the memorial's 

dedication June 1950. William Crowdus of JNEMA is to the president's left.

II. The architectural competition jury of award stand on the Old Courthouse steps. From left: 

S. Herbert Hare, Roland A. Wank, Charles Nagel, Jr., Louis La Beaume, Fiske Kimball, 

Richard J. Neutra, George Howe and William Wurster.

III. Eero Saarinen's first stage entry in the architectural competition's second stage.

IV. Eero Saarinen's prize winning entry in the architectural competition's second stage. 

V. Eero Saarinen.

VI. The Arch's triangular sections are composed of stainless and plate steel, concrete and 

steel tendons.

VII. The Gateway Arch is "topped out" as the final section is inserted on October 28, 1965. 

VIII. The creeper derricks are slowly backing down the Arch legs in this January 6, 1966

photograph. Arteaga Photos, Limited, St. Louis.

IX. The Old Courthouse and Luther Ely Smith Square as seen from the top of the Arch in

1979. Photo by Joseph L. Matthews.

X. Visitor Center and Museum of Westward Expansion Floor Plan.

All photos courtesy Jefferson National Expansion Memorial unless otherwise credited.

Administrative History

Bob Moore

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

1. The Gateway Arch
2. The Gateway Arch and Old Courthouse

3. Building demolition, Arch in background, 1965

4. Richard Ainsworth touching the Arch

5. The crowded Gateway Arch lobby

6. Jerry Schober

7. Conceptual drawing of the Gateway Arch Parking Garage

8. Parking lot on the grounds of the Gateway Arch

9. Dedication of the Gateway Arch Parking Garage, May 8, 1986

10. The completed Gateway Arch Parking Garage

11. Tucker Theater

12. Excavation on the site of JEFF's second theater project, 1990

13. High-pressure water jet used to excavate second theater

14. The excavation phase of construction nears completion, 1991

15. Carpeting the tiered seating area

16. Installation of the marble facing, exterior of projection booth

17. Completed interior, World Odyssey Theatre

18. Completed Theatre entrance

19. Program title page, Sixth Veiled Prophet Festival, 1883

20. Clean-up from the 1982 VP Fair

21. Patrons of the 1982 VP Fair with liquor they brought onto the grounds

22. Law enforcement rangers at the 1982 VP Fair

23. Enormous crowds at 1982 VP Fair waded in reflecting ponds

24. The Arch grounds, 1982 VP Fair

25. The Arch grounds, 1982 VP Fair

26. Aftermath of the 1982 VP Fair

27. Crowd watching fireworks, VP Fair

28. Food and craft booth, 1981 VP Fair

29. Emergency carts on the Gateway Arch grounds

30. Crowds watch the McDonnell-Douglas Air Show, 1985 VP Fair

31. Crowds wait for a featured performer on the main stage, VP Fair

32. Advertisement by Pet, Incorporated for the 1988 VP Fair

33. NPS information tent with Mark Engler, 1990 VP Fair

34. NPS cannon crew, 1990 VP Fair

35. Kenny Rogers performing at the 1992 VP Fair

36. Bill Cosby performed at the 1991 VP Fair

37. Aerial of people on the grounds, 1990 VP Fair

38. Crowds line the riverfront, 1989

39. Interior of the HVAC equipment room in the Gateway Arch complex

40. Maintenance Mechanic Lonnie Collins, constructing exhibits

41. Skylight Damage, Old Courthouse

42. Signs fabricated by St. Louis Ornamental Stone and Manufacturing Co.

43. The roof of the underground visitor center exposed for repair

44. Earth removal, August 21, 1990

45. Dave Caselli examines exposed pipe, October 5, 1990

46. The exposed visitor center roof, October 24, 1990

47. Installation of Pave-Prep, October 29, 1990

48. Installation of Pave-Prep, November 2, 1990

49. Removal of old waterproofing material, November 7, 1990

50. The finished visitor center roof, November 17, 1990

51. Testing for water-tight qualities, November 26, 1990

52. The exposed visitor center roof, January 9, 1991

53. New installation of waterproofing material, February 2, 1991

54. Replacing soil, visitor center roof, April 1, 1991

55. The re-covered visitor center roof, April 11, 1991
56. Re-sodding, May 1991

57. Asbestos removal, January 9, 1991, entrance ramps

58. Temporary wall erected during asbestos removal, January 9, 1991

59. In 1967, the new Gateway Arch awaited a landscape plan

60. Grounds foreman Jim Jacobs

61. Dan Kiley, original landscape architect for the Arch grounds

62. Superintendent Harry Pfanz and John Ronscavage, 1970

63. The Grand Staircase under construction, 1976

64. Landscaping, 1979

65. Trees are planted by helicopter, 1980

66. Young Rosehill Ash trees, 1980

67. The completed grounds from the top of the Gateway Arch, 1990

68. St. Louis Post-Dispatch Photo of Carl Smith by Gary Bohn, 1987

69. Clearwing borer moths

70. Tractor Operator Bobbie Eakins aerating turf

71. Irrigation system with sprinklers running

72. Damage to a Rosehill Ash tree

73. Gardener Sharron Cudney assesses damage to a tree

74. Youth Conservation Corps crew, 1989

75. Dick Bowser, inventor of the Gateway Arch Transportation System

76. The Gateway Arch Transportation System

77. A completed capsule, 1965

78. The ATS crew working on a tram car, 1978

79. Harry Breitenstein replaces the aircraft warning light atop the Arch

80. Les Doolittle working on a tram car, 1978

81. Bi-State ticket for the Arch Transportation System, 1968

82. Dusting MWE Prisms, 1979

83. Buffing the floors

84. Old Courthouse from the top of the Gateway Arch

85. Investigation and restoration of original murals, 1955

86. Deteriorated cornice, 1978

87. The lantern, 1978

88. Fire investigation, Old Courthouse, 1979

89. Fire damage, Old Courthouse, 1979

90. Exterior Old Courthouse dome and scaffolding, 1980

91. Removing paint with a forced stream of walnut shells

92. Dome restoration, 1981

93. The Old Courthouse sheathed in scaffolding, 1986

94. Interior scaffolding, Old Courthouse

95. Restoration experts at work on the murals, Old Courthouse, 1985

96. Video monitor, with accessibility information, 1984

97. Ticket machine wagon for fee collection, 1988

98. Maintenance Mechanic Lonnie Collins working on a ticket wagon

99. George Baitinger tells visitors about the fee program

100. Bi-State Ticket Center

101. Original JNEHA Museum Shop, 1978

102. The new JNEHA Museum Shop, 1984

103. Visitors in the JNEHA Museum Shop

104. America's National Parks Store at St. Louis Union Station

105. Ray Breun and William Penn Mott at Union Station, 1988

106. Gary Candalaria and Karen Gustin interpreting at Union Station

107. Demonstration of rapelling at Union Station

108. Child touching Jefferson Statue, 1978

109. Interpreter greeting visitors to museum, 1978
110. Temporary exhibits, Gateway Arch visitor center, 1970s

111. Map of the Museum of Westward Expansion

112. Mounted bison specimen, Museum of Westward Expansion, 1976

113. Map of the Old Courthouse Exhibit Galleries

114. New Old Courthouse Exhibit featured the Old Rock House

115. Cathy Pellarin and Eleanor Hall conduct an overlander program

116. Tim Butler conducts an educational program

117. David Uhler conducts the off-site portion of a Partnership Program

118. Contents of a traveling trunk

119. Dred Scott education program

120. Dred Scott education program

121. Diane James conducts a Frontier Classroom Program

122. JNEHA Ranger Kurt Hosna interpreting in the museum

123. Basket weaver at the Frontier Folklife Festival

124. Sheep shearing at the Frontier Folklife Festival

125. Storyteller at the 1985 festival

126. John Toomer portrayed York in 1990 and 1991

127. A 25-foot-tall Christmas tree in the Old Courthouse rotunda

128. Jim Jackson and Andy Kling conduct a Scout program

129. 37-star American flag hangs in the rotunda of the Old Courthouse

130. Logo used for the 25th anniversary of the Gateway Arch, 1990

131. Volunteer Mary Reilly staffs the information desk in the Arch Lobby

132. Annual Volunteer Banquet, 1991

133. Librarian Tom Dewey

134. Dan Swift and David Uhler hang a temporary exhibit

135. American Indian Peace Medal Exhibit

136. Carolyn Buckner conducts a "Mock Trial" program

137. Cortez Holloway speaks to a member of the press from horseback, 1990

138. Chief Ranger Ivan Tolley, 1974

139. Park Rangers issue a warning at the VP Fair

140. Chief Ranger Deryl Stone, Chuck Carlson, Keith Temple, Chris Cessna

141. Rangers at the VP Fair

142. Dispatch Center

143. The Horse Patrol

144. The Bicycle Patrol

145. The Truman Home

146. Tom Richter

147. Repairs to the Truman site

148. White Haven, home of Ulysses S. and Julia Dent Grant

149. Frederick Dent

150. Second Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant

151. The Grant family at Mount McGregor, N.Y., 1885

152. White Haven during the Wenzlick period

153. Interpretation at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site

154. East St. Louis from the Top of the Gateway Arch

155. Members of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Commission

156. Public meeting on the steps of the Arch, August 13, 1986

157. A helicopter with nine cameras flies through the Arch, 1974

158. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower

159. H.R.H. Prince Charles of Great Britain

160. A rally for President Gerald Ford on the Arch grounds, 1976

161. An anti-ERA rally, 1983

162. Advertisement for Arch Grounds Seed Mix

163. John Agnew of East St. Louis relaxes on the grounds
164. Skating on the reflecting ponds, 1981
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank the many people who assisted me, over the course of three years, to 

write this administrative history of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (JEFF). First and 

foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, JEFF Chief of Museum Services and 

Interpretation Mark Engler. This history would not have been completed without his patient 

understanding of the complexities and time allowances needed for such a lengthy writing 

project. Secondly, I would like to thank JEFF Superintendent Gary W. Easton and Deputy 

Superintendent Ken Schaefer for their support and guidance. I would like to acknowledge the 

contributions of former JEFF Historian Michael A. Capps, who began this administrative 

history project before my arrival at the park in 1991. Mr. Capps conducted oral history 

interviews which were used in the finished document, and wrote portions of the chapters on 

the 70mm theatre, the Old Courthouse rehabilitation, and the East Side expansion. I would 

like to thank the people who took time to proofread the entire document, assisting with 

insightful comments and polishing grammar and punctuation along the way. These included 

Historian Barry Mackintosh of the National Park Service's Washington Office, Historian Ron 

Cockrell and Interpretive Specialist Tom Richter of the Midwest Regional Office, Mark 

Engler, JEFF Superintendent's Assistant Rose Hoots, Park Ranger Cathy Pellarin and JEFF 

Computer Specialist Renée Dumene. I would like to thank Superintendent Jill York O'Bright 

of Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, JEFF Grounds Maintenance Supervisor Jim 

Jacobs, Arch Transportation System Supervisor Harry Breitenstein, Maintenance Mechanic 

Lonnie Collins, Criminal Investigator John Weddle, and Park Ranger (Law Enforcement) 

Keith Temple for reviewing sections of the text for accuracy.

I would like to acknowledge the investment of time and energy given by former JEFF 

Superintendent Jerry Schober, Chief of Law Enforcement and Safety Deryl Stone, Executive 

Director Raymond A. Breun of the Jefferson National Expansion Historical Association, 

Arch Transportation System inventor Dick Bowser, and Landscape Architect Dan Kiley in 

consenting to extensive oral history interviews. Education Specialist Sue Siller, Park Ranger 

Rick Ziino, Facility Manager Bob Kelly, and Engineer Dave Caselli provided crucial 

background information on specific areas of the text. I would like to thank JEFF Mail and 

Files Clerk Bobbie Hjelmgren for her patient assistance with my research, and Archivist 

Laura Mills for calling my attention to specific documents and newspaper clippings in the 

JEFF collection. Photographs were kindly loaned by Dave Caselli, John Weddle, Park Ranger 

Nancy Hoppe, former JNEHA employee Kurt Hosna, Charles Brown of the St. Louis 

Mercantile Library Association, the Office of Dan Kiley, Deborah Brown of the Missouri 

Historical Society, Carol Dage of Harry S Truman National Historic Site, and JEFF AudioVisual Specialist Al Bilger for use in this document from both official and private sources. 

Lastly, I would like to thank Kathryn Thomas, curator at JEFF, for her constant guidance, 

advice and encouragement on this project.

Bob Moore, July 22, 1994
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

INTRODUCTION:

The National Park Comes Into The Grid

The Gateway Arch and Old Courthouse, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, St. 

Louis, Missouri. National Park Service (NPS) photo by Al Bilger.

The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Administrative History, 1935-1980, by Sharon 

A. Brown, told the story of the creation of the memorial in 1935 and the construction of the 

Gateway Arch between 1963 and 1965. It did not describe in any depth, however, the inner
workings of the park, the day-to-day jobs of maintaining, protecting, administering, and 

interpreting a major resource. It is the purpose of this administrative history, covering the 

period 1980-1991, to give a sense of those inner workings and how the park came to be 

managed in its present manner. This administrative history will also attempt to present the 

innovative nature of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, detailing the special programs 

and concepts tested in the park over the years.

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is a unique place. It was the first urban National Park 

Service area to be created outside of Washington D.C., and the first area designated under the 

Historic Sites Act of 1935. [1] It was the fulfillment of the dream of St. Louis civic leaders 

Luther Ely Smith and Bernard Dickmann in the 1930s, and remains a progressive and 

shining example of the urban park ideal in the 1990s.

On approaching the central portion of the city of St. Louis from any direction, one feature 

stands out on the low skyline: the tallest structure in the city is a 630-foot stainless steel arch, 

part of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Designed by the Finnish-American architect 

Eero Saarinen in 1947 and built between 1962 and 1965, the Gateway Arch has become not 

only a symbol of westward expansion as intended by its creators, but also a symbol of the 

city of St. Louis, and ultimately a symbol of the urban park concept.

One of the unusual features of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is the amount of local 

support and involvement the park receives. From the beginning, one fourth of the costs of the 

memorial were met with City of St. Louis funds. With the reductions in federal allocations to 

parks in the 1980s, the level of services at the memorial would have been reduced if not for 

the involvement of the locally-administered Jefferson National Expansion Historical 

Association and the Bi-State Development Agency in its operation. Jefferson National 

Expansion Memorial (known within the National Park Service by the designated acronym 

JEFF) has been a pioneer in the urban park concept, public-private partnerships, and a host 

of other programs once unusual and now common in the management of national park areas. 

This administrative history will attempt to outline the use of innovative methods and new 

ideas in park administration which originated at JEFF. Some were extremely successful, 

while others failed; but all were important, and resulted in what is today seen by the visitor 

who tours the area.

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial originated during the great depression as an effort to 

revitalize downtown St. Louis, as a jobs program for thousands of local residents seeking 

employment, and to commemorate the rich history of the St. Louis riverfront area. By the

1980s it provided a prime example of a park brought into the "grid" — the urban landscape. 

The memorial was planned in the 1935-1948 era, long after the City of St. Louis was founded 

in 1764, long after its tumultuous years as a river port and embarkation point for the West. It 

was a park engineered to fit into an existing urban environment. An afterthought as far as city 

planning goes, the park provided a dramatic respite from a congested inner city area, opening 

up the riverfront and the crowded towers of the downtown area to sunlight and spacious 

vistas. The park provided green space and serenity for the downtown office worker as well as 

for the visitor from another state or country. The park also offered a stage upon which the 

National Park Service message could be presented to an urban audience. History, 

architecture, and a created natural environment melded in this unique area to create a one-ofa-kind park experience, the first of many national park areas to open up and alter the grid of 

modern urban life.

A 1991 Visit to Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

As visitors walk toward the Gateway Arch, they move through a beautifully landscaped park, 

set upon a plain above the Mississippi River. The wind rustles the leaves of the trees which
line the walks — medium-sized trees, all of the same species, Rosehill Ash. What impresses 

the visitor is the quiet serenity of this enclave, for it was here that the original city of St. 

Louis stood. The old buildings are now gone. Run-down in their final years, stained by 

decades of coal dust from countless chimneys, these remnants of the era of bustling river 

trade were superseded by rails and wings. They stood for the past, for a city ready to die.

Perhaps the trend of rehabilitating old buildings which began in the 1960s, when middleclass families began moving back into the cities (as happened in San Francisco, for instance), 

might have brought the St. Louis riverfront area back from the dead. [2] The point is moot, 

however, for by 1941 the riverfront buildings had been razed in anticipation of the memorial 

to westward expansion. It was the creation of that memorial, and the tourist dollars it brought 

to the city, which began the revitalization of downtown St. Louis. Before the Gateway Arch 

was built, the business center of St. Louis was in the process of shifting to the city of 

Clayton, ten miles to the west. Billions of dollars in development and revitalization have 

resulted from the creation of the Gateway Arch. [3]

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial has done more than just benefit the people of St. 

Louis, however. Tourists from across the United States and around the world are impressed 

by this stainless steel catenary curve on the river. As visitors walk the grounds of the 

memorial, they suddenly emerge from the trees, viewing the entire sweep of the Gateway 

Arch at close range. The sun glints off its shining sides, providing unique color and light 

effects at different times of the day and different seasons of the year.

Upon approaching the Arch, visitors are impressed with its size. They crane their necks to 

look up at its graceful curve. People emerge from the entrance ramps at the base of the Arch, 

parents pointing up to the tiny observation windows near the top, telling their children that 

that is where they were just a few moments before. Other children, just arriving at the Arch, 

rush forward to run their hands down the smooth surface of the stainless steel. Adults cannot 

resist touching the Arch, either. It is a tactile experience shared by all. Cameras click as 

visitors jockey for position, trying to capture the size and scope of the Arch on film or 

videotape. Voices are heard, expressing wonder and disbelief as they look upon this structure. 

This is no mean feat, that a monument designed over forty years ago can still evoke a sense 

of awe in the 1990s, when a jaded population often claims that they have "seen everything."

Visitors next pass down a concrete ramp toward a set of glass doors. Besides the Arch, all 

that can be seen on the surface is a finely manicured, grassy lawn. As visitors walk below 

ground level and through the glass doors, however, they enter a cavernous open space, often 

crowded with people and at first confusing. After orienting themselves, they see a row of 

ticket windows and proceed to buy tickets for the tram ride to the top of the Arch, and 

perhaps for the film. They will also encounter interpretive opportunities they might not have 

expected below the Arch.

A museum as big as a football field, devoted to the subject of westward expansion, is hidden 

below the Gateway Arch along with a theater — soon to be two theaters — in which films 

describing the western experience and the construction of the Arch are shown daily. A huge 

museum shop beckons visitors in need of further interpretive information, such as a book or 

an educational item for themselves or a loved one.

People pack the lobby on a summer day, milling about, waiting in ticket lines or for their turn 

to ride the tram to the top. Others stretch out on the benches scattered about the lobby, 

enjoying the air conditioning, or besiege the volunteers at the information desk. The average 

visitor is little aware of what is going on out of his or her sight in various rooms and 

corridors surrounding this underground visitor center. On any given day:
A maintenance employee is walking the halls on his daily check of the air conditioning 

system. He listens with practiced ears for what cannot be described in words. If something is 

wrong with the system, if it needs adjustment, he will hear it and report it before it becomes a 

major problem.

A dispatcher patiently answers incoming telephone calls, knowing that this routine must be 

dropped if a law enforcement or medical problem arises. The dispatch office is the nerve 

center of the park operation, and often the scene of intense activity.

An interpreter tells a group of visitors about a full-size American Indian tipi in the museum. 

It is the twelfth time she has told the story this hour, but she smiles and tells it as though it is 

the first. She may have given a passing thought to her upcoming break, but this is not evident 

in the things she tells the group of interested people surrounding her.

A concessions employee prepares a mop bucket for the lobby. There is always some sort of 

cleaning to be done, especially since there will be 10,000 visitors today. Cleaning the 

lavatories and public areas is a never-ending job, one that is not noticed until something is 

left undone.

Exhibit specialists are planning a temporary exhibit to commemorate an upcoming 

anniversary of a western subject. They sit behind drafting tables sketching ideas, envisioning 

ways in which a temporary exhibit gallery can be changed into a "little world" for people to 

enter, enjoy, and experience.

Projectionists prepare a film for viewing, while thinking about the special upcoming event for 

which they have to shoot photographs on a copystand, provide a slide projector, video 

cassette player, TV monitor, and microphone/speaker system.

The crowded lobby of the Gateway Arch. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Maintenance crews for the Arch Transportation System examine their stock of spare parts, 

keeping up with an intricate schedule of preventive maintenance for the Arch's one-of-a-kind 

tram system, which has exceeded 100,000 miles of operation.
A clerk in the park's museum shop makes another sale for a visitor, chatting amiably while 

using a bar-code scanner. Although the store is packed, she tries not to let the stress of 

dealing with so many people show through.

Ticket sales are made quickly and efficiently by several employees of the Bi-State 

Development Agency, within a glass-enclosed booth on the east side of the lobby. Tickets are 

sold for the tram ride to the top of the Arch, the Park Service entrance fee, and the film 

"Monument to the Dream."

Meanwhile, the administrative staff at the Old Courthouse meet to bring each other up-todate on several ongoing projects, and to plan future strategies for improving the visitor 

experience in the park.

The average visitor sees the Gateway Arch, the museum, the films, and the Old Courthouse, 

and continues on his or her way, never giving a thought to activities which occur behind the 

scenes. Although the visitor makes contact with only a fraction of the staff, the park could 

not function without them all.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

INTRODUCTION:

The National Park Comes Into The Grid (continued)

Meet Jerry Schober

The overriding influence on Jefferson National Expansion Memorial during the 1980s and 

early '90s was its superintendent, Jerry Schober. This administrative history is sprinkled with 

quotes taken from oral history interviews with Mr. Schober regarding his tenure at JEFF. 

Jerry Schober is easy to talk to and loves to tell a good story; he has many to tell about his 

tenure at the Gateway Arch. Here, by way of introduction, is a brief personal history in his 

own words, which begins with the strong influence of George B. Hartzog, Jr., Superintendent 

of JEFF in the early 1960s and later director of the National Park Service:

George, [4] number one, was a risk taker. I really did not meet him until he was 

director of the Park Service, but one of the things that I was impressed with was 

that he had a tremendous farsightedness, an ability to look at a total situation and 

simplify it. One of the biggest things I remember, as a young manager, was any 

time anybody said: "well this is not the way we do it, you can't do this," and we 

found there was no regulation that said you couldn't do it, it was like the 

individual says: "They say." Who is they? If you couldn't show [George] a 

regulation that said you had to do it a certain way, then he insisted you use a 

common sense approach. . . .

When I first came into the Park Service I probably came in for the same reason 

many individuals did, and that was to find some big rural park where you could 

be out with nature and tell the people about it, even though I was a historian. 

There were so many stories that you could tell. Man's impact is on everything. 

And then as I got put into areas that were urban, that's the last place I wanted to 

go to.

I was working at Shiloh, and we used to have the rangers come over from the 

Natchez Trace for an orientation trip. And one day I was talking to a ranger, and 

I said "I'll tell you right now, I'm pretty open. I'll take any job in the Park Service 

with the exception [of] Administrative Assistant or Officer. I'll go anywhere but 

Washington, D.C.. And that is not limiting me. It means I will work seven days a 

week, I'll do anything." And, so help me, it's like the Good Lord said "I am going 

to test you." Two days later I got a call from a fellow I greatly admired during 

that period, George Olin. And he said, "I want you to come to Washington, D.C.

. . . and you will have about 160 employees, all the monuments, memorials, 

Ford's Theatre, and the House Where Lincoln Died. It's going to be marvelous 

and we are reorganizing from the ground up."
"From the ground up, we are reorganizing?" 

"Yeah."

"How about from the top down?" 

"No, up."

"Well, George, you know, I tried one time pushing a chain up a hill and I did not 

have a great deal of success. But, hey what the heck, let's try it one more time."

I could not believe I took him up on this offer. My stay in Washington was 

during the Poor People's March [in 1968] and their tent city was erected on my 

area between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. It was also 

during the rioting and burning of the district. It was here that I realized that the 

urban experience allowed you to have personal contact with more people than 

you could ever have in a rural park, and I saw where really and truly when we 

say parks are for people there are several things we forget. Employees are 

people, but sometimes we forget about them, too.

By the time I got to Gettysburg, [it] was another urban park. Three million visits. 

And I am right in the middle of it again. And from Gettysburg straight to Golden 

Gate National Recreational Area, which claims fifteen million [visitors] or 

something like that; that's because everybody has to use our roads. But the idea 

was we built a park through public input. I personally did about two hundred and 

fifty after-hour public meetings over a four-year period. I was able to see every 

kind of individual you can name. But all of this brought something home to me. 

The action isn't out in Yellowstone — you just take [the visitors] as your guests. 

Here [at JEFF], you can have them every day and you can make an impact on 

their lives. And the real test, and why it is so good you're here and not in 

Yellowstone, is that you only have a hundred acres to welcome 2.7 million 

people. And you can touch every one of those people in a very personal way.

Coming into St. Louis my initial first trip was, I think, December 28, 1978, and I 

remember it looked like a pasture out where the Arch was. They had the huge 

fescue grass, but at least it was green out there. And they talked about some 

renewed landscaping. . . . I said, I am not going to bring my family into St. Louis 

now (they'd had two of the most severe winters ever recorded here). To come 

from San Francisco with my family and get here about the time some of the 

potholes were melting out and the snow was turning dark [didn't seem right]. I 

always want the setting to be such that the family loves it as much as I do, and 

so far we had batted 100 percent. I did not want St. Louis to be any different. 

My wife Kathy and I both liked the town from past visits. So I said I'll come the 

last of February. The Regional Director at first said "But I really sort of want . .

." but then finally said O.K. And so we settled on it. And when I came in about 

the last two days of February [1979], I could not believe it. Over next to the Arch 

was no green grass, it was all dug up, trenches everywhere. And I found out that 

the first phase of the landscaping was going in. . . .

My deputy at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area at that time was an 

individual by the name of Jack Wheat, a person that I respected very much, and 

when he heard that I had the opportunity to come to St. Louis, that is the first 

time I had seen his eyes sparkle like that, and he ran to his desk and he pulled 

out one of his bottom drawers and began to show me things that had been done
while he was in St. Louis. And he said, "Oh boy, this would be a great spot for 

you to go to."

So, when I got here my expectations were high. I don't think I realized the 

potential having come from Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which was 

at that time, may still be, the largest urban recreational park in the world. . . You 

have two ways to view your operation. One, the park is either a big fort and you 

have a moat around it and you can pull the drawbridge up every night. [My 

thought] is, that way you're not doing anything for them [the people of the city], 

why should they do anything for you? . . .

If we do more things to help tourism in the city, they want to do more things to 

help us. From time to time we'll get funding through the city, or we will get help 

through the city. If not, we will get help through the friends that we have made, 

that are connected with corporations. The whole process of being a manager is 

weighing the individual you are working with. What is it that needs to receive the 

high visibility? Is it the corporation or the individual? In return for the high 

visibility you will receive support and funding. All of a sudden the service has 

coined a new term, "partnerships," but we've been in that business for a heck of 

a long time. . .

Now, I know that [Deputy Director of the NPS] Herb Cables has sent a lot of his 

people out here to observe operations at JEFF. We are short on acres but high on 

people. Why would they be coming out here to look, if there wasn't something a 

little different than other park operations? [5]

Jerry Schober announced his retirement from the National Park Service in July 1991. Schober 

took a position as director of the St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation, 

where he managed 62 parks and recreation sites. "I've enjoyed every place I've been," said 

Schober, "but there is a certain charm to St. Louis." [6]

Jerry Schober put his imprint on Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. He described 

George Hartzog as a "risk taker," but the same tag could be applied to Schober himself. It 

was the enthusiastic and daring attitude of Jerry Schober which made Jefferson National 

Expansion Memorial a unique and special place during the 1980s. This administrative history 

is dedicated to Jerry Schober, and to all park managers who have the vision, the courage, the 

dedication and the integrity to dare great things.

A Note on the Text

The story of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, 1980-1991, has been told in the 

following administrative history in thirteen chapters, which are arranged in a non-traditional 

fashion for this type of document. The current arrangement was dictated by the many publicprivate partnerships in which JEFF has been involved, which might prove confusing for a 

reader unfamiliar with the park. This arrangement follows the flow of funds from one project 

to another, leading into the management of the major park divisions, the birth of new parks 

such as the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, and to JEFF's future plans on the east 

side of the Mississippi River. A detailed table of contents and index are provided for readers 

seeking specific information.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

INTRODUCTION:

Footnotes

1It should be noted that Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is not, however, designated a 

National Historic Site under National Park Service nomenclature. The first site with that 

designation was Salem Maritime National Historic Site, created under an order of the 

Secretary of the Interior dated March 17, 1938. The St. Louis park is properly designated by 

the simple title Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. See the memorandum from NPS 

Chief Historian Edwin Bearss and Bureau Historian Barry Mackintosh to Superintendent 

Jerry Schober dated March 17, 1986 for further details; copy in Jefferson National Expansion 

Memorial (JEFF) Files H1417(418).

2A discussion of the controversy over rehabilitating or preserving the original riverfront 

buildings may be found in the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Administrative 

History, 1935-1980, by Sharon A. Brown, JEFF, 1984.

3See Cities Reborn, published by the Urban Land Institute in 1986. Between 1958 and 1986,

$3,224,230,000 was spent on revitalizing the downtown St. Louis area, with $1,682,511,000 

of this being spent between 1980 and 1986; see pp. 188-189. The book goes on to state: 

"Downtown St. Louis is clearly the central focus of the city's overall revitalization efforts. 

The Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium, two downtown projects built in the mid-1960s, 

ushered in a fertile period of revitalization that St. Louis has enjoyed for more than 20 years. 

Economic activity for the city and the region is concentrated in the downtown [area]; also, the 

downtown is the principal destination of visitors from outside the city. Thus, the central 

business district has played an extremely important role as the focal area for revitalization."

4George B. Hartzog, Jr. served as the superintendent of Jefferson National Expansion 

Memorial from December 1958 to August 1962. He was director of the National Park Service 

from January 1, 1964 to December 31, 1972. For a better understanding of George Hartzog, 

his methods of running the National Park Service and his concept of urban park areas, see 

Battling for the National Parks by George B. Hartzog, Jr., Mt. Kisco, N.Y.: Moyer Bell Ltd.,

1988. One of Hartzog's three stated goals as director was to "make [the Park Service's]

programs and its parks relevant to an urban America." (p. 91).

5Interview with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 28, 1992, conducted by

JEFF Historian Bob Moore.

6See "Schober To Run County Parks," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 11, 1991, and "Schober

Favors Arch For VP Fair," Ibid., July 14, 1991. Schober's retirement was effective as of July

27, 1991.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER ONE:

The Gateway Arch Parking Garage

One element of the Memorial's development which remained uncompleted at the outset of the

1980s was the construction of a parking garage, to be used by both tourists and the 

downtown business community. As early as 1958, the creator of the Arch, Eero Saarinen, 

conducted a feasibility study for a parking facility as part of his plan for the overall 

development of the Memorial site. Despite favorable conclusions, a lack of funds prevented 

any work. [1]

The City of St. Louis and the National Park Service signed a cooperative agreement in March

1956 to construct an open-air parking lot on the north end of the Memorial grounds. The 

agreement provided for a section of land to be set aside in the northwest corner of the 

Gateway Arch grounds for the garage, which would be large enough for 1,020 vehicles. The 

completed facility was to be considered the joint contribution of the United States of 

America and the City of St. Louis to the completed memorial. [2] Despite delays of more 

than twenty years, the desire for a parking garage, especially on the part of the city, remained 

strong. In 1978, another feasibility study was approved by the Park Service, but funding 

continued to be a problem. [3] It was with the arrival of Superintendent Jerry Schober in

1979 that the project was put into motion again. Schober recalled:

I began to see agreements that were made by [former JEFF superintendent] 

George Hartzog. Now these agreements in the past had just sat there and let dust 

pile up on them. There was one made in 1956 between the City of St. Louis and 

the Park Service which was finally modified in '62. [4] We had a dinky little 

hole in the ground on the north end of the park which was supposed to hold up to

320 cars and they were going to have the city operate it. Totally inadequate. 

Particularly when you realize that the whole length and breadth of this area that 

the Arch is on now was a big parking lot for the city. And when we began to 

develop the memorial we took that many spaces from them with the promise that 

we were going to bring them more and more visitors. So as the visitation jumped 

up to around 2.5 - 2.7 [million] we were taking up all the parking everywhere, 

[especially] from those people who had to work downtown.

We made another agreement which enabled the Bi-State Development Agency to 

design . . . and construct the tram system that went to the top of the Arch. BiState became our partners. The agreement which allowed the design and 

construction of the trams had a clause that it would last until 1992 or until the 

bonds were paid off. Interestingly, the bonds were paid off in 1982. Many people 

thought in reading the agreement that this terminated our partnership. However, 

there was a clause in the agreement which stated whichever occurrence came
last, either the 30 years (1992) or the paying off of the bonds (1982). [5]

In 1980, the city informed the National Park Service that it intended to build a parking garage 

on the site of the existing lot, at a cost of approximately $12 million. The money was to be 

raised by selling revenue bonds, but the plan fell through because the bonds were tax exempt 

and so carried no federal guarantee. [6] Superintendent Schober remembered the initial phase 

of the development of the parking garage project:

The agreement between the city of St. Louis and the National Park Service . . . 

said that we would allow the city to come in and develop a facility for parking 

cars which would take care of their needs and ours. But it would be built at their 

expense. The city certainly didn't have any money, they felt, to come in and 

develop [a garage] for the National Park Service. But when I got here I worked 

with the mayor who was in office at that time, Jim Conway, who . . . consented 

to consider building a facility at the north end of the park. I mentioned to him 

that I would give them a permit which allowed them to construct the facility, and 

as soon as it was completed it would become the Park Service's, or as soon as it 

was paid off.

Well, Mr. Conway, election time, was defeated, and Mayor Vince Schoemehl 

was elected. So I went over and I talked with him about the possibility of 

carrying out the approach that Mayor Conway and I had agreed upon. He went 

along with it too. This started something that was much too long in negotiations. 

We would meet about every month and we would talk about how we were going 

to raise the money. The City of St. Louis' bonding rating was very poor, about 

double B or something like that. . .

At every one of these meetings I brought with me an agent of Bi-State, who we 

felt should be the ones to go ahead and build [the garage], but our agreement said 

that the City would build it. I think we probably met over a period [of] about 

eighteen months. . . . What I was trying to get across to the city was we wouldn't 

tell them where they could find the money that they were to build with. We were 

not even going to ask them where they got it. We just wanted them to carry out 

their commitment. And so in trying to get this point across, one day I said to the 

city officials: "My old grandpappy said: If you're going to do your own barking 

you don't need a dog." . . . This is a strange thing, but that little homespun 

philosophy for some reason cleared the air.

I said: "Let me get my point across. You say, you don't have the money to 

construct. I am not asking you where you get the money. I've been bringing a 

gentleman to these meetings every time we've met [the Director of Development 

for Bi-State, John Booth], and Bi-State is willing to float the bonds and give you 

the money, and you can build the garage thereby fulfilling our agreement." And 

they said: "Oh, okay! We'll change the Park Service's [agreement]." And I said, 

"No, you leave our agreement alone. The City makes an agreement with BiState. You fund it, we build it, and we become then a three way partnership." 

Well, you'd be shocked.

From that point on we began to work. And it was a very short period before we 

had sold the bonds. [7]
The parking lot on the grounds of the Gateway Arch, May 1978. NPS photo.

By 1983, the National Park Service and Bi-State Development Agency amended their formal 

agreement for the operation of the Arch trams to expedite the financing and construction of 

the Gateway Arch parking garage. The agreement with the city for the operation of a 1,208-

car parking facility on the 4.7-acre site was not changed; the land was federally owned and 

subject to NPS control. Under a lease/construction/management/operating agreement, the city 

supervised construction, with Bi-State Development Agency the project director. Funding for 

construction was provided by Bi-State with the sale of $8,400,000 of Gateway Arch Parking 

Garage Revenue Bonds, Series 1983. [8] The bonds were to be repaid from garage revenue; 

however, more than $1.2 million of Arch tram funds were to be held in a separate account to 

assure the bonds. No taxpayer funds were involved in this innovative approach to providing

badly needed parking for visitors to the Gateway Arch. [9]

The garage was planned as a three-story structure, with two levels below ground and the top 

deck built on a contour with the Arch grounds. Superintendent Schober told the press that the 

area would be more attractive once the garage was built, "Because most of the cars will be 

hidden from view." It was planned that the top deck of the garage could be used for special 

events as well. Fred Weber, Inc. of St. Louis came in as the low bidder, and was awarded the 

contract for $6,262,000 to build the garage. [10]

In March 1983, an environmental impact statement was approved by the State Department of 

Historic Preservation. The impact study was required since both the Eads Bridge and the 

Gateway Arch were on the National Register of Historic Places. Since the construction was to 

be implemented in an area of potentially significant archeological discoveries, the project was 

monitored. At first, neither the city, the park, nor Bi-State thought such monitoring would be 

necessary, since the entire project was to be constructed on disturbed earth and landfill 

brought in during the construction of the Arch and creation of its landscape design in the

1960s and 70s. When the Missouri state historic preservation officer raised the issue, recalled
Jennifer Nixon, [11] "Bi-State telephoned several local institutions for bids on archeological 

monitoring. Southern Illinois University called first." [12] On February 2, 1984, at a meeting 

between representatives of Bi-State, the National Park Service, the City of St. Louis, and 

Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE), an agreement was made with William I. 

Woods, staff archeologist at SIUE, to supervise on-site archeological monitoring. Artifacts 

recovered were retained by the park, and the circumstances of their discovery and location 

were recorded. [13] The selection of Woods caused some bureaucratic controversy, despite 

his excellent credentials and the fact that he had worked on "historic sites of comparable age 

to the riverfront in St. Louis . . . [as well as] a variety of 19th century sites." [14] The 

controversy involved the use of an archeologist not retained by the National Park Service's 

Midwest Archeological Center.

Monitoring began on February 3, 1984. The upper portions of fill dirt brought in during the 

construction of the Arch had already been excavated by that time, but it was felt that "the 6 

feet of rubble that had been removed probably reflected the 3 feet that remained." [15] As 

Superintendent Schober remembered:

We didn't find anything. . . . We dug down to quite a big depth and ended up 

finding streets underneath it with stone walls. That much earth had been brought 

in as fill around the Arch. Even when we [excavated for] the irrigation system in

1980-81 we were uncovering tombstones and all that were not from the cemetery 

out here but that had been hauled in as fill and dumped. Many of the old 

warehouses that were where the garage sits probably had two sub-basements in 

them, and when they razed them they must have just pushed one floor into 

another and just dropped them. We really did not find any kind of major artifact 

whatsoever. In fact, probably if we had, you would have wondered if it was dug 

from somewhere else and brought out here as fill. [16]

A professional archaeologist monitored the excavation intermittently on-site between 

February 3, 1984 and January 4, 1985. "During that time, SIUE personnel defined, mapped, 

and photographed three stratigraphic profiles and six cultural features or portions of features. 

None of these features is considered to represent an intact cultural resource dating before

1849." The archeological report stated that "the site appears to have only occasional 

foundation remnants that have no dates or related material. The only material has been 

recovered from the rubble which consists of some burned debris and building materials. . . . 

This fill probably dates from the time the area was leveled for Arch construction. Materials 

associated with the rubble consist of building debris (bricks, limestone, granite blocks, and 

some wood and iron). In addition, the rubble contains glass and china dating from the early

1900's. The fill presumably extends to bedrock (434.0 ft - 420.0 ft) in this area." [17] 

Although the area was found to have been untouched by the 1849 fire, the conclusion of the 

archaeologists was that post-1849 urban renewal had completely destroyed any earlier 

structures, and the foundations and artifacts recovered were of little historical value. [18]

There were several problems with the construction. First, all the fill put in during several 

phases of construction and landscaping on the Arch project had to be removed, down to the 

limestone bedrock in some places. "We found all sorts of garbage in the fill, including large 

metal objects such as old boilers," recalled Jennifer Nixon, who served as the project 

supervisor for Bi-State.

The design for the garage used piers rather than pilings in the structure, which 

turned out to be a costly decision. A piling is a huge steel I-beam driven into the 

ground, on which the concrete could rest. Instead, Bi-State accepted concrete 

piers, which were poured in place, into constructed molds called casings. The 

area for the casings had to be drilled out of the fractured limestone bedrock, not
an easy task. Fractured limestone has dolomite in it. We needed to use an 

industrial-strength diamond bit. As we drilled, we were hitting lots of stuff in the 

fill and struggling to get through the dolomite. Then the water had to be pumped 

out; we hit natural springs in two places. The casings needed to have a footing, 

so they had to flange outward at the bottom. What a job! When going into this 

type of limestone, it would have been much better and faster to use pilings. The 

construction was slowed to the extent that the project had to be re-financed on 

April 1, 1986. [19]

As the parking garage neared completion, Bi-State and the Park Service made arrangements 

for its operation. It was agreed that Bi-State would operate the facility and that the NPS 

would provide protection and maintenance on a reimbursable basis. [20] This was 

problematical with NPS officials in Washington, who maintained that the park would, in 

effect, be charging a fee for providing a service, which was not acceptable according to NPS 

policies. [21] "This was something entirely new," recalled Jerry Schober.

We felt like it's called the "Arch Garage." Everybody who comes there really 

thinks it's part of this facility, the Arch, and they think they're protected by 

rangers. So when I found out what Bi-State was going to have to pay for 

bringing private guns in, to get security from an outside group, I tried to say to 

Ms. [Jennifer] Nixon, for roughly $99,000 we'll give you twenty-four hour 

protection and we'll have a uniformed ranger on-site. [22] Well, what I found 

out from the Park Service was that you can't accept money that way. They would 

have to give that money to general receipts. So, the first thing I decided to do, I 

asked if they would donate that money. This is unheard of by a quasi-political 

group such as Bi-State. They are, by the way, legislatively charged to operate in 

Illinois and Missouri — anything in transportation. And [Midwest Regional 

Director Charles H. Odegaard] said "If it's donated, yeah, I guess you can go 

ahead and your people can operate it." So, [Bi-State] said they'd donate it. . . . 

All of a sudden the Washington Office got that information. . . . We had already 

hired the rangers, we had them in operation. And [Washington] came back and 

said "That [money] wasn't donated. That would [be] just like you requesting that 

money to be funded. And because of it we are not going to spend one nickel of 

it, we are going to return it to Bi-State." Meanwhile I've already hired rangers 

and everything is hot to trot. [23]

The situation remained unresolved even after the official opening and dedication of the 

garage on May 8, 1986. In the meantime, the park provided the services despite having no 

funding for them. Schober continued:

So, I felt like it was time for me to go to my congressman and my senator. When 

I was in California, I asked one of the most powerful representatives in the 

House, a guy named Phil Burton . . . why he wouldn't pass a bill that said all the 

funds that the Park Service generates stay within the parks, whatever park 

generated them. He said no, because Congress wants all the funds sent to them 

and they would allocate the money where they felt park needs required it. . . . So 

I asked that of Dick Gephardt when I came here. And he too smiled, and said no, 

for the same reasons as Burton. So then I thought, let's try — no park had tried 

this one . . . what about [our park, specifically: Jefferson National Expansion 

Memorial? Then I] . . . went to my Republican senator, Jack Danforth, and 

talked to him also. [24]

With the assistance of Senator John C. Danforth and Representative Richard Gephardt, the 

park was able to achieve passage of Public Law 99-591 in 1986, which granted reimbursable
authority to JEFF. This meant that non-Federal funds generated within Jefferson National 

Expansion Memorial would stay in the park, and be used at the discretion of the 

superintendent. JEFF was the only park in the National Park System with such a provision in 

its legislation. [25] Subsequently, an agreement was negotiated with Bi-State Development 

Agency, whereby the costs of providing resource and visitor protection and certain 

maintenance activities for the Arch parking garage were paid out of funds generated at the 

garage, at no cost to the Service. [26] Superintendent Schober continued:

I was a little chagrined because I couldn't get anyone from the National Park 

Service to come and cut the ribbon at the dedication. I interpreted this as 

[meaning] this was so different and so unusual, they were not going to be a party 

to be around in case it didn't work. [27]

Finally, P. Daniel Smith, deputy assistant secretary of the interior, consented to speak for the 

Park Service at the opening on May 8, 1986. In a unique ribbon cutting ceremony, Norbert 

Groppe, president of the St. Louis Board of Public Service, and Carl Mathias, chairman of 

the Bi-State Development Agency, held opposite ends of a large ribbon which motorists were

invited to break through with their cars, thus entering the new garage. [28] The postscript to 

the garage story was perhaps the most exciting facet of the entire project. Jerry Schober 

explained:

. . . Now, some of the creative, we might call it, management that took place, 

included the fact that people weren't ready to buy these bonds if they did not feel 

they had some security, since the structure was being built on government 

property. It's not like the bondholders could take it over and could take the 

business somewhere else. And so something had to sweeten the pot. And what I 

ended up doing was, from this money that Bi-State had been putting in a fund 

for the National Park Service, we said that we would secure the parking facility 

with the operation of the [Arch] tram. And I pledged, if my memory serves right,

$1,274,000 to keep it at that level, in a sinking fund.

This fund was there for nothing but an emergency. . . . We've come very close 

but we've never been in the red. So, somewhere down the line, when all the 

bonds have been paid off, whoever is manager of this park is going to find it was 

like winning the Lotto. There will be $1,274,000 sitting in a fund. It's been 

nothing but the protection to the bond holder and a guarantee from the Park 

Service. But what we have here [with this parking garage] is an 8.5 million 

dollar gift from the outside, and no one feels like they have been a loser.

So, this park, maybe for the first time, tried to show that there are many ways 

that you can manage, and that you can manage within the structure of the Federal 

Government. Just because it's different doesn't mean it's illegal. And so, after a 

while, we did so many different things here, when Director Bill Mott was in, I 

tried to get him to designate this as a demonstration park for no other reason than 

if you have some unique things you want to try out, and since we are near 

enough to a city to get support, since we have some very strong friends that can 

help sometimes in bringing things about, let's try it here. If it works here we will 

know it will work somewhere else. [29]
The completed Gateway Arch Parking Garage, from Washington Street on the north 

side of the Arch grounds, April 1987. NPS photo.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER ONE:

Footnotes

1Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Administrative History, 1935-1980, Sharon A. 

Brown, JEFF, 1984, p. 121.

2City Ordinance 50096 (B.B. No. 100), Memorandum of understanding between the Park

Service and the City of St. Louis, copy in the JEFF Library Vertical file, VF-JNE-117.

3A copy of the Environmental Assessment Report on the Proposed Gateway Arch Parking 

Garage may be found in the Office of the Superintendent, unprocessed records, JNEM 

Archives.

4See the agreement dated November 1, 1983, for the creation of the Gateway Arch parking 

facility, which includes a detailed explanation of the 1956 and 1962 agreements between BiState Development Agency and Jefferson National Expansion Memorial; copy JEFF 

Historian's Files.

5Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 8, 1992, conducted by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore.

6Memo from Superintendent Jerry Schober to Albert V. Witham, Assistant Regional 

Solicitor, Denver, May 8, 1980, regarding the cooperative agreement of March 1, 1956, 

between the city and JEFF to build a parking garage. The city wanted to build the garage by 

selling $12 million worth of revenue bonds. Since the bonds would not be backed up, 

bonding companies wouldn't sell. See file 79-89-0003, Box 4 D18, Federal Records Center, 

Kansas City, Missouri.

7Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 8, 1992; Memo from 

Superintendent Jerry Schober to Albert V. Witham, Assistant Regional Solicitor, Denver, 

May 8, 1980. The memo asks if Bi-State can provide back-up bonds, guaranteed by the tram 

operation. File 79-89-0003, Box 4 D18, Federal Records Center.

8"Bi-State is handling the financing of the garage because of an opinion by Charles & 

Trauernicht, the city's bond counsel, that the city could not issue revenue bonds with an 

interest rate of more than 10 percent. Bi-State can issue bonds with a rate of up to 14 percent, 

making the bonds more attractive to investors." See "Action Is Urged On Bonds For Parking 

Garage At Arch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 12, 1982. See also "Riverfront Promenade, 

garage near Arch step closer to reality," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, November 18, 1982; 

"Plan for Bi-State garage clears aldermanic committee," St. Louis Globe-Democrat,
December 9, 1982; "Bi-State Board Approves Bonds To Build Parking Garage At Arch," St. 

Louis Post-Dispatch, October 18, 1983. Copies of newspaper sources referenced may be 

found in the Newspaper Clipping Files, JNEM Archives.

9See the agreement dated November 1, 1983, for the creation of the Gateway Arch parking 

facility, File D3415, JEFF Files; and Semiannual Report to Congress, January 1, 1986 - June

30, 1986, JEFF Files, D18.

10St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 18, 1982; March 2, 1983, March 11, 1983, and March

28, 1983.

11Director of Business Development for Bi-State Development Agency.

12Telephone interview with Jennifer Nixon, September 12, 1993.

13"Preliminary Notes on Arch Parking Facility, February 16, 1984," located in File D18, 

Planning Programs, JEFF Files.

14Memo, Supervisory Archeologist Mark J. Lynott, Midwest Archeological Center, to 

Regional Director, Midwest Regional Office, February 23, 1984, in File D3415, JEFF Files. 

The file also includes the vitae of Christy Wells, Joyce Williams, and Mikels Skele, who 

worked with Woods on the project. See also the transcript of the oral history interview with 

former Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 8, 1992, JEFF library.

15Christy L. Wells and Joyce A. Williams, A Report of Archeological Monitoring of Parking 

Facility Construction at JNEM, 1985, pp. 1 and 61-62; see also Archeological monitoring 

reports #1, #2, #3 and #4, and "Preliminary Notes on Arch Parking Facility, February 16,

1984," located in File D18, Planning Programs, JEFF Files; and archeological reports, File

D3415, JEFF Files.

16Interview with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 8, 1992.

17See Wells and Williams, Archeological Monitoring of Parking Facility Construction at

JNEM for details on the archeological remains found on site; File D3415, JEFF Files.

18"The conclusion reached on the basis of the literature review, observations made in the 

field, and the analysis of materials is that post-1849 urban renewal had destroyed any earlier 

structures present above grade elevation prior to commencement of excavation for 

construction of the parking facility." See A Report of Archaeological Monitoring of Parking 

Facility Construction at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial National Historic Site, 

National Park Service, St. Louis, Missouri by Christy L. Wells and Joyce A. Williams, 

March 1985, pp. 61-62.

19Telephone interview with Jennifer Nixon, September 12, 1993.

20Letter, Jennifer Nixon, Director of Business Development, Bi-State Development Agency, 

to Superintendent Jerry Schober, February 26, 1986, File SF 5415, JEFF Files.

21Interview with Superintendent Jerry Schober by JEFF Historian Mike Capps, April 11,

1991.

22Letter from Jennifer Nixon, Bi-State Development Agency, to Superintendent Jerry
Schober, February 26, 1986, JEFF File SF 5415.

23Interviews with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, April 11, 1991, and May 8, 1992.

24Ibid.

25Interview with Jerry Schober, April 11, 1991; JNEM Superintendent's Annual Report for

1987, located in File A2621, JEFF Files.

26JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 1. All Superintendent's Annual Reports 

may be found in file JEFF File A2621.

27See the Memorandum, Superintendent Jerry Schober to all employees, JEFF, April 28,

1986, JEFF File D18.

28St. Louis Globe-Democrat, May 9, 1986; St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 9, 1986.

29Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 8, 1992. For more on the 

administration and protection of the Arch Parking Garage, see Chapter 10, Law Enforcement 

and Safety, in this administrative history.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER TWO:

The 70mm World Odyssey Theatre

Original plans for the development of the visitor center at Jefferson National Expansion 

Memorial called for the construction of two theaters. The 325-seat North Theater was opened 

on May 13, 1972, for the premiere showing of Charles Guggenheim's prize-winning film 

"Monument to the Dream," detailing the construction of the Gateway Arch. A second film, 

"Gateway to the West," 30 minutes in length, was first shown to the public in the North 

Theater on August 12, 1975. The North Theater was officially renamed the Tucker Theater, in 

memory of former St. Louis Mayor Raymond R. Tucker, on April 13, 1976. [1]

Due to a lack of available funds, construction of a second or "South Theater" was postponed, 

although the location was excavated for future use. The concept for this theater, to be named 

in honor of former St. Louis Mayor Bernard F. Dickmann, grew from the plans of 

Superintendent Jerry Schober to involve the community in park programs. Schober recalled:

Tucker Theater, August 1980. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

We felt that since this was public domain . . . the public here in St. Louis would 

be able to utilize some of the facility to carry out programs that are of interest to 

them. All we would ask . . . would be that they would at least pick up the 

expense. It was not to be a money maker for the Park Service. So we began to 

contact local arts groups that might be interested. The Repertory Theater, the
MUNY, the Fox; . . . all together I think thirteen groups showed up. We took 

them around and showed them the facilities and asked what kind of design [they 

would want for a community theater], what kind of lighting and all would 

suffice. Then we would all go to lunch and see if there were any possibilities that 

we might be able to provide this facility for them.

It was rather interesting. Every time you talked to the ones with the ballet the 

stage was not right, you talked to some other classical [group] the lighting was 

wrong, and it looked like it would take thirteen different ways of trying to design 

this theater to conform to all of them. At about that time the chairman of the 

MUNY, which is the largest outdoor theater in the country, [Edwin R.] Culver, 

turned to me and said, "You know what you need is an IMAX." [2] I had never 

heard that word in my life. . . . But I found out it was a type of motion picture 

that you became a part of and you couldn't get away from it without closing your 

eyes and almost stopping up your ears. . . . I later contacted the IMAX company, 

at which time [we] changed the whole design and thought for this theater. [3]

Bi-State Development Agency, at the request of Superintendent Schober, expressed an 

interest in financing the new theater, now planned as a wide-screen facility capable of 

presenting a movie in the 70mm IMAX format. Preliminary concept plans and cost estimates 

were completed during 1987. Technical and legal questions were researched, and discussions 

held within the Midwest Region of the National Park Service (NPS) and Denver Service 

Center (DSC) regarding the scheduling of studies and monitoring of construction activities. 

JEFF would be the first park in the system with such a facility. Funding was tentatively 

selected, in agreement with the Bi-State Development Agency, as the sale of Series E 

General Revenue Bonds with debt retirement secured by the Arch tram revenue. As with past 

projects such as the parking garage, there were no federal funds involved. [4]

Rock Removal

Construction of the new theater required the removal of additional rock from the area of the 

earlier excavation to accommodate the huge screen. To determine whether this would be 

feasible, engineers from the Denver Service Center visited the site in May 1987. They 

concluded that the work could be done without any detrimental effect to the Gateway Arch 

complex. In meetings between Bi-State and NPS officials, it was decided that DSC would 

provide project supervision services. An independent A/E consultant would determine the 

effect of the construction on the Arch, the subterranean structure, and the surrounding 

grounds and utility systems. Bi-State agreed to finance this study, and in August 1988

Woodward-Clyde consultants began a geotechnical analysis. [5]

The study indicated that with proper precautions, approximately 1,200 cubic yards of 

Mississippi limestone could be excavated with no impact on adjacent structures. Once this 

determination was made, the next decision involved the method to be used. Conventional 

means, such as blasting, were not possible, for the obvious reasons regarding visitor safety 

and the structural integrity of the Gateway Arch. In September 1988, park officials forwarded 

a proposal to the Midwest Regional Office from the University of Missouri-Rolla 

(UM/Rolla), for a demonstration project to remove approximately 2,000 cubic yards of 

limestone using a high-pressure water jet. In February 1989, NPS architects attended a 

demonstration of the method in Rolla, Missouri, and concluded that it would be effective for 

the Arch project. Among the advantages of the water jet which influenced this decision were 

that it produced no loud noises, dust or fumes; no large equipment was required; it fragmented 

the rock into manageable pieces; and it did not damage the existing walls. A contract was 

drawn up between Bi-State and UM/Rolla, with the Park Service serving as reviewer and 

evaluator. [6] "We wanted to go to the wide screen dimensions," recalled Superintendent
Schober, "and to accomplish this we only had this one small space."

Excavation on the site of JEFF's second theater project, 1990. NPS photo by Al

Bilger.

It would encompass going fifteen feet down below the Arch into bedrock, and 

also working on a structure that was already completed, and we would have to 

utilize the back halls of this structure to carry out all the stone and clay and dirt, 

and move in any equipment. . . . And these are the same hallways [in which] my 

people had to carry on business as usual. It would be a tremendous undertaking 

and a real imposition on the staff. But when we looked at what the benefits 

might be, we felt that it could be worthwhile. [7]

High-pressure water jet used in the excavation of the second theater, 1990. NPS

photo by Al Bilger.

In September 1989, UM/Rolla and the NPS concluded a Memorandum of Agreement that 

identified and described the duties of both. The University would design, fabricate, install,
and maintain the cutting and splitting (CUSP) equipment, and provide the necessary training 

and technical assistance to students, hired as temporary NPS employees, who would perform 

the work. At the same time, University personnel continued their research and development 

to improve the CUSP process. [8]

Unexpected delays were encountered due to a Department of Labor determination regarding 

insurance and liability, which negatively impacted the proposed cooperative agreement 

between UM/Rolla and the NPS. The agreement had already been approved by the federal 

solicitor, but the Department of Labor problem was only overcome when it was decided that 

UM/Rolla employees would be paid under a grant. Non-federal funding was available, in the 

amount of approximately $750,000, to complete the fiscal year 1990 work schedule. [9]

The architectural firm of Cox/Croslin and Associates, of Austin, Texas was engaged by DSC 

on a $200,000 contract to design the South Theater in 1990. This firm had an indefinite 

quantities contract with DSC, and was "on retainer" for architectural work in the Midwest 

Region. The preliminary design was completed in March 1991. Excavation of the theater 

space was begun under a $377,867 demonstration program arrangement with the Rock 

Mechanics Department of UM/Rolla. Seven engineering technician students were rotated into 

employment on the project as temporary park employees under the administrative supervision 

of the JEFF Heating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) crew foreman, John Patterson. They 

operated the equipment and performed rock removal, using a monorail system to carry the 

debris across the theater space and out of the building. At first there were problems with the 

water jet technology. The system worked inefficiently on-site, according to John Patterson. 

"The way it performed in the lab and the way it performed on the job were totally different 

worlds. First of all, they had clean water in the lab. The plan was to catch the water in a 

sump, and reuse it, but the contaminants in the water prevented this. Secondly, the guidance 

from the professors was fragmented and poor, and the HVAC crew found themselves helping 

more than supervising. Finally, we got the bugs worked out of the system." [10]

Foundation design and consulting services were provided by Woodward-Clyde Consultants, 

St. Louis, under contract to the Bi-State Development Agency. [11] A $66,000 contract with 

Woodward-Clyde for rock-bolting and dewatering as well as a contract for rock hauling 

were also awarded; by the end of 1990, approximately $628,000 of non-federal funding had 

been provided toward the planning and initial construction of the theater. [12]

Work continued into 1991, as park management entered into negotiations with World 

Odyssey to construct the first American-made 70 mm — 15 perforation wide screen 

projection system in the United States for the South Theater. None of the estimated $3 

million was federally funded. [13]

Work began on interior features of the theater in April 1992. Back hallways between the 

theater site and the shipping-receiving area became very busy places during this phase of the 

construction. Contractor Kozeny-Wagner erected a partition wall to isolate the work area 

from the lobby of the visitor center. Park employees designed and supervised the painting of 

the partition wall with a poster announcing the new theater. This work was performed by a 

group of enthusiastic fifth grade students from the St. Louis school system, who filled in the 

design sketched on the wall with bright strokes of color, creating a very handsome 

interpretive display. [14]
The excavation phase of construction nears completion, 1991. NPS photo by Al

Bilger.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER TWO:

The 70mm World Odyssey Theatre (continued)

Projection System

While rock removal proceeded, plans were made for the film to be shown in the new theater. 

The project was once again financed by Bi-State Development Agency. The initial proposal, 

the creation of an IMAX film, led Superintendent Schober to open negotiations with that 

Canadian company in 1987. Schober remembered:

IMAX thought if they could get into the national parks it would be a feather in 

their caps. . . . We found out that secretly one of the vice presidents had been 

here in St. Louis, because Union Station was thinking about possibly putting in 

the same type of IMAX presentation. And so I called this young man in Canada .

. . and he said he would come by and talk to us. Meanwhile, they had written 

another letter to Park Service [Director William] Mott. And when he looked at it, 

he instructed Stan Albright to contact the Arch. He said, "I figure if we can do 

that anywhere they can do it down at the Arch." And he said, "Tell Jerry to look 

into it, and if he feels it's feasible, for the Park Service to go into it." And of 

course we liked this because of the perfect timing. We had already made a 

contact with them, and so it relieved the Washington Office of having to do any 

further correspondence with IMAX. . . . For some reason [Director Mott] thought 

where it was money — raising it or spending it — we got called. He would 

always say, "Go to St. Louis."
Carpeting the tiered seating area, 1992. NPS photo, courtesy Dave Caselli.

And so we started serious negotiations. Oddly enough, it took IMAX a long time 

to get back with us. We told them that we were interested in buying a projector. .

. . At the same time they were looking at us, they were also scouring across the 

whole park system to see how many parks were large enough and had enough . .

. all-season visitation . . . to accommodate an IMAX. And what happened to our 

relationship was, by the time they scrutinized the Arch real closely, they were 

also going to put one in the [St. Louis] Science Center, which was yet to be built. 

It was going to be about a thirteen million dollar complex. . . . But now you've 

got to remember this Science Center had no established clientele. It was a little 

shaky for them, too. . . . [The Director of the Science Center], Dr. Dennis Wendt, 

thought it was very important that we didn't show the film that they were going 

to show. Because we told him until we could have a film made . . . we would 

probably show The Dream is Alive. And he almost passed out. And I said, 

"Why?" And he said, "That's what we were going to show." And I said, "We are 

not a competitor. We are going to have a clientele that comes here all the time. 

Maybe some of them will go to your place, but we don't have to lock in on The 

Dream is Alive." I really thought that Grand Canyon might even fit better. So we 

thought along those lines. But still, in the back of our minds we wanted to make 

our own film. That way we could maintain all the funds, and not have to pay 

anyone else for rentals, which are quite costly. [15]

By July 1987, it was decided that the government would hold title to the theater; that Bi-State 

would be responsible for financing, construction and operation; and that IMAX would 

provide technical assistance during the design, construction and operation of the theater. 

IMAX would also produce a film for JEFF on westward expansion, and equip the theater 

with a screen, sound system, projection system, and other related equipment. [16]

In July 1988, a letter of intent from the NPS specified that the name IMAX would be allowed 

in the theater name, and that the movie could be leased to other IMAX theaters after two 

years. The NPS made plans to advertise for a treatment, production plan, and cost breakdown 

for a film on westward expansion. Harpers Ferry Center would serve as executive producer, 

at an estimated cost of $300,000, which would be paid by Bi-State. [17]
With the project well on its way, a disagreement developed between IMAX and the Park 

Service regarding the arrangements for the projection equipment. IMAX proposed leasing it 

to the park for $1.6 million up front plus a percentage of the gross ticket sales, while 

warranty maintenance and service of the projectors, screens, and the sound system would be 

available for an additional $50,000 per year. This was unacceptable to Superintendent 

Schober, since JEFF wanted to buy the equipment outright. In a letter to the IMAX company 

in July 1989, Schober explained that neither the NPS nor Bi-State could enter such a longterm lease agreement. He said that IMAX had implied in earlier negotiations that the 

projection equipment would be sold outright. In reply, the company stated that it had never 

been its practice to sell equipment. [18] Superintendent Schober recalled:

We were working under the assumption that IMAX would sell a projector to us. 

IMAX at the same time found out that there are times when we can get up to five 

thousand people an hour under the Arch, and that the wait at many times is up to 

four hours to go up in the trams to look out of the observation deck at the top of 

the Arch. . . . And just like that [the IMAX representative] said, "Oh, by the way, 

there is just one little catch to what we've been talking about." And I said, "What 

is that?" And he said, "We won't be able to sell you our projector. Way back we 

had a company policy change . . . and we have to lease, we can't sell." I said, 

"Well, Uncle Sam will buy. We are not going to lease. And he said, "Wait, wait, 

wait, let me tell you, this is a great relationship. Jerry, you are going to get so 

many benefits from this."

Installation of the marble facing, exterior of the projection booth. NPS photo courtesy

Dave Caselli.

Now, by that time he's never given us a price, but we knew what other people 

were paying, and IMAX was getting pretty close to a million and a half dollars 

for the projector. And [this man] said, "Here's what we'll do; I think you'll really 

like this . . . " A million five down, and 25% of the gate at every showing. And 

boy, they would get us the best up-to-date film, they would distribute it 

everywhere — of course fifty-five thousand dollars for maintenance of their 

system, "but what you get Jerry, is our guaranty that every time there is a 

technological improvement to the system it's going to be installed in your 

system. You get the latest in everything, you have the ability of IMAX which is 

world-known to do advertisements, you'll be known everywhere, we'll increase
your visitation." I'm still thinking about, what did you do with my million five 

with which I was going to buy a projector and not have to share [anything] with 

you, and how are you getting into my pocket for 25% of the gate? Quickly, and I 

only work in simple terms, I put ten years times what we had estimated he would 

make at twenty-five percent and I figured they'd walk away with eight million 

dollars. At that time I showed him how to get out of my establishment so he 

could catch a plane back to Canada.

We can tell you, we were courted and threatened and everything else by IMAX 

because we abruptly left them. But we found out that the copyrights [and] patents 

were slowly falling off of their machinery. [19]

After the talks with IMAX fell through, the NPS began considering other possibilities. In July

1989, Omni Films of Sarasota, Florida, met with Superintendent Schober and Jennifer Nixon 

of Bi-State to discuss their "Magnavision" system. In September, Schober, Nixon, Assistant 

Superintendent Gary Easton, and Jerry Ward of Harpers Ferry Center traveled to Florida to 

see a demonstration.

In October 1989, the Iwerks Company made a proposal to JEFF to set up their "Iwerks 870" 

system. For $395,000 they would provide the projection and audio equipment, as well as 

technical consultation and support for film production.

In 1991, after considering many possibilities, JEFF decided to purchase the "World Odyssey"

70mm system from NJ Engineering of Los Altos, California. A sophisticated sound system 

was licensed from THX®, a division of Lucasfilms, in San Rafael, California, and a 

completion date for the theater set for January 1993. [20]

Film Production

In 1988, JEFF began to consider options regarding the creation of a 70mm wide-screen film, 

designed to be shown in the park, telling the story of westward expansion. In Superintendent 

Schober's words:

To do this we talked with Jerry Ward, the head of the motion picture division 

[at] Harpers Ferry. And Jerry came out and said, "I think it would be great if you 

made your own film." And he gave us some good suggestions. We could [invite 

people] to come in and give us their scenarios, . . . how much it would cost, and 

how long it would be, . . . [but] he said you will be jurying people forever. [Ward 

suggested that specific filmmakers should be selected and offered the option of 

competing for the 70mm film commission]. . . . Well, we knew that Charles 

Guggenheim had made Monument to the Dream which has been very, very 

successful. We knew Greg MacGillivray had made To Fly, at that time the most 

viewed [IMAX film] ever because it was at the Smithsonian. We knew Keith 

Merrill, and they told us he would be out of the ballpark fee-wise, because he 

was so well-known and [in] such great demand . . .

Jerry Ward said, "What would you think of George Lucas? . . . Why don't you 

see if he is interested?" Now see, a smart person would say, oh, you're kidding, 

he's not going to fool with us. So, the dumb one got on the phone and called up 

and said "I'd like to speak to George Lucas."

They said, "You would?" 

I said "Uh-huh."
"Sorry, he's not available, would you like to speak to the senior vice president of

Lucas Productions?"

And so I spoke to this gentleman, telling him that I understood that George 

Lucas was interested in making [a 70mm film]. And he said, "Why would he be 

interested in that? We've already done that."

And I said, "You never made a full length 70mm film on your own."

"Well, we do . . . the illustrations, and the sound, the light, and all the new 

technologies that you need for them, and we've done some filming for them." 

And he basically told me that George Lucas was interested in doing what George 

Lucas thinks of. And I think when you get to his status in the world you ought to 

do it that way. But he said, "Since you called — you say it's going to be in the 

Arch and be viewed by millions every year?"

"Yup."

"There's a young man here, who has made quite a reputation, and he's been 

wanting to make a film; . . . Why don't you talk to Ben Burtt?"

So I got his number and called Ben up. And Ben said, "I'd like very much to do a 

scenario, we'll do a lot with sound and lights, but we'll do the westward 

expansion using the scenes they went over, the Indians, the covered wagons, and 

let all that speak for itself. We won't have a central character, it's not going to 

have a narration. It's going to be an experience." . . . I found out that he had won 

four Oscars by that time. [21]

In November 1988, Bi-State agreed to pay $8000 each to Ben Burtt of Sprocket Systems, a 

division of Lucasfilms, independent filmmaker Charles Guggenheim, and Greg MacGillivray 

of MacGillivray-Freeman Films, to develop proposals for a treatment, production plan, and 

cost breakdown for the production of a 70mm, large-format motion picture on the westward 

expansion of the United States, to be no longer than 25 minutes running time. [22] Schober 

continued:

Now, why we did it this way is that we now owned the finished product. Even if 

[a contender] didn't win, [we owned their] thoughts. If we wanted to . . . use a 

good point here, a good point there, we could put them together. And then we sat 

down and juried them out. . . . The jury consisted of Jerry Ward of HFC, Jennifer 

Nixon of Bi-State, Chief of Interpretation of the Midwest Region Warren 

Bielenberg, Gary Easton, and myself. . . . Everybody sent us one. I want to tell 

you, some of them were great. Guggenheim's would have made a great miniseries. There wasn't anything wrong with Keith Merrill's. But the most exciting 

one was still Ben Burtt's. And one of the key ingredients to that was he even 

went and got John Williams, four-time Oscar winner, to do the music; conductor 

of the Boston Pops, the great arranger. Can you believe, John Williams agreed to 

score the whole film, [and] that he wanted to use the St. Louis Symphony. . . . I 

thought that would be a great coup. And as we judged them out it was difficult, 

but we selected Burtt's. I think before we could even get in there and tell him that 

he was the winner of this whole thing and send him his check, he had already 

won his fifth Oscar. [23]

In December 1989, a contract was signed with Lucasfilms for the development of a script for 

a movie to be titled "Gateway America." Ben Burtt and Laurel Ladevich, film editor for 

Sprocket Systems, were set to direct the film. They were also to research and define all
locations and to prepare a detailed budget and schedule for production. All proceeds from 

ticket sales were to go to JEFF. [24]

Once this contract was in place, there still remained the matter of raising the estimated $4 

million necessary to produce the movie. Schober hoped to line up a corporate sponsor, but by 

June 1990 no one had volunteered to finance the project and the deal with Lucasfilms was 

canceled. It had been hoped that the fame of the California company would attract investors, 

but several problems arose. Costs escalated to $4.5 million, and LucasArts wanted 

distribution rights to the movie, interactive video rights and other rights and reservations 

which JEFF was not ready to resign. [25] "I still think people don't realize what a good thing

[corporate sponsorships are]," Superintendent Schober reflected.

The Smithsonian has never paid for a film. It's Johnson and Johnson, or 

Lockheed, or Conoco, or someone like that. And the companies have found out 

that they put the money down to make these [films] which are up in the millions, 

and at the end of a year or year and a half, they've been paid back. Once you 

make it, every time it's shown somewhere other than, say, the Smithsonian, every 

gate you get thirty-five percent of sixty-five percent of what comes back in 

through that gate. And that represents sizeable money. Some people charge as 

much as $7.50 a person. And you figure some of those, like the Smithsonian . . . 

only charge two dollars or two and a half. But look what they did in volume, too.

We just felt that it would be tremendous. And I think it may still come to 

fruition. I can hardly wait to see that theater open up. . . . [26]

Completed interior, World Odyssey Theatre, 1992. NPS photo courtesy Dave Caselli.

Park officials decided that once the theater was finished, other large format 70mm films such 

as To Fly and Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets could be shown until a westward 

expansion film was produced. [27] It was anticipated that the wide-screen theater would 

provide a tremendous educational and interpretive opportunity to an estimated 900,000 

annual visitors, who during the busy season might wait as long as three to four hours for a 

tram ride to the top of the Gateway Arch. In addition to the Museum of Westward Expansion, 

ranger-led tours and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association museum shop,
the film would provide a further interpretive opportunity for a ready-made audience. [28]

Completed entrance to World Odyssey Theatre, 1993. NPS photo by Kris

Illenberger.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER TWO:

Footnotes

1Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Administrative History, 1935-1980, Sharon A. 

Brown, JEFF, 1984; Jerry Berger's column, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 21, 1984. 

Newspaper articles cited may be found in the Newspaper Clippings File, JNEM Archives.

2A trade name derived from "maximum image." The story of the origins for the second 

theater idea is also told in "New Theater In Arch Could Start With Blast," St. Louis PostDispatch, November 29, 1987, pp. 1 and 10.

3Interview with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992, by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore.

4JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 1.

5Trip Report, Chief, Engineering Section and Structural Engineer, Branch of Design, Central 

Team, DSC, May 27, 1987; Trip Report, Architect, Midwest Region, October 15-16, 1987, 

JEFF File D18.

6Trip Report, Architect, Division of Maintenance and Energy, Midwest Region, February 21-

23, 1989, JEFF File D18; JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 1.

7Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

8Memorandum of Agreement, UM/Rolla and NPS, September 1989, JEFF File D18.

9JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 1.

10Interview with HVAC foreman John Patterson, September 1, 1993.

11JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, pp. 3 and 24.

12JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 3.

13JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1992, p. 2.

14JEFF Park Newsletter, April 1992; NPS Courier, Newsmagazine of the National Park

Service, June/July, 1992, p. 49.
15Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

16Memo from Jennifer Nixon, Director of Business Development, Bi-State Development

Agency, to Superintendent Jerry Schober, July 22, 1987, JEFF File D18.

17Memo from Schober to Regional Director, Midwest Region, July 1, 1988, copy, JEFF File

D18.

18Letter from Superintendent Schober to W.A. Breukelman, Chairman, IMAX Systems

Corp., July 12, 1989; Letter from Breukelman to Schober, July 24, 1989, JEFF File D18.

19Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

20JEFF Superintendent Gary W. Easton to Jerry Zernicke, Operations Manager, THX®, 

September 29, 1992, JEFF Files D18; Easton to Cliff Greenman, Field Service Manager, NJ 

Engineering, August 26, 1992, JEFF Files D34; Easton to Jennifer Nixon, Director of 

Business Development, Bi-State Development Agency, August 26, 1992, JEFF Files F5415.

21Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

22JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 1.

23Interviews with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992 and September

3, 1993.

24JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 1.

25JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 3.

26Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

27St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 24, 1991.

28JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 2.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER THREE:

The Veiled Prophet Fair

History of the Event

The annual Veiled Prophet Fair (VP Fair) is an event which contributes to the unique 

character of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. It is also one of the most controversial 

and unusual aspects of the memorial's recent history. Billed as the nation's largest Fourth of 

July celebration, with attendance figures in excess of 2.5 million people annually, [1] the VP 

Fair is held on the grounds of a national park, with most of the necessary costs and repairs 

paid for by the local Veiled Prophet Fair Foundation. Air shows, live music, nationally 

known celebrities, educational and family attractions, food, and fantastic evening fireworks 

displays attract visitors from across the country and around the world.

The VP Fair has its roots in the agricultural and mechanical fairs held in St. Louis beginning 

in 1856. These fairs had lost their momentum by March 20, 1878, when Charles Slayback, an 

influential grain broker, invited St. Louis businessmen to a meeting at the Lindell Hotel. At 

the meeting, Slayback proposed an annual event similar to the New Orleans Mardi Gras, 

hoping that such a festival would spark public interest and boost attendance at the October 

harvest fairs. [2]

To stimulate curiosity in the proposed event, Slayback's brother Alonzo drew upon a mythical 

character created by Irish poet Thomas Moore in 1817, the Veiled Prophet of Khorassan. 

Changing Moore's legend to suit the needs of promoting the fair, Alonzo Slayback's Veiled 

Prophet was no longer a "war-mongering trickster," but an entrepreneur who wanted to share 

his personal happiness with another part of the world. In Slayback's version of the legend, the 

Veiled Prophet traveled over the globe, finally stopping in St. Louis, which he made his 

adopted city. He believed the citizens of St. Louis to be much like the people of Khorassan, 

contented and hard-working. He informed city officials that he would return in one year to 

share his happiness with them, telling them that they must prepare for his arrival. [3]

Such a "hook" for the enticement of the public appealed to the businessmen, who formed a 

secretive, elite society called "The Mysterious Order of The Veiled Prophet."

Plans were made for an evening parade and a grand ball, the first of which were held on 

October 8, 1878. The event was enormously popular, with more than 50,000 people lining the 

parade route that first year. The Veiled Prophet parade and ball became annual events, as well 

as a traditional part of life in St. Louis. [4]

In the early 1980s, it seemed logical to expand the Veiled Prophet event beyond a parade, 

changing its scope from a city-wide celebration to one worthy of national attention. Robert 

R. Hermann, a St. Louis businessman and civic promoter, also wanted to elaborate on the
July Fourth "Freedom Festival" riverfront fireworks show, traditionally sponsored by St. 

Louis' Famous-Barr Stores and KMOX-AM Radio. While very popular, the Freedom Festival 

offered little food or entertainment. [5]

Superintendent Jerry Schober recalled the beginning of JEFF's involvement with the fair, 

which began soon after his arrival in the park:

Within probably five weeks after I got aboard, the mayor of the town asked if he 

could come visit me. And it was set for nine o'clock, but by nine o'clock there 

was no sight of him. I finally found out that he thought my office was down 

under the Arch. And so he had actually waded through the mud [the grounds 

were torn up due to extensive landscaping at the time] to get there with these big 

open trenches. And when he came in we made a little small talk. And all of a 

sudden he said, "We want to put on one of the largest events in the United 

States." A guy by the name of Robert Hermann had been doing a lot of research 

on this in different places. They did not know exactly how they wanted it, but 

they wanted it in the largest open area next to the river. And of course that was 

the Arch grounds. . . I said, "Mr. Mayor, I think it is lucky you did not fall in one 

of those trenches coming over here. . . I don't see how we can do it. The 

landscaping won't be done . . . "

The only way I could put him off was by talking to him in his office. . . . The 

mayor was still rather insistent. So I said, "Well, Mr. Mayor, like I told you on 

the last visit, I certainly did not want to come here to start telling you no. So I 

offer you another suggestion rather then tell you no. As soon as you send me a 

letter saying that you will assume all the liability for such an event, if anybody is 

injured, hurt or anything else, that the City of St. Louis will take care of it, and if 

it satisfies our solicitor, I will certainly give you a permit for this big outing."

He said, "Well, I've never been asked anything like that."

"Well, that makes two of us because I have never been asked to put on an event 

like you are talking about either."

So we finally agreed that we wouldn't have it that year. And so it was the 

following year that we had it, which was still, I think, a year too soon. [6]

In 1981, Robert R. Hermann recruited 100 community leaders to organize the first Veiled 

Prophet Fair to be held on the Mississippi riverfront. The NPS issued a special use permit to 

the City of St. Louis, which, in turn, issued the permit to the VP Fair Foundation. The fair 

opened on Saturday, July 4, 1981, following the previous evening's VP Parade. Fifteen 

community and charitable organizations staffed food and beverage booths, and approximately

3,000 volunteers managed entertainment activities around JEFF's grounds. Nearly a million 

people attended the fair. The money that was raised was used to organize and stage the 

second fair in 1982. [7] Superintendent Schober recalled:

[The] Fourth of July celebration . . . ran sometimes for two days, three days, and 

eventually we even had some that were four-day affairs. But we did things 

totally different than I had done when I was working in Washington D.C., when 

I had the monuments and memorials. Here, I required the VP Fair and the City 

of St. Louis to accept the liability and also to accept property damage. They had 

to have insurance and I had to have proof of such insurance in my hands . . . 

ninety days before the fair started, or we would not have it. [8]

Over the next several years the fair continued to grow in size. In 1982 approximately 3
million people attended; by 1983 "America's Biggest Birthday Party," as it was being billed, 

was attracting nearly 4 million. It also received national attention with coverage from the 

NBC television network in 1984, and was the location for major television specials on ABC 

in 1987 and 1988. The Veiled Prophet Fair experienced a metamorphosis during the 1980s, 

from a rather rowdy celebration with a sometimes unruly crowd to a family-focused event 

with an emphasis on particular themes such as "Education" and "Parks USA." [9]

Minimizing the Damage

Due to the evolving nature of the fair, the early years were trial and error ones for park 

officials. As time went on they began to learn how best to manage such a major event. A 

primary area of concern for the NPS was the protection of the grounds and natural resources 

of the site. Strict limitations were developed over time that minimized the adverse effects of 

the early fairs, when the grounds and trees sustained heavy damage from the use of vehicles 

and equipment to set up and take down booths and stages, and the presence of large 

concentrations of people.

In order to use the JEFF grounds, the VP Fair Foundation applied to the NPS, through the 

City of St. Louis, for a special use permit. Typical provisions included the installation by the 

VP Fair Foundation of fences around all areas with shrubs and ground cover; the prohibition 

of motorized vehicles on the grounds between 9:00 AM and 10:00 PM, in the interest of 

safety; proof of adequate insurance coverage, with the NPS named as coinsured; and the 

agreement on the part of the foundation to replace all damaged trees and shrubs, as well as 

responsibility for re-sodding and reseeding of grassy areas. The NPS, through the 

superintendent, reserved full veto power over any activity deemed inappropriate. [10]

The administration of these regulations was largely successful. Although the memorial 

grounds were heavily impacted during particular years, such as 1982 and 1987, when the 3-

day event was marked by almost continuous torrential rains, the VP Fair Foundation has 

usually honored its promise to repair the annual damage. Superintendent Schober lamented:

Clean-up from the 1982 VP Fair. Courtesy John Weddle.

[The] first year we started the repair of the grounds, but we thought it would be
an insignificant amount. I never really asked how much it cost them. . . . We 

finally agreed on a contractor who laid the landscaping out. And then we found a 

landscape architect who we both respected, they paid for him, and he came out 

to assess what had to be repaired. . . I know one year [1982] it had to be a 

quarter of a million dollars worth of repairs. . . . We even had to redo the 

irrigation lines underneath. [11]

Patrons of the 1982 VP Fair with liquor they brought onto the grounds. NPS photo.

In addition to protecting the grounds and natural resources, visitor safety was a major 

concern, both for the VP Fair Foundation and the NPS. Some fairgoers opted to bring their 

own liquor with them onto the grounds rather than patronize the beer vendors onsite. 

Problems resulted from the excessive consumption of alcohol and shards of glass which 

littered the park where bottles had been carelessly discarded. In response to the problems 

caused by alcohol brought onto the grounds and smashed glass containers, the city passed an 

ordinance prohibiting both in 1985. [12] This law resulted in an elimination of some of the 

rowdy element in the crowds.

Vehicle use on the grounds during the fair was restricted, also out of concern for visitor 

safety. Motorized vehicles were always prohibited during peak hours of visitation, with the 

major exception of golf carts and emergency vehicles. The golf carts were used by fair 

"marshals," the volunteer workers, for transport from one area to another. But as the size of 

the crowds increased over the years, even the golf carts became potential safety hazards. In

1989 the NPS decided to prohibit their use at future fairs by any but Emergency Medical

Services personnel. [13]

By 1990 experience and advance planning resulted in effective management of the VP Fair. 

Workable systems were in place to assure safe and smooth running operations. An average of

20,000 volunteers staffed the booths each year. [14] The NPS maintenance crew perfected the 

repair of the grounds to an almost scientific efficiency. [15]
Visitor Protection

A major concern for the NPS regarding the VP Fair was the additional costs incurred due to 

the need for increased law enforcement personnel. The large crowds of fairgoers made it 

necessary for the NPS to bring in special event teams from other park areas. This meant 

paying travel and overtime expenses above and beyond normal budgets. In 1982 the 

estimated cost to the NPS for these expenses was $50,000; by 1984, with the growth of the 

fair, costs had risen to $106,000. To meet this need, special appeals were initially made to the 

Emergency Law and Order Fund. [16] In 1985, however, the decision was made in the NPS 

Washington Office that such funds would no longer be available to cover the costs of the fair. 

After 1985 all necessary funds would have to be budgeted or provided for by the city or the 

VP Fair Foundation. [17] This decision led to the development of a stipulation in special use 

permits issued for the fair, requiring the payment of all the NPS' extra expenses. [18]

Costs formerly covered by federal money amounted to $90,000 in 1987, and to receive its 

permit the VP Fair Foundation was required by the NPS to pay in advance. [19] The 

foundation was also charged for all subsequent expenses beyond the original estimates. In

1988 this amounted to more than $25,000. Despite some difficulties in collecting these 

additional charges, in each instance the foundation eventually paid in full. "We felt that we 

had to have an increased number of rangers out there to protect the grounds, even though we 

had up to five hundred St. Louis city police," recalled Superintendent Schober.

Law enforcement rangers at the VP Fair, 1982. NPS photo.

These [city police] did not recognize their duty as protecting trees and visitors. 

And I think I can see it. They received compensatory time, not overtime pay, for 

working the fair. If tomorrow morning I wanted the rangers to be down at city 

hall and they said "Why are we down here?," and we said, "Well, they are going 

to have a Strassenfest and I want you to protect city hall." They'd say what the 

devil are the city police doing? So, you had a little bit of this. The police were 

good for a deterrent. You always had the potential, the possibility, of a riot 

breaking out or something. So, we brought in . . . twenty five or thirty rangers, 

which we paid out of emergency funds. . . . [We had] to bring [people in] from 

everywhere, [because] a lot of parks had things going on around the Fourth of 

July. Some people didn't want to let them go. So quite often we had to pay for 

people to fill in behind them. The air fare got expensive. I suggested to the VP
Fair that they go to TWA and see about getting some passes, and actually at 

times they gave them as much as $25,000 worth of freebies. I didn't realize how 

complicated it was until we got into it because TWA does not have a 

reciprocating agreement between every airline. And we'd be bringing some 

[rangers] out of Washington state or somewhere, and they'd have to catch a little 

hop, and then catch another line. . . . Almost consistently Don Morrison, one of 

the vice presidents of TWA, took it upon himself to sit down and oversee these 

arrangements.

It was an interesting learning situation for the rangers that came in. I remember 

going to Isle Royale and running into one of the wilderness rangers and we 

recognized each other because he had been [at the VP Fair] just a few months 

before. And I asked him what the experience was like. He said at first he just 

couldn't picture it, but he said now he wouldn't take anything for the experience 

he got. . . . You know, you had an opportunity to interact with just mobs of 

people. I would say maybe three to four hundred thousand sometimes at one time 

in a given area, when the big performances were going on. And our first two 

years, we had too many performances on the main stage. Something was going 

on the main stage every hour, from eleven in the morning until nine at night 

when the fireworks would start up. Those were tough times. But during the years 

we have sophisticated it. . . [20]
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER THREE:

The Veiled Prophet Fair (continued)

"A Gift or a Desecration?"

Although the park was praised for its handling of the VP Fair in a 1982 operations evaluation 

by the Midwest Regional Office, it was noted that within the park staff there was "a definite 

dichotomy or cleavage regarding the VP Fair. There are significant numbers of personnel 

who oppose this type of activity on either philosophical grounds or because of the impact that 

the activity has on operations and operating problems." It was suggested that park 

management solicit a grassroots staff input and response regarding the 1982 VP Fair. [21]

The orderly, carefully planned and managed fairs of the late 1980s and early 1990s give little 

indication of the troubled early years of the VP Fair event. A closer look at one of the earlier 

fairs, that of 1982, stands as a good indication of some of the massive problems presented by 

such a large event, and of the destructive impact of the early fairs to the resource, which 

disturbed the staff of the memorial as well as the general public.

The 1982 VP Fair was fraught with problems from the start. It was only the second year of 

the fair, and the first time that it had been conducted as a large-scale event. The fair was 

extended from the grounds of the Gateway Arch to the Old Courthouse, where cultural 

organizations set up exhibits. Attractions were located at Laclede's Landing, north of the park 

grounds, and beyond, to a field where athletic events were staged.

"We hope we will be able to spread the people out," said the fair's administrator, Charles H. 

Wallace. "With the number of events we'll have going on, we hope people will feel they can 

wander around the grounds and not have to park themselves just in front of the main stage 

like they did last year." There were eight satellite stages to help discourage visitors from 

clumping in one area. The 1982 VP Fair had an operating budget of $3 million. [22]
Enormous crowds at the 1982 VP Fair brought their own liquor and waded illegally 

in the park's reflecting ponds. Photo courtesy John Weddle.

William E. Maritz of the VP Fair Foundation Inc., quipped in February, "We have decided 

that there will be no rain. . . . Therefore, there will be no need for contingency plans in the 

event of rain." [23] However, rain fell intermittently throughout the event, and combined 

with another weather problem, extreme heat, to afflict several fairgoers with heat exhaustion.

Immediately after the fair, which drew an estimated 3.75 million people, hundreds of workers 

from the National Cleaning Company began fanning out over the grounds, picking up trash. 

City fathers were pleased by the huge turnout, [24] but the grounds were a mess, which upset 

JEFF Facility Manager Bob Kelly. Tom Adams, Vice President of National Cleaning, was 

quoted as saying that "the place is going to look like it used to." Bob Kelly felt otherwise, 

and told the newspaper that it would take at least a year for the site to return to normal. "And 

there is some damage that may not show up for several years. . . . I saw the lights shaking, 

day after day, in the visitors center under the Arch. It wasn't built to take that kind of 

pressure. I don't know what the long-range result will be." In 1981, the VP Fair Foundation 

was charged only $18,000 for repairs, with the Park Service performing two-thirds of the 

work themselves. Although the VP officials pledged to return the park to "the way it was," 

concerns among members of the park staff ran deep.

All the goldfish in the reflecting ponds on the grounds were killed over the weekend of the 

fair. The grounds were trampled to the point of killing all the vegetation over large areas. Bob 

Kelly continued, "The main thing is that they are trying to make a fairgrounds out of a place 

designed as a people park. . . . Sure, some of the parks in Washington are used that way, but 

they have access roads on either side and they were designed for that sort of pressure.

"There is only one service road for trucks in the whole Jefferson National Expansion 

Memorial. And what we have seen is 40-foot over-the-road semis being driven over what are 

sidewalks, pedestrian passageways. We told the VP people not to bring in these big trucks, 

but they didn't listen." Over 50 of the new Rosehill Ash trees were severely damaged by the 

big trucks, and deep ruts edged many of the walks. A pool of mud marked the area in front 

of the main stage. "The area is very delicately graded, sort of corrugated with drainage tile 

under the lower areas. That is going to have to be completely regraded, and it is going to be a 

lot harder than it was in the beginning because there is an irrigation system 14 inches
underground," said Kelly. [25]

Executive Director Charles Wallace of the VP Fair Foundation responded by hiring a 

consulting engineer to assist the Park Service in restoring the grounds. Plans were made to 

further spread out activities for the 1983 fair, even to the extent of considering nearby Busch 

Stadium for some of the more popular music events. "Take the Elton John concert," Wallace 

said. "I'm not a bit sorry we did it. We had to experiment with things like that. But the people 

who came to see Elton John brought their own food and beverages, kept other people away 

and created a big mess." [26]

JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober expressed doubts about the future of the fair on the 

Gateway Arch grounds. "I don't think by any fashion could this be an annual event," he told 

the media. Schober suggested shortening the event, or scattering the activities throughout the 

city and county to take the burden off the park. Concerns were voiced especially over the 

national character of the site; that the event was fine for St. Louisans, but that other 

Americans who came to see the site a few weeks after the event would view an eyesore, not a 

national park. [27]

The destruction to the grounds was not the only concern. Fights broke out in scattered places 

on the grounds, and two people were killed in a shooting incident near the wharfside 

McDonald's restaurant east of the park. [28]

St. Louis citizens suggested, in letters to the editors of the local newspapers and to 

Superintendent Schober, that the venue of the VP Fair be switched to St. Louis' enormous 

Forest Park. Especially galling to senior citizens was the lack of shade trees on the Arch 

grounds in the early 1980s. One letter noted that "people hoisted makeshift tents" on the 

grounds. [29]

"The reflecting pools were not meant to be used as swimming pools."

"A beautiful green lawn is a quagmire of mud, trees are dead, an expensive irrigation system 

is ruined — so the VP Fair can rival Mardi Gras. Is all of this damage to a national park 

acceptable because the VP Fair Committee is willing to pay for it? Do we allow our children 

to vandalize or destroy property as long as their parents are willing to pay for it? What a 

waste of time and money — and what a horrible lesson in values!"

"Is the death of two young men and the need for police to remove a bridge walker success? 

Would the fair have been a lesser success had four died and the bridge walker drowned?" 

[30]

"It seems totally inconsistent to me to spend literally years of work landscaping the Arch 

grounds and then destroy it in three days!" [31]

"Realistically it would not be to St. Louis' advantage to use the Arch area for an annual binge 

at the expense of ruining it as a tourist attraction for the rest of the year." [32]
The Arch grounds, 1982 VP Fair. NPS photo.

Perhaps the most effective letter came from a woman who worked as a volunteer on the 

grounds:

There are things disturbing to my soul. One is a question of whether creating the 

largest 4th of July celebration in the nation was a gift or a desecration. For three 

days the VP organization gave St. Louisans what they wanted; but they were all 

so young or young at heart. Did they know what was good for them?

I was helping a church that was on the brink of financial disaster that was given 

an opportunity to earn a 15 percent commission selling VP Beer. The second day 

I sold beer all day. The crowd grew until it was a sea of humanity, flowing past 

not knowing where it was going or why.

Millions came to see Bob Hope. They saw him but they didn't laugh. They were 

preoccupied with themselves and their beer. By nightfall I was terrified to leave 

the sanctuary of our booth; so I stayed until the people were gone. I walked out 

over a sea of trash at midnight.

On the third day I had to go back. I couldn't leave my friends alone with Elton 

John and the heat. It was a rare opportunity to have a cold beer concession in 

Hell and live to tell about it. It was beyond description: The trash, the heat, the 

mud, the broken glass, the broken trees, the constant press of exhausted humans.

After Elton John the crowd dissipated and we could see the desecration of our 

national park. [33]
Arch grounds, 1982 VP Fair. NPS photo.

The overall impression on the part of the VP Fair's backers, however, was one of success. 

The fair made a profit of $150,000, even after reimbursing the Park Service with $120,000 

for damage to the grounds. It was felt that the fair was experiencing growing pains, but that 

problems could be brought under control with some adjustments. Committee members even 

began to look toward 2004, and a repeat of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, to be 

held in Forest Park, site of the original fair. The annual VP Fairs could serve as "test runs" 

for a world's fair. [34]

After the passage of years and some distance from the 1982 Fair, especially considering the 

subsequent success of fairs on the park grounds, it is difficult to assess the tough management 

decision which faced Superintendent Schober in the latter part of 1982.

Aftermath of the 1982 VP Fair; foot of the Gateway Arch. NPS photo, Midwest

Regional Office.
Although he decided to issue another two-year special use permit to the VP Fair Foundation, 

he forbade the use of trucks on the grounds, and requested that alternatives be considered to 

the set-up of the main stage directly under the Gateway Arch. He also forced the arts and 

crafts booths off the grounds and onto the city streets on three sides of the memorial. Busch 

Stadium was used for the big-name music acts in 1983. Security was beefed up, to prevent 

the violent incidents of the year before. A better system of trash storage, pickup and 

recycling was worked out, to handle the huge amounts of refuse; more than sixty tons of 

bottles, cans, napkins, popped balloons and other trash were recovered from the site in 1982. 

[35]

In 1983, Superintendent Schober said, "We want the park this year to be a backdrop for the 

fair, not the postage stamp everybody has to stand on." VP President Charles Wallace said, 

"We want to get back to 1.5 million [people]. We want to spread the fair out, and on the 

Arch grounds themselves have more umbrella tables and picnic tables for families to sit 

down and relax." [36] The evolution of the fair from a Woodstock-type rock concert to a 

family educational outing had begun.

The Importance of the VP Fair

The VP Fair has helped to promote commercial development and investment throughout 

metropolitan St. Louis, estimated at $2 billion between 1981 and 1990. During that same 

decade, the fair generated more than $2 million for 93 non-profit organizations, which 

averaged $220,000 per year raised at food and beverage booths run by local charities. The 

fair generated worldwide publicity for St. Louis which one source estimated conservatively at

$5 million per year, focusing attention on the city as a travel destination and healthy 

economic center. A study released in June 1990 claimed that the VP Fair generated a regional 

economic impact of about $26 million annually. This included money spent for hotels, 

restaurants, parking, entertainment, fairgrounds activities and taxes. The VP Fair became the 

big annual event for the St. Louis community, an integral part of life in the city. [37]

Originally, the VP Fair Foundation donated a portion of the profit from each year's fair to the 

community, in the form of a gift to be enjoyed by all. The first gift, a result of the 1981 fair, 

was the lighting for the historic Eads Bridge. Donations also created the Mississippi River 

Overlook (1982) and the mile-long Riverfront Promenade, constructed between 1983 and

1985, and co-sponsored by the City of St. Louis. The value of VP Fair donations to the city 

and people of St. Louis totaled more than $1 million during the early 1980s. [38]

Hosting the fair was not without its problems, however. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, 

the VP Fair Foundation fell into debt by as much as $800,000, which curtailed its benevolent 

activities and gifts to the city. Because of financial difficulties, the fair was sometimes slow 

to fulfil its obligation to restore the grounds to their pre-fair appearance. In one instance 

(1987), the committee reneged on its obligation in this regard altogether. The VP Fair 

Foundation remained hopeful that profits from fairs which were successful from the 

standpoint of attendance and good weather would reduce their deficit. By 1990, the VP Fair 

Foundation's debt reached an apogee of $875,000. By 1992, the debt was reduced to

$172,510. [39]
Crowd watching fireworks in the evening, with the Old Courthouse and the St. Louis 

skyline in the background. NPS photo.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER THREE:

The Veiled Prophet Fair (continued)

The Fairs

1981

The first VP Fair was a three-day event, held July 3-5, 1981. With just six months planning 

time and a tiny budget, [40] it was a miniature version of what would be presented during the 

rest of the 1980s. Country singer Loretta Lynn was scheduled as the fair's major 

entertainment, but in a precursor of things to come, was rained out that evening. The rain also 

swamped the river barge loaded with fireworks, but Sunday night's fireworks, still dry, were 

substituted and enjoyed by all on the 4th.

The first fair was attended by an estimated 800,000 people, and brought in $113,000, "almost 

exactly the amount earned at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, according to Price Waterhouse, 

VP Fair volunteer accountants since 1981." These profits were used as seed money for the

1982 fair, and as the first of the annual gifts given to the community by the VP organization. 

[41]

Food and craft booth, VP Fair, July 4, 1981. NPS photo.

1982
The down side of the 1982 VP Fair is detailed above. The official theme of the fair was "The 

Heritage of St. Louis." Big-name entertainers crowded the stage during the three- day event, 

including Chuck Berry, Bob Hope, Dionne Warwick, Roy Clark, the Beach Boys, and Elton 

John, who was spirited onto the grounds disguised as a St. Louis police officer. The fair was 

attended by about three million people; 3,000,001 counting the baby born on the steps of the 

Old Cathedral. [42]

1983

More than four million people, the VP Fair's largest crowd of the decade, attended the 1983 

fair. Several new attractions were added, including ten satellite music stages scattered about 

the grounds, a hot air balloon race, an air show, the VP Fair Criterium bicycle races at Busch 

Stadium and the first annual VP Fair Run. The theme of the fair was "St. Louis . . . Great 

Moments in Fantasy."

Karen Baldwin, the reigning Miss Universe, led the VP Fair Parade, along with eighty-five

1983 contestants scattered throughout the floats. Performers included Harry Belafonte, the 

Charlie Daniels Band, the Osmond Family and Linda Ronstadt, as well as 100 additional acts 

running the gamut of musical styles from Dixieland to rock, jazz, blues, and country. 

Problems created during the 1982 Fair with musical acts on the Arch grounds were eased by 

putting the more raucous, big-name acts in Busch Stadium during the day, and acts like the 

Osmonds on the grounds in the evening. [43]

A steamboat race was held the morning of July 4, when the Mississippi Queen raced the 

Delta Queen. The race became an annual event. Opera star William Warfield sang "Ol' Man 

River," backed by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, on the Mississippi River Overlook. The 

fair ended with a spectacular 40-minute fireworks display. [44]

The fair had not shed its wild and wooly past, as unfortunate incidents, again along the 

waterfront area during the fireworks display, marred the occasion. Two stabbings and a 

shooting resulted in wounds, but luckily no deaths, on July 4. [45]

The VP Fair was a tremendous success, drawing an estimated 4.66 million people, bringing 

in a gross income of $3.1 million, and turning a profit for the VP Fair Foundation of

$275,000. Superintendent Schober was favorably impressed with the small amount of damage 

to the grounds, and decided to give the green light to a fair in 1984. [46]

1984

Banker Clarence C. Barksdale was general chairman of the three-day 1984 VP Fair, which 

was highlighted by the participation of the restored Laclede's Landing district just north of the 

park. Laclede's Landing sponsored a "Fabulous Fifties Fair," which was attended by 

costumed revelers. A concerted effort was made to spread the activities of the fair over a 

larger area, and not concentrate them in the park. Charles H. Wallace, president of the VP 

Fair committee, said that sheer numbers of visitors were not the goal of the fair. "That's not 

really the purpose of the fair. Keeping it free and accessible to as many as possible is 

absolutely critical." [47]

A tightrope artist walked a wire between the Clarion Hotel and the KMOX Radio building, at 

a height of 300 feet, for a distance of three blocks. This, of course, was off park property. 

Perhaps the most unusual event of the fair was a wedding held in Luther Ely Smith Square, 

between the Arch Grounds and the Old Courthouse. A VP Fair band entertained an expectant 

crowd who waited for the bride, 30 minutes late in arriving. Booth vendors from the fair 

supplied ice cream and cake for the wedding party, including the 90-year-old justice of the 

peace.
Since the 4th of July fell on a Wednesday, the fair was held on a split schedule, beginning 

with the VP Parade on Friday, June 29, continuing on Saturday and Sunday with fair 

activities, and concluding, after a two-day break, with a final fair day on Wednesday the 4th. 

President Ronald Reagan was invited, but in an election year opted to spend the 4th 

campaigning in the state of Florida, where the polls did not favor him so highly. [48]

On Monday, July 2, NBC's Today Show broadcast live from the Gateway Arch grounds, and 

a "mini fair" was staged for the benefit of a nationwide audience. The two-hour show 

highlighted the city of St. Louis, calling it "a city on the rebound." Mayor Vincent Schoemehl 

was interviewed, as were other city officials. Chuck Berry and John Denver performed "Roll 

Over Beethoven" on the river overlook especially for the show. Joe Garagiola took cameras 

to his boyhood home on Elizabeth Avenue in The Hill section of St. Louis. Gospel music 

pioneer Willie Mae Ford Smith stood on the steps of the Old Courthouse, and spoke of an 

ancestor who had been sold as a slave on the same spot in the 19th century. The national 

attention was a first for the VP Fair, which had unsuccessfully tried to lure the networks to 

St. Louis since the first fair in 1981. The importance of this coup must be seen in light of the 

fact that in 1984, the Today Show went on the road just twice each year. [49]

Despite this publicity coup, many St. Louisans remained skeptical about the fair. St. Louis' 

alternative newspaper, the Riverfront Times, carried an article which refuted the idea that the 

message about the VP Fair was getting out to the American people. The article stated that the 

St. Louis media were playing up the event beyond its relative importance on the national 

scene. "Only one fact is beyond debate: St. Louis received a big zero in national news 

coverage of July Fourth celebrations. That's a fact, a truism, a statement documented, sadly, 

by the black ink on white paper that a score of other cities received while St. Louis wasn't 

even mentioned. All the civic boosterism in the world, all the good intentions, all the overkill 

daily newspaper coverage can't change this fact: St. Louis' great party was ignored 

nationally." [50]

Emergency carts on the Gateway Arch grounds, for use during the VP Fair. Courtesy

John Weddle.

Attendance of 3.8 million people unfortunately included unruly motorcycle gangs. The large 

number of fairgoers who brought alcoholic beverages in glass bottles prompted a city 

ordinance prohibiting this behavior for future fairs. The fair experienced a good deal of
drunken, rowdy behavior from teens, and complaints appeared in the newspapers about the 

ease with which underage kids could obtain alcohol. Tighter restrictions were placed on beer 

vendors following the 1984 fair. [51]

Food and beverage sales were up 50% over 1983, with a resulting increase in trash. A major 

cleanup effort was inaugurated on Sunday night to prepare for the Today Show broadcast on 

Monday. A group of 200 contract workers, 35 city employees, and 100 summer workers with 

St. Louis' "Operation Brightside" collected and hauled away 33 tons of trash, working 

through the night. "Operation Brightside" collected 13,000 pounds of aluminum cans from 

the weekend, and another 9,000 pounds from Wednesday's activities, netting $4,000 for the 

citywide clean-up program. Crews recovered a total of 130 tons of trash from the week of 

activities. [52]

Featured performers included Glen Campbell, Helen Reddy, John Denver, Nancy Wilson, 

Buddy Rich and Tom T. Hall. NBC weatherman Willard Scott also attended, and served as 

grand marshal of the VP Parade. [53] The crime rate was low, and the fair was marred by 

only one tragedy, the suicide of a man from Indiana who jumped off the Eads Bridge. [54] 

Best of all, the fair showed a profit due to increased food and beverage sales. [55]

A St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial summed up the change in the VP Fair:

The fourth annual VP Fair had it all — alas, including a long bout of rain that 

held the attendance down somewhat on the final day, Wednesday, but did little to 

dampen the spirits of the huge crowd that made its way to the riverfront for the 

festivities and fireworks. The smooth, professional management of the event was 

solid evidence that the promoters have developed it from a spectacular if 

occasionally chaotic attraction to a spectacular show with a minimum of 

problems. That evolution is the soundest assurance that the fair is here to stay as 

high quality annual entertainment. [56]

1985

Visits totalling 3.95 million were made during the 1985 VP Fair, which was extended to a 

four-day extravaganza. This was made possible because the 4th of July fell on a Thursday. 

The fair's featured entertainment was purposely steered away from rock music and toward 

more family-oriented attractions. These included Ray Charles, Doc Severinsen with the St. 

Louis Symphony Orchestra, Liza Minnelli, and Up With People. Other family features 

included a "Fun Fair Village," a "Country Western Fair" and a historic look at baseball 

sponsored by Famous-Barr, KMOX Radio, and Schnuck's Markets. Stunt pilot Art Scholl 

was a hit during McDonnell-Douglas' daily air show. The 1985 Fair was also able to attract 

out-of-town corporate sponsors such as Chrysler Corporation, which hosted an Auto Fair.

To promote ecology and recycling, "Operation Brightside" collected empty aluminum 

beverage cans at vendor booths on each day of the event. It was estimated that 98% of all 

cans sold were recycled. "A cooperative citizenry obeyed the city ordinance and didn't bring 

glass bottles or alcoholic beverages to the fair." Few arrests were made, and those only for 

disturbance of the peace. [57]
Crowds watch the McDonnell-Douglas Air Show, 1985 VP Fair. NPS photo by Al

Bilger.

The park was honored to have Secretary of the Interior Donald Hodel attend the last day of 

the fair with his wife. The secretary introduced Up With People, preceding the Grand Finale, 

a spectacular fireworks show which closed the fair. [58]

Executive Director Charles Wallace estimated a profit of $300,000 for the 1985 fair, "almost 

equal to its total profit during the first four years.

"The reason, he said, is the families.

"'Not only are the people not bringing their own alcohol, but they have their kids — and you 

know how kids are tugging on your leg wanting things,' Wallace said. 'We used to sell three 

beers for every soda, and this year it's 1 to 1. And the beer sales aren't down.'

"Wallace said the $300,000 profit would allow the VP Fair Foundation to reduce its debt of 

about $400,000 for commitments to the city for riverfront improvements. . . The foundation's 

surpluses must be spent on community projects or on future fairs." [59]

Superintendent Schober agreed to sign a special use permit for four more VP Fairs, with the 

understanding that the fair would be cut from four days to three, and that the Park Service 

would no longer fund the extra rangers on the special event teams.

SCHOBER SAID he asked Congress this year for the roughly $130,000 needed 

to pay for the 40 extra rangers, who help local police and fair security guards 

control the huge crowds. The money was classified as an emergency expenditure 

for law enforcement, he said.

"I've been able to justify it by saying that the fair is something we don't put on 

and something that might not be here in a given year," Schober said. "We used 

the emergency [law enforcement] funds on that basis. And I put it in my budget 

request again this year, but Congress didn't grant it. That means we must find 

alternative funding." [60]

This funding was covered by the VP Fair Foundation in subsequent years.
1986

As more than 200,000 expectant fans awaited the arrival of Dolly Parton on the main stage 

Saturday, July 5, they paid little attention to a security truck slowly motoring through the 

reluctantly parting masses. As the truck entered the maintenance tunnel, Ms. Parton, 

crouching in the back of the vehicle, was able to come out of her uncomfortable position. 

Moments later, after being successfully spirited onto the grounds, she appeared on the main 

stage to a tremendous ovation.

The 1986 fair, attended by more than three million people, broke all previous records for food 

and beverage sales. Hundreds of attractions on the grounds included Disney characters, 

charity fund-raising concerts by Ben Vereen and Lola Falana, a "Caribbean Carnival" 

sponsored by the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, performing arts sponsored by the 

St. Louis Arts & Education Council, and a fun-filled "Children's Village." Trans World 

Airlines sponsored an "International Village," featuring dozens of ethnic groups and exotic 

foods. Every event, theme area and entertainment program was subsidized by a major 

corporation. [61]

Crowds wait for a featured performer on the main stage at the VP Fair. Photo by John

Weddle.

The fair was once again planned as a family event, and minimal damage was inflicted on the 

Arch grounds. Well-coordinated cleanup crews handled 316 tons of trash, completing their 

task between 1 a.m. Monday morning and sunset of that same day. A park visitor from New 

Jersey was amazed at the swift pace of the cleanup crew. [62]

The fair was marred only by roving gangs of teenagers who preyed upon people as they 

returned to their cars after each evening's fireworks display. "The majority of the crimes were 

strong-arm robberies of individuals with gold chains or purses. . . A report Sunday night said 

a group of 100 youths had randomly assaulted fairgoers along Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard 

and had been broken up by three club-swinging police officers." [63]

A police officer shot and wounded a youth about 10:50 p.m. Saturday when the 

youth pulled a tear-gas gun from his pants and pointed it at [the] officer. . . . 

Police were trying to break up a fight at the time, and most of those who were 

involved fled when the shots were fired. . . .
On Friday night, a bystander was shot in the leg during another scuffle. Another 

man also was reported to have been shot, but police said they had not found him.

. . They said groups of young people ranging in age from 12 to their early 20s 

and ranging in size from five people to 40 people, had moved through the 

crowds, stealing gold chains, purses and other valuables from fairgoers.

"It's nauseating," said an officer . . . "We're not able to protect these people, that's 

the bottom line."

Another officer said, "It's going to kill this fair." [64]

Spokespersons for the fair minimized the effect of the crime, and when seen in a larger 

perspective, the success of the 1986 fair far outweighed these incidents. Based on the fact that 

the majority of these crimes were perpetrated by black youths from East St. Louis, the St. 

Louis Police Department asked the State Legislature to pass a bill permitting the addition of 

police officers from other departments in Missouri and Illinois to the VP Fair security force. 

They also asked that Eads Bridge, the only pedestrian access to the fair from East St. Louis, 

be closed between the hours of 3 p.m. and 4 a.m. [65]

1987

The closing of Eads Bridge in an effort to discourage gangs from crossing the Mississippi to 

repeat the harassment of the 1986 VP Fair was roundly criticized by the overwhelmingly

African-American population of East St. Louis. Facing a charge of racism in a suit filed by 

the East St. Louis chapter of the NAACP, U.S. District Judge John F. Nangle ordered the 

bridge reopened after just one day. It was alleged that the bridge closing violated the right of 

people to travel and discriminated against them on the basis of race. [66]

Advance planning for the 1987 VP Fair culminated in the donation of $90,000 to cover 

special event team participation, and hotel accommodations and air travel were donated at no 

cost to the park. Plans and budgets were prepared requesting $25,000 in assistance under the 

Emergency Law and Order Fund to provide an advance special event team to complement 

JEFF staff for the setup and hosting of a three-hour ABC nationwide television special, in 

addition to ABC-TV's Good Morning America program, both featuring Barbara Bush, then 

the wife of the Vice President. Planning guidelines were prepared by the park and given to 

the City of St. Louis and the VP Fair Foundation six months before the event. [67]

The 1987 VP Fair was a three-day event with the theme "We, The People," honoring the 

bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. Former Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. 

Burger served as honorary chairman. A special "Constitutional Village," sponsored by the 

Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis and St. Louis County, was established within the 

fairgrounds.

The fair opened with the conclusion of the first-ever U.S. National Senior Olympics, a weeklong event which included 2,500 athletes aged 55 and older. Bob Hope hosted the closing 

ceremonies of the Senior Olympics and the opening ceremonies of the VP Fair. Hope and his 

wife Dolores also served as grand marshals of the VP Parade.

The ABC-TV special, "A Star-Spangled Celebration," brought national recognition to St. 

Louis, the VP Fair, the Gateway Arch, and the National Park Service. The three-hour "show 

of stars" was videotaped Friday evening, July 3, and telecast July 4 to millions of TV 

viewers. This prime-time special also promoted literacy in America. Project Literacy's 

national spokesperson, Barbara Bush, appeared. Entertainers included Tony Bennett, Suzanne 

Somers, Bernadette Peters, Chubby Checker, Natalie Cole, Peter Allen and the Rockettes.
[68] Robert Urich and Oprah Winfrey co-hosted the show. Good Morning America broadcast 

live from the Arch on July 3. Despite the positive publicity represented by the ABC special, 

the VP Fair Foundation ended up paying for the major portion of the costs. This special, more 

than any other single factor, threw them into debt. [69]

Wind and torrential rains throughout the three-day fair dampened everything but the spirits 

of all involved, from the park staff (including seven regional special event teams and a 

contingent from the U.S. Park Police), to the estimated 2.5 million people who attended. In 

addition to their other woes, the VP Fair Foundation carried no rain insurance. [70]

Damage to the grounds was extensive, and an estimated $60,000 in lost revenue was suffered 

each day of the event due to the rain. Another $120,000 was spent in merely keeping the fair 

going, putting tents back up, covering muddy areas with plywood, and pumping out water. 

Complaints from the public were numerous. [71] Serious consideration was again given to an 

alternative site for the fair, and a VP Fair Foundation committee investigated the possibilities. 

They concluded that the fair "was now so grandiose that it could only be produced at the 

Gateway Arch." [72] Superintendent Schober noted, however, that the permit for the VP Fair 

expired after 1988, and said that "it was time to review the impact on the national park and 

whether anything could be done to ameliorate it." [73]

1988

"Parks U.S.A." was the theme of the 1988 fair, which provided a perfect opportunity for the 

National Park Service to erect, for the first time, an exhibit of its own. The three tents in the 

NPS area were staffed by park rangers from JEFF and from other parks across the country. 

Harpers Ferry Center provided an exhibit on the National Park System. Visitors also 

encountered an information tent about NPS areas, and the presentation of a continuous 

schedule of interpretive programs. Approximately 38,000 visitors were contacted at the 

booth. [74]

Advance planning for the 1988 VP Fair culminated in the donation of $85,000 to cover

National Park Service participation. Hotel accommodations and air travel were donated.

For the second consecutive year, ABC-TV produced a two-hour nationally televised, primetime special, hosted by Patrick Duffy and Joanna Kerns, and featuring Glen Campbell, John 

Hartford, Kool and the Gang, Leroy Reems, Restless Heart, Judy Tenuta, Michael Winslow 

and Pia Zadora. Good Morning America once again broadcast live from the grounds of the 

Gateway Arch. [75] Both presentations featured Barbara Bush. Then Vice-President George 

Bush attended the celebration as well, hosting a reception for citizens naturalized at the fair, 

and speaking to the crowd. Security was increased for Bush as friction with Iran had been 

growing since the downing of an Iranian airliner by a U.S. Navy ship in the Persian Gulf. 

[76]

Director of the National Park Service William Penn Mott was the honorary chairman of the 

fair and rode in the opening parade, which featured an NPS float with all types of uniformed 

Arch employees and volunteers represented. [77] Mott said that he was not distressed by the 

damage to the grounds caused by the crowds. "'Parks are for people,' he said. 'We are not 

dealing with a natural resource here. We've got the technicians and the knowledge to put it 

back together again. I don't think it's a problem for us.'" [78]

Performers were set up on the Overlook Stage, at the foot of the Grand Staircase on the east 

side of Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard. By holding the main events on this riverside stage 

rather than under the Arch, the grounds were spared a great deal of wear and tear. A 20-by30-foot video screen was set up near the north leg of the Arch so that fairgoers could watch 

the entertainment live. The one drawback to this plan was that fewer people could attend
events. While 200,000 could assemble in front of the stage on the Arch grounds, only 25,000 

could be comfortably seated on the steps to the levee. [79]

Monsanto Corporation sponsored the VP Fair's popular "Family Village" and Kodak 

sponsored an "All-American Balloonfest." The former Presidential yacht Sequoia sailed to St. 

Louis for the event, and was toured by more than 26,000 people. Two events which continued 

beyond 1988 were introduced, "Senior's Day" and the "Pioneer Craft Village," sponsored by 

Pet, Incorporated, which included a pioneer log cabin replete with woodworkers, weavers, 

and other artisans. [80] "Fairgoers were delighted with the fair's new look. More education 

exhibits were added . . . " Crowds were well-behaved due to the cooler weather. Families 

were impressed with the change. "'It seems like more of a family thing than just a grown-up 

thing'" said one fairgoer. Puppet shows, diaper-changing services and fingerprinting for child 

identification were also cited as evidence of the changed nature of the fair. [81] In addition, 

the fair was singled out for its sensitivity to the needs of disabled visitors. [82]

An estimated 2.68 million people attended the event, which produced some interesting 

statistics. More than 120,000 bratwurst and hot dogs, 300,000 soft drinks and 300,000 cups of 

beer were sold at the 1988 VP Fair. In addition, 1.7 million pounds of ice, 30,000 pounds of 

charcoal and 850 gallons of barbecue sauce were consumed. The tally also included 50,000 

rolls of toilet paper used in the hundreds of portable toilets. The event produced more than

150 tons of trash. [83]

An awareness of the possibly prejudicial practices of past fairs was brought to the surface 

when the Eads Bridge was closed in 1987. As a result, fifteen black community and business 

leaders were appointed to the board and various committees of the VP Fair Foundation in

1988. Chris Mullen, "a black woman who has experience booking entertainment . . . [was 

appointed] to a three-year term on the fair's entertainment task force. The Rev. Samuel 

Hylton, president of the St. Louis Clergy Coalition, was one of seven prominent AfricanAmericans appointed to the board of directors, which totaled 62 members. These were the 

first black members in the 110-year history of the Veiled Prophet." [84]

"'I feel my appointment and the other appointments really represent a beginning,' Hylton said.

'You have to make certain that the black community is represented in the structure of the VP 

Fair on all levels.

"'I think the black community is a rich resource. We are ready to pull our load if we are 

convinced the efforts are sincere and authentic.'" [85]

An editorial in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch summarized the African-American point of view: 

The VP Foundation's promise to remedy the absence of blacks from its executive

body and from many fair activities marks a good first step toward improving the

image of its Independence Day event. The foundation has pledged to begin an ad 

campaign to boost black attendance at the fair and set up a permanent committee 

to help assure black participation.

The proposed changes are welcome, even if they are overdue. It's no 

exaggeration to say the lily-white legacy out of which the fair grew has remained 

disturbing to many blacks. The onus for bridging this racial chasm had to be on 

fair organizers, and they have made a good start by abandoning the outdated 

notion that all they needed to attract blacks was to give them some stage time for 

gospel music.

A wider range of entertainment would help, but this by itself wouldn't generate 

exceptional black interest. The VP Foundation now realizes the first thing it has
to do is make clear that black attendance is encouraged. That, presumably, is also 

what has been behind suggestions over the years of giving the VP Fair a 

different name. This change would make a symbolic break with the past and 

would show even more that the organizers are truly concerned about broadening 

the event's appeal. [86]

The foundation's agreement to reach out to blacks should help ease the memory 

of last year's sneak closing of the Eads Bridge to East St. Louis pedestrian 

traffic. More than any other incident, that action conveyed a feeling of hostility 

toward blacks — an attitude unfortunately furthered by paternalistic comments 

from some VP officials. Now, the proposed efforts to boost black participation 

show that the foundation realizes that everyone benefits from making the fair a 

genuine communitywide celebration. [87]

1989

The 1989 VP Fair, attended by an estimated 3 million people, lasted for four days and was 

based around the theme "Education is America's Future." The NPS sponsored an exhibit tent, 

information tent, and shared a program tent with the St. Louis County Parks. Interpretive 

programs were given to an estimated 20,000 people. Three special event teams were brought 

in from National Park Service areas across the country, and 25 off-duty St. Louis police 

officers provided security for the event. The VP Foundation provided $85,000 to cover NPS 

maintenance and law enforcement costs, and the City of St. Louis provided an additional 600 

police and fire personnel. Financial difficulties facing the VP Fair Foundation necessitated 

the requirement of more stringent financial and programmatic control for 1989 than for any 

of the eight previous fairs. The VP Fair Foundation paid the remainder of the costs for 1988, 

totaling $24,000 plus $700 interest, and all of the expected costs for 1989 prior to the permit 

being issued. A signed contract was required for replacing trees, and providing for an 

immediate 3,000 yards of sod, with an option on an additional 3,000 yards if needed. [88]

The 1989 fair was the first to be broadcast to audiences worldwide over the Voice of 

America Radio Network. Twelve Voice of America reporters, fluent in eight languages, 

interviewed fairgoers and described the events.

July 3 was "Education Day," which featured seven themed "study halls" in what was billed as 

"America's Largest Classroom." Each of the study halls challenged fairgoers with games, 

puzzles and other lessons which made learning fun. Counseling was provided for high school 

students. A "Living History Village," a logging camp, a giant globe and an education stage 

also highlighted the event. [89]

A massive naturalization ceremony was conducted on July 3, as 150 people gathered at the 

South Overlook. These immigrants, representing 54 countries, simultaneously took the oath 

of allegiance and generated international publicity for the park and the event.

1990

Advance planning for the 1990 Veiled Prophet Fair resulted in a safe and well-attended event 

with an estimated 2 million people over four days. Four special event teams provided visitor 

and resource protection. The Veiled Prophet organization covered NPS maintenance and law 

enforcement costs, and the City of St. Louis provided an additional 600 police and fire 

personnel. The fair was held on Saturday and Sunday, shut down on Monday, and resumed 

on Tuesday and Wednesday the 4th. [90]

The theme of the fair was "Education and Freedom Make America Strong," and features 

included a 19th-century logging camp, two actors from television's Sesame Street, a 900-
pound, ten foot globe (used to teach geography), a one-room schoolhouse complete with quill 

pens, and "We Are the World," where visitors could sample crafts, activities and clothing 

from other cultures. Activities included making fortune cookies, trying out Adinkra printing 

from Ghana, performing radio plays, and obtaining passports. Reading was encouraged in an 

exhibit sponsored by the St. Louis Public Library and Pet, Inc. [91]

The international flavor of the fair was enhanced by fourteen students from South Africa and 

former "Iron Curtain" countries, who attended a discussion on the U.S. Constitution at the 

Old Courthouse, saw a Cardinals baseball game, and participated in a two-hour discussion on 

the fair's overlook stage about the changes in their homelands. The students were impressed 

by the beauty of the United States, and by the little things which Americans take for granted. 

A young woman from Estonia was touched by the nametag she was given. "It's so personal . .

. I feel like a queen," she said. [92] A Japanese video crew shot scenes of the fair for a 

documentary on "the unique culture of America." [93] Dustin Nguyen, who fled Vietnam in a 

small boat in 1975, came to the fair as a well-known television actor from the program 21

Jump Street. Nguyen spoke of the impact which America's freedoms and educational 

opportunities have made on his life. [94]

Further international effects were provided by fireworks from fourteen countries which were 

presented over the four successive nights of the fair. One of the Japanese rockets, called the 

"chrysanthemum," was able to change colors four times. The fireworks were accompanied by 

music over the local radio stations, and preceded by a night air show on two of the evenings. 

[95]

National Park Service information tent at the VP Fair, 1990; Chief of Museum

Services and Interpretation Mark Engler speaks to the press. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Entertainment included Fairchild, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Natalie Cole, Juice 

Newton, the Temptations and the Four Tops, the Grass Roots, Johnny Rivers and the New 

Riders of the Purple Sage. Corporate displays by Budweiser showcased racing cars and 

promoted sober driving, while the TWA exhibit included a Pratt and Whitney engine and 

airline food. [96]

Soaring temperatures kept numbers low, but family attendance highlighted an exceptionally 

well-behaved crowd. [97] Despite the success and changed nature of the fair, protest letters
continued to appear in the local papers. Whenever crowds of two million people gather for 

four days in a limited area, there are bound to be problems; however, by 1990, positive 

feedback began to outweigh negative. [98]

NPS cannon crew at the 1990 VP Fair. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

1991

The 1991 Veiled Prophet Fair was moved to the Labor Day weekend. Aside from enabling 

fairgoers to enjoy milder temperatures, it was thought that the Labor Day date would allow 

the completion of roof repairs to the underground visitor center complex, then in progress. 

[99]

During 1991, needed changes were initiated in conjunction with the City of St. Louis, and the 

VP Fair Foundation, to reduce the negative impact on natural and cultural resources and 

enhance protection for the estimated 2-3 million visitors to the Arch grounds. The 75th 

anniversary of the National Park Service was one of the highlights of the 1991 VP Fair. A 

servicewide 75th anniversary interpretive program was planned, coordinated and directed by 

JEFF. The success of this coordinated effort was insured by eight NPS regions, Harpers Ferry 

Center, and the United States Park Police, working together to bring the best NPS interpretive 

programs to St. Louis for the event. Deputy Director of the NPS Herbert Cables rode in the 

VP Parade, and lavish media attention highlighted the role of the National Park Service 

across the United States. Diverse programs featuring 40 interpreters representing 25 NPS 

sites, were well-received by the 26,000 visitors who stopped by the four NPS tents at the fair. 

[100]

The route of the VP Parade was altered due to the large amount of construction on downtown 

streets for "Metrolink," St. Louis' new mass transit subway system. The parade included three 

Macy's-style balloons. [101]

Entertainment included some of the biggest names in show business, with Mary Wilson 

(formerly of the Supremes), Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Huey Lewis and the News, 

Styx, Bill Cosby, Smokey Robinson and Kenny Rogers performing. [102]
A full range of services were available for the disabled. An article highlighted the experience 

of a St. Louis man at the 1990 VP Fair:

Duane Gruis went to the VP Fair last year and had no trouble getting around or 

seeing everything he wanted to see. He had such a good time, he's going back 

this year.

Gruis uses a wheelchair, and he is urging other would-be fairgoers who use 

wheelchairs to attend the fair, which begins Friday and runs through Monday on 

the grounds of the Gateway Arch.

"They'll have a good time," said Gruis, who is an independent-living specialist 

with Paraquad, Inc.

Gruis said that he did not attend the fair until last year.

"It wasn't hard to do. I knew where the reserved parking spaces were, and I got 

to the fairgrounds without any trouble. And I saw just about everything I wanted 

to see."

He said that the large number of concrete walkways had made it easy to get 

around in a wheelchair and that accessible restrooms had been in the disabled 

services tent.

The director of services for the disabled at the VP Fair was Bill Sheldon, who also worked 

for Paraquad. Sheldon held this post for every fair beginning with the first, in 1981. [103]

Kenny Rogers was rained out at the 1991 VP Fair, but performed in 1992. NPS photo 

by Al Bilger.

The "Family Village" featured a "burning house" to teach kids how to exit a building during a 

fire, a "Safety Town" where children on tricycles were taught the rules of the road by real 

policemen, "Living in Other Lands," where children could talk with former Peace Corps 

volunteers, and "Mathorama," with a variety of math games. [104]

Sunday was declared "Senior's Day," dedicated to an awareness for the needs of seniors. 

Many appreciative letters appeared in the local press: [105]
All last week we read about controversy surrounding the VP Fair, but not much 

was said about the day provided for the elderly.

The ballroom of the Clarion Hotel was made available along with coffee, 

cookies, popcorn, punch . . . and a full day of entertainment.

All this was free. So, too, was the transportation to and from the Clarion Hotel 

via mini-buses, with very courteous and thoughtful drivers. [106]

Sudden, violent thunderstorms forced the early closing of the fair at 2:40 p.m. on Monday, 

the final day of the festivities. The fireworks finale and the performance of Kenny Rogers 

were canceled.

A controversial new system required that fairgoers buy scrip tickets to exchange for food, 

drinks and rides. Confusion was caused, since many vendors of crafts, products and services 

accepted cash and not scrip. Many fairgoers were angered by the fact that scrip sales were 

not refundable. Many bought scrip tickets just before the cancellation of the event on the 

final day. Some complained that the ticket system forced them to wait in line twice; once to 

buy a ticket, and again to use the ticket to obtain drinks or food. Nevertheless, VP Fair 

Executive Director Mel Loewenstein defended the scrip system, and said that it would 

continue to be used, with refinements, for future fairs. [107]

"Like the cartoon character whose problems hovered overhead wherever he went, the VP Fair 

can't escape its twin nemeses, controversy and bad weather. Though the fair moved to Labor 

Day this year from its traditional July 4th spot, the equally traditional heat and humidity 

followed along . . . " [108] It was decided to return the fair to its original July Fourth 

weekend in 1992, because JEFF's division chiefs agreed that there was virtually no difference 

in the results, and that the July date was actually better for the repair of the landscape. [109]

By 1991, even the skeptical Riverfront Times editorialized: "You have to hand it to the 

people running the VP Fair. Not only have they answered their critics (finally) by no longer 

accepting public monies to fund their activities, they've also taken seriously the plea to get 

minorities involved, and added legitimate attractions, including amusement rides, 

participation games and significant exhibitions." [110]
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER THREE:

The Veiled Prophet Fair (continued)

The VP Fair and Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

Every division of JEFF must put their best efforts into each year's VP Fair. A lot of hard 

work and time go into the planning, implementation, protection, and cleanup for each of these 

events. [111]

Superintendent Jerry Schober, reviewing a decade's worth of VP Fairs, reflected:

Bill Cosby performed at the 1991 VP Fair. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

[The VP Fair] put us in connection with some of the largest corporate heads in 

this town. You got there first, you let them see how you manage and they could 

acquire respect for you. One time it came down the pipeline that one corporate 

president said, "I had not had anybody tell me no in fifteen years. And that 

sucker [Schober], I was not with him for an hour before he told me no three 

times . . . [But] I think I know where he is coming from and, damn it, he's 

working for me and so I can take it." I think we earned a lot of respect for the 

job that we do, for the entire Park Service. And it has enhanced us.
For instance, we got a half million dollar Indian Peace Medal collection that we 

would never have received if we hadn't struck up a relationship with one of those 

individuals. [112] We can get support from them from time to time. But it's 

involving them and working with them, not just working by ourselves.

It has been very costly. . . . If we had all the money in the world, we probably 

would not put on the VP Fair here. But, since we are putting one on, and if they 

are going to do it right, we're not going to backstab them or short-circuit [it]. We 

want it to be the best VP Fair ever put on. So that's how we look at it each time. 

We don't work counterproductively. [113]

The grounds of the Gateway Arch during the 1990 VP Fair. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Hosting the VP Fair had many drawbacks during the 1980s. It took time for the park and the 

VP Fair Foundation to work out problems involving destructive use of the grounds, prompt 

payment for repairs, the improved representation of African-Americans, and their own 

financial difficulties.

But the fair had many benefits as well. It served as a showcase for local business, and a 

contact between the park and corporate heads. The gifts bestowed upon the city from its 

profits were important, as was the international publicity and goodwill it generated for the 

city. The VP Fair was also important because it became a part of the warp and woof of life in 

St. Louis. Since Jefferson National Expansion Memorial was partially created with funds 

obtained from the city of St. Louis, the park remained a place which belonged to the people 

of the city as well as the people of the entire United States. The annual VP Fair was a time 

when the people of St. Louis could enjoy their park in a unique fashion. Few National Park 

Service areas could claim such a close identification with their community, both as a regional 

symbol and sight-seeing attraction, and as an integral component in their city's largest annual 

celebration.
Crowds line the riverfront at the 1989 VP Fair. NPS photo by Al Bilger.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER THREE:

Footnotes

1It should be noted that attendance figures for the VP Fair come from non-NPS sources, and 

have been disputed by the Statistical Branch of the Denver Service Center.

2Information on the early Veiled Prophet Fairs is taken from "The Veiled Prophet: A St. 

Louis Tradition," part of JEFF's Museum Gazette series, by Jennifer McNeely, September,

1991; The Veiled Prophet's Gifts: A Saint Louis Legacy by John L. Drew III, pp. 15-20; and

Lion of the Valley by James Neal Primm, pp. 394-395, 417 and 427.

3Ibid. Moore's poem was titled Lalla Rookh: An Oriental Romance, and the original Veiled

Prophet lived in Khorassan, Persia (modern Iran).

4Ibid.

5See "'America's Biggest Birthday Party,' the Ten Year History of the V.P. Fair," by Jeff 

Dunlap, written for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, included in a memo of June 11, 1990, JEFF 

Historian's Files, p. 3. Important information on VP Fairs during the 1980s and early 1990s 

may be found in JEFF Files A8227, and files 79-90-0002 box 4 and 79-89-0003 box 3, in the 

Federal Record Center, Kansas City, Missouri.

6Interview with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 8, 1992, conducted by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore.

7"America's Biggest Birthday Party" by Jeff Dunlap, p. 3.

8Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 8, 1992.

9"America's Biggest Birthday Party" by Jeff Dunlap, p. 3.

10Special Use Permit, VP Fair and JEFF, 1985. JEFF Files, A8227.

11Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 8, 1992. See also Chapter 4, Part

II, on Grounds Maintenance in this administrative history.

12However, vending stands continued to sell alcoholic beverages, in paper cups, on the 

grounds.

13Letter from JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober to Ken Marshall, Task Force on Planning
Committee, VP Fair Foundation, August 21, 1989, JEFF Files, A8227.

14"America's Biggest Birthday Party" by Jeff Dunlap, p. 2.

15See Chapter 4, Section II, on Grounds Maintenance in this administrative history.

16Memorandum, JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober to Midwest Regional Director Charles

Odegaard, February 17, 1984, JEFF Files, A8227.

17Memorandum from Associate Director for Park Operations Stanley Albright to Midwest

Regional Director Odegaard, May 29, 1985, JEFF Files, A8227.

18Letter from JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober to Charles Wallace, Chairman, VP 

Foundation, March 3, 1987. JEFF Files, A8227.

19Ibid.

20Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 8, 1992. See also Chapter 10, 

Law Enforcement and Safety, in this administrative history.

21JEFF Operations Evaluation, Midwest Regional Office, May 1982 p. 22, JEFF Historian's

Files.

22"Program On 'Heritage Of St. Louis' Theme To Boost 2nd Fair," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 

May 23, 1982, p. 3A. Copies of newspaper articles cited in this chapter may be found in the 

Newspaper Clipping files, JNEM Archives.

23"VP Fair," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 12, 1982.

24Mayor Vincent Schoemehl was quoted as saying: "The VP Fair was a tremendous success, 

and a total community effort made it so successful. I look forward to a VP Fair next year." 

James O'Flynn, president of the Regional Commerce and Growth Association, praised the 

fair, saying: "Its great for the community. The Fair has a tremendous impact economically on 

the St. Louis area." Edward A. Ruesing, president of Downtown St. Louis, Inc., called it a 

"Marvelous party — the finest and largest party the city has ever seen." See "VP Fair a hit 

with just about everyone," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 7, 1982.

25"To The Cleanup Crews Belong The Spoils," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 6, 1982, pp. 1 

and 6.

26"VP Fair Hires Engineer To Study Arch Grounds," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 13, 1982, 

pp. 1 and 4.

27"VP Fair a hit with just about everyone," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 7, 1982.

28The widow of one of the young men who was shot to death later unsuccessfully sued the 

VP Fair Foundation for $1 million. See "Widow Sues For $1 Million Over Shooting At VP 

Fair," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 22, 1983.

29"Mailbag," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 15, 1982.

30Quotes from letters to the editor, "letters," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 14, 1982.
31Quote from a letter to the editor, "Mailbag," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 14, 1982.

32"Too Much of a Good Thing?," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 7, 1982, p. 8A.

33"letters," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 11, 1982. It was estimated that one million people 

were on the Arch grounds at 10:05 a.m. on July 4. "VP Fair Fosters World's Fair Idea," St. 

Louis Post-Dispatch, August 3, 1982, p. 9C.

34See "VP Fair Fosters World's Fair Idea," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 3, 1982, p. 9C, 

and "Official Sure VP Fair Will be at Arch," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 9, 1982 p. 13A.

35"1983 VP Fair to brim with delights fit for a king — or a mere prophet," St. Louis GlobeDemocrat, May 7-8, 1983 p. 3A; "Fair," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 8, 1983, pp. 1 and

20A; "City's Plan Aims At Keeping Up With VP Fair's Tons of Trash," St. Louis PostDispatch, June 28, 1983, p. 5A.

36"VP Fair, Park Service Dispute Use of Arch Area," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 10,

1982, p. 3A.

37"America's Biggest Birthday Party," by Jeff Dunlap, p. 2.

38Ibid, p. 4.

39The VP Fair Foundation's last gift to the city was in 1988. By 1993, successful fairs had 

erased the foundation's debt. See the St. Louis Post-Democrat, June 27, 1993, p. 1.

40The budget was $1.4 million. See "Program On 'Heritage Of St. Louis' Theme To Boost

2nd Fair," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 23, 1982, p. 3A. Important information including 

special use permits, specifics on grounds damage and cleanup costs may be found in JEFF 

Files, A8227. Separate folders have been created for each year of the VP Fair.

41"America's Biggest Birthday Party," by Jeff Dunlap, pp. 3-4.

42Ibid., p. 4.

43Ibid., p. 5; "1983 VP Fair to brim with delights fit for a king — or a mere prophet," St. 

Louis Globe-Democrat, May 7-8, 1983 p. 3A; "Fair," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 8, 1983, 

pp. 1 and 20A.

44Ibid.

45"East St. Louis man charged in shooting at close of VP Fair," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, 

July 6, 1983, p. 6A.

46"Chances Shine For VP Fair Next Year," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 6, 1983 p. 3A; 

"Grounds for optimism on future fairs," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 6, 1983 p. 7A.

47"1984 VP Fair Will Be Bigger — And Different," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 13,

1984 pp. 1 and 20A.

48"Reagan will not attend VP Fair," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 26, 1984.
49"'Today' answers VP officials' prayers," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, May 31, 1984, pp. 1 

and 6A; "Look At Us — St. Louis Shows Off On Nationwide Television," St. Louis PostDispatch, July 3, 1984, pp. 1 and 13.

50"Escape From Reality: VP Fair's 'national coverage' a mirage," by Ray Hartmann, The

Riverfront Times, July 11-17, 1984, p. 2.

51"VP Fair Complaints," Editorials, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 11, 1984 p. 2B.

52"Workers Tackle Big Mess," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 3, 1984.

53Ibid., pp. 5-6; "Meet me at the fair," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 30-July 1, 1984, p.

8A.

54"Fair Aftermath: 130 tons of garbage," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 6, 1984, p. 2A.

55"VP Fair Shows Profit Thanks To Increase In Food, Drink Sales," St. Louis Post Dispatch, 

July 12, 1984, p. 4A.

56"Smooth And Spectacular," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 6, 1984, p. 2B.

57"It was the fairest of the fairs," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 8, 1985, pp. 1 and 9A.

58Ibid., pp. 6-7, and JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985, p. 1.

59"VP Fair," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 6, 1985. See also "5th VP Fair was for families,"

St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 9, 1985, pp. 1 and 4A.

60"Future VP Fair sites uncertain," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, May 8, 1985, p. 11A; letter, 

Russell E. Dickenson, Director of the National Park Service, to Vincent C. Schoemehl Jr., 

Mayor of St. Louis, February 2, 1985; and draft memo to the Regional Directors of the 

Southeast, Southwest, and Rocky Mountain Regions from Midwest Regional Director Donald 

Castleberry, on the 1986 VP Fair account and billing, JEFF Files A8227.

61"America's Biggest Birthday Party," by Jeff Dunlap, p. 7; 1986 V.P. Fair Foundation

Annual Report, JEFF Files A8227.

62"Morning After — Fair's Legacy Is 316 Tons of Trash," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 8,

1986 p. 3A.

63Ibid.

64"Police Busy, But Crowd Manageable," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 7, 1986.

65"Crime at fair 'exaggerated,' officials say,'" St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 8, 1986, p. 5A; 

"City Seeks Regional Plan For Security At VP Fair," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 20, 1986, 

p. 8A; "VP Fair's Security Plans Are Outlined," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 8, 1988, p. 3A.

66"VP Fair's Security Plans Are Outlined," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 8, 1988, p. 3A.

67JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 1.
68"Light Touch For 4th Is Objective Of ABC," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 16, 1987; 

Letter from producer Marty Pasetta to Charles H. Wallace, President of the VP Fair 

Foundation, July 22, 1987, JEFF Files A8227.

69Interview with Jerry Schober, September 1, 1993.

70Ibid., and Memorandum, JEFF Superintendent Schober to Midwest Regional Director 

Donald Castleberry, February 12, 1988; "America's Biggest Birthday Party," by Jeff Dunlap, 

pp. 7-8. Over ten inches of rain fell during the week of the event. The VP Fair Foundation 

reimbursed the NPS $230,000 for new trees, grounds renovation, and extra services. See also 

Chapter 4, Part II, on Grounds Maintenance in this administrative history.

71See letters included in JEFF Files, A8227, in reference to the damage. Quotes such as these 

were taken from the letters:

"The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is a NATIONAL park and should not be 

defaced for months (or at all) for a celebration of one local organization. We sincerely hope 

that the VP Fair will never again be held at the Arch. Forest Park belongs to the city and is 

plenty large [enough] for that celebration."

"What do hundreds of junk laden booths, rock stars . . . and thousands upon thousands of 

people roaming around roasting in the sun, or getting drenched and sliding around a muddy 

fair ground (which used to be a lovely green lawn) have to do with July 4th?"

"I am very angry that $100,000 damage is allowed to be done every summer to the Arch 

grounds by the VP Fair."

72"No Losses, No Gains At VP Fair," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Dec. 20, 1987; "Park Official:

1988 'Crucial' In Decision On VP Fair Site," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 20, 1988, p. 1.

73"Park Official . . . ," June 20, 1988, p. 6.

74JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, pp. 1 and 10.

75Jerry Berger, in his column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, complained that the ratings for 

these specials were low, and that too much emphasis was placed on these productions. 

Perhaps this was true (they scored a 6.4 rating and a 14 share, which means only 14% of the 

people in the United States who were watching television were tuned in to the St. Louis 

special). The point was that the St. Louis message was getting out to the public. Even if they 

didn't tune in, people who scanned their TV Guides and newspapers around the country knew 

that something worthy of national attention was happening in St. Louis. See St. Louis PostDispatch, July 18, 1988, p. 1E.

76"Bush Pays Visit To VP Fair," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 5, 1988, pp. 1 and 14. The 

article continued:

Despite the extra security, the vice president did not appear inhibited as he shook 

hands with and hugged new citizens at the reception and held several of their 

children.

Dressed in casual clothing, Bush strolled leisurely through lines of the 

immigrants, escorted by perspiring Secret Service agents who left their suit
jackets in place to conceal their guns and radios. . . .

Bush was joined at the reception by Gov. John Ashcroft. The governor, along 

with Bush's wife, Barbara Bush, and Ashcroft's wife, Janet Ashcroft, joined him 

later on the main stage.

As he stood on a table at the reception, Bush said: "There is nothing more 

meaningful than greeting new citizens to our country. We're proud of you. We 

welcome you. You are, indeed, in the land of the free and the home of the 

brave."

He accepted an official, red VP Fair jacket, sash and hat from Charles H. 

Wallace, executive vice president of the VP Fair Foundation.

After waiting on the [excursion boat] Becky Thatcher, Bush appeared in front of 

the growing late-afternoon crowd.

Referring to the fair, he said, "They told me it was this big, and I didn't believe 

it. They told me it was this much fun, and I didn't believe it."

Bush challenged the audience to be true to the dream of America's founders by 

keeping the nation strong.

77Ibid., p. 1; "America's Biggest Birthday Party," by Jeff Dunlap, pp. 8-9; "Kool And The

Gang To Join Lineup Of Stars At VP Fair," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 13, 1988.

78"Hot Finale: Sales Up, Damage Down As Fair Ends," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 5,

1988, pp. 1 and 14.

79"Kool And The Gang..." June 13, 1988.

08For more on fair events see "Learning's In The Limelight At The Fair," St. Louis PostDispatch, June 29, 1988 pp. 1 and 7; "Ready . . . Set . . . Fair Opens," Ibid., July 2, 1988, pp.

1 and 4.

81"Fair Weather: Pleasant Breezes Aid Large Turnout," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 3, 1988, 

p. 1.

82Two letters to the editor from a professional worker with disabled people and a disabled 

citizen praised the fair. See St. Louis Post Dispatch, July 13, 1988 p. 3C.

83JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 12; "America's Biggest Birthday Party," 

by Jeff Dunlap, pp. 8-9.

84"15 Blacks Named To VP Fair Panels," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 28, 1988, pp. 1 and

5. The article contained a complete list of the people appointed. It should be noted that

African-Americans were not allowed into the Veiled Prophet Balls, even as spectators, in the

19th and early 20th Centuries; these events were totally segregated.

85Ibid. The article quoted Rev. Hylton at length.

86A change in the name of the event had been discussed, since the appearance of the "veiled 

prophet" drew immediate comparisons with the hooded figures of the Ku Klux Klan. Despite
these allusions, the name was not changed.

87"Fairness And The VP Fair," editorial, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 16, 1988.

88JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 1. The VP Fair Foundation was over

$500,000 in debt going into the 1989 fair.

89JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 1; "America's Biggest Birthday Party," 

by Jeff Dunlap, pp. 9-10.

90JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 4; "Fair Well: Cleanup, Complaints

Follow Fair," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 6, 1990.

91"Fair features education theme, family activities," Southwest County Journal, St. Louis 

County, Missouri, June 27, 1990; "Activities And Exhibits To Mark Education Theme Of VP 

Fair," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 29, 1990.

92"Visit To U.S. Allows Fair's Guests Of Honor 'To Live History,'" St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 

June 28, 1990; "Young People Of 8 Nations To Visit Fair," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 24,

1990; "Visitors From The Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and South Africa Here," St. Louis

Post-Dispatch, June 29, 1990.

93"Japan TV Captures Fair's 'Unique Culture,'" St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 2, 1990.

94"VP Fair Ends With Record Heat," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 5, 1990.

95"Fireworks Feature First-Time Shells," Southwest County Journal, St. Louis, Missouri, 

June 27, 1990.

96"Budweiser And TWA Exhibits," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 29, 1990; "Calendar of

Events," Ibid.

97Temperatures reached 102 degrees on July 4. See "VP Fair," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July

5, 1990.

98"Is Fair Bad For Tourism?," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 30, 1990; "VP Fair Strikes A 

Sour Note," by Bill McClellan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 4, 1990; "Letters From The 

People," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 10, 1990.

99See Chapter 4, Part I, Maintenance, on water intrusion, in this administrative history. 

According to JEFF Chief of Maintenance Bob Kelly, the fact that the VP Fair was conducted 

on the roof of the JEFF Visitor Center was not a major factor in these water intrusion 

problems, although "quick fix" solutions to drainage problems and a re-routing of the 

drainage system after one of the fairs was. According to Kelly, "Management made band-aid 

decisions to an area which needed major surgery."

100JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, pp. 1-2.

101"VP Parade Plans New Route, Theme," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 31, 1991.

102"VP Fair Entertainment Highlights," The Riverfront Times, August 28 - Sept. 3, 1991; "VP 

Fair Schedule," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 30, 1991.
103"Fair Ready For Those With Disabilities," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 29, 1991.

104"Family Village," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 30, 1991.

105"Senior's Day," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 30, 1991.

106"Afterthoughts On The Fair," and "Letters From The People," St. Louis Post Dispatch, 

September 11, 1991.

107"No Fair: Festivities Stopped Short By Storms," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 3,

1991; "Funny Money: Fair's Scrip Lauded, Lambasted," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September

2, 1991.

108"Fair Questions," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 7, 1991.

109Interview with JEFF Superintendent Gary W. Easton, April 16, 1994, by JEFF Historian

Bob Moore.

110"VP Fair Entertainment Highlights," The Riverfront Times, August 28 - September 3,

1991.

111The contributions of individual divisions to the VP Fair are discussed in the chapters 

devoted to those divisions in this administrative history.

112See Chapter 9, Interpretation, in this administrative history for more on the American

Indian Peace Medal collection.

113Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 8, 1992.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER FOUR:

Maintenance

Although most of the major development of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (JEFF) 

was complete by 1980, the business of maintaining the park was just beginning. Basic 

operations and approaches to the management of the site were implemented for the first time 

during the 1970s, and a number of projects during the 1980s were carried out to correct park 

problems and to improve operations in the maintenance division. Maintenance work tended to 

fall into one of four primary categories: building services, grounds, transportation system, 

and custodial. This chapter is divided into four sections in order to fully describe each facet 

of the JEFF maintenance division in detail.

Part I: Building Services and HVAC

Maintenance Management System

Computerization in the Maintenance Division grew during 1985. Considerable expansion was 

needed for the Vista Personal Computer in the Facility Manager's office to incorporate the 

new Maintenance Management System (MMS), a computerized information database which 

set up schedules of cyclic maintenance and kept records of work performed. [1]

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and Indiana Dunes served as pilot parks for the 

MMS in the Midwest Region, and implementation began in May 1987. The process was 

handled expediently by the reassignment of Building Services, Heating and Air Conditioning 

(HVAC) foreman John Patterson to the position of MMS coordinator. Because JEFF was one 

of the first National Park Service areas to implement MMS, the initial processes were 

sometimes crude, but the learning experience was invaluable. Enhancements to the system 

continued to make it a more useable tool, and an employee was soon needed to handle data 

entry and to maintain the system. [2]

With the arrival of Laura Rummle, hired as MMS coordinator in 1990, goals and objectives 

were set which were essential to the continuing success of the MMS System at JEFF and at 

other parks. Over a six-month period in 1990, JEFF maintenance supervisors received handson experience with computer hardware and software. This process was continued with work 

leaders and other staff members. Monthly MMS meetings were instituted with the MMS 

coordinator and supervisors, to exchange information and data and to review the overall 

program. The JEFF coordinator worked closely with the Regional MMS coordinator in 

assisting other parks, and on special projects. [3]

Heating and Air Conditioning

Maintaining the complex heating and air conditioning units at JEFF was the responsibility of
the HVAC division. The HVAC system provided a comfortable environment for visitors and 

employees within the Gateway Arch complex, including the underground, 42,912-square-foot 

Museum of Westward Expansion; the observation deck at the top of the 630-foot-tall 

Gateway Arch; and throughout the facility's support rooms and tunnels. Air conditioning in 

the form of window units was also added to the Old Courthouse's exhibit galleries and 

second floor offices. The HVAC crew continually searched for methods to improve the 

efficiency of the operation, especially in the area of energy management and conservation. 

[4]

Interior of the HVAC equipment room in the Gateway Arch 

complex. NPS photo by Kris Illenberger.

Between 1979 and 1980, a 600-ton air conditioning unit in the Gateway Arch complex was 

replaced, at the suggestion of John Patterson, by two 300-pound units. Mr. Patterson based 

his decision on the fact that the enormous 600-pound unit was running on the "low end" of its 

capacity. [5]

With a view toward improving operations, the park let a contract for the installation of an 

Energy Management System (EMS) which monitored the use of energy at JEFF and provided 

information toward the development of more efficient ways of managing it. On October 6,

1983, Mack Electric Company's bid of $62,997 for the EMS was accepted. This included all 

of the computer software and hardware, operator input/output devices, field processing units, 

automation sensors and controls, wiring and piping. By February 1985, the system was in 

place and operating. [6] Improvements were immediately initiated which allowed automatic 

control of the chiller and some of the air handlers. [7]

As an additional phase of implementing the EMS, a 1985 contract was awarded to Akbar

Electric Services Company to provide all tools, materials, staffing, and programming to
convert the chiller control and monitoring system to full automation. By March 30, 1986, this 

project was completed for a total cost of $43,101. [8]

Improvements to and additional expansion of the Energy Management System continued in

1985, and while the significant cost reductions of the initial period of operation could not 

subsequently be matched, control and consistency were maintained. [9] Wiring was 

completed in 1986. While the EMS did not at first result in meeting the required NPS cost 

reductions, a working knowledge of the system increased steadily. [10]

Emergency funding from the Midwest Regional Office (MWR) was requested in 1986 when a 

breakdown in the Trane Air Conditioning chiller occurred. [11] The problem was corrected at 

a cost of $30,000, under a contract which represented a major effort by the MWR 

Procurement Division and the park staff. [12]

Chillwater steam controls for five air-handling units were installed in 1988, and the main 

supply shut-off valve for potable water at the Arch was replaced. The installation of wiring 

and valves, and the modification of the software program for EMS control of the cooling and 

heating valves for the top of the Gateway Arch were accomplished in 1989. Adjustments by 

the operating staff made the computerized control system more efficient, as an alarm system 

was installed to alert the operators to failures in critical cooling or condenser water circuits. 

[13]

Major routine and preventive maintenance was performed on the cooling tower and 

condenser pump systems in the Arch complex during 1989. The fan wheel sections and line 

bearings were replaced; water was re-routed through disbursing piping; eliminator sections 

were dismantled, cleaned and repaired, as were pumps; and check valves were rebuilt. An 

electronic water level control system was purchased and installed in the Arch cooling tower, 

which reduced the amount of water and chemical treatment used. [14]

The HVAC division rendered assistance to Hellmuth, Obata, & Kassabaum (HOK), an 

architectural firm located in St. Louis, in preparing a bidding package for installation of a 

new air handling unit to serve the expanded Gateway Arch Museum Shop. At the end of

1990, HOK performed a final check on the design, and analyzed chilled water system flow 

demands. Installation was made before the summer of 1991 by Quality Heating and Air 

Conditioning of St. Louis. [15] An annual inspection in 1990 revealed the need for an 

overhaul of Air Handler Unit #10 in the Gateway Arch complex, and HVAC rebuilt the 

motor, brackets, bearings and coils. [16]

The pneumatic control air supply was improved in 1991 by moving and installing two 

compressors in the south mechanical room to serve the south side of the Gateway Arch 

complex and museum. The back flow preventers for outside drinking fountains, the inside 

display fountain, and the chilled water make-up supply line were also rebuilt. Mixed-air 

dampers outside and pre-heaters on the north and south leg air handling units were replaced. 

These units supplied conditioned air to the observation deck at the top of the Arch. [17]

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site

In addition to other tasks, the JEFF building services crew assisted the new NPS site in St. 

Louis County dedicated to Ulysses S. Grant by performing several maintenance tasks. Two 

new furnaces were installed in the historic house, which necessitated the modification of 

adjacent duct work. Several days of work were performed on the roof of the house, to stop 

major water leaks. Missing shingles were replaced to provide some measure of safety from 

water damage. A new electrical system was installed, with the most hazardous electrical 

problems removed and/or disconnected. [18]
Cyclic Maintenance

An extensive program of cyclic and preventative maintenance was performed by the HVAC 

staff to keep the Gateway Arch systems up and running. Every three years, pumps for the 

water circulation in the AC units were overhauled, and filters were changed regularly. 

Frequent pH tests performed on the water in the park's cooling towers kept rust and algae to a 

minimum. Steam traps and strainers for the heating system were taken apart every other year.

Each morning, a two-hour walk-around inspection circuit was made of the entire AC system 

in the Arch complex. Ordinary items which deteriorated due to normal wear and tear, such as 

faucet valves, were replaced every four years. Doors in the Arch complex lasted an average 

of eight years before they needed replacement. [19]

Maintenance Mechanic Lonnie Collins assisting in the construction of an 

accessible restroom at Ulysses S. Grant, one of many maintenence tasks 

handled by the HVAC crew. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Old Courthouse Repairs

The building services division rewired the entire electrical system of the Old Courthouse 

during 1981, from the basement up to the 5th level, completing the project on June 8. Old 

wiring was stripped out and replaced, and new distribution panels were installed. [20]

Four new exhibit galleries were created on the first floor of the Old Courthouse in 1986. 

Offices and partitions were removed, walls were patched, replastered, and painted, and 

window frames were repaired. Exhibit bases were built for the new displays, and carpeting 

installed. The dioramas built under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s 

were moved and rearranged. A projection booth and a bookstore for the Jefferson National
Expansion Historical Association (JNEHA) were also constructed. All of these projects were 

accomplished by a crew of eight JEFF employees, in conjunction with their regular duties, in

1986. Window air conditioning units for the four new exhibit galleries on the first floor of the

Old Courthouse were installed in 1987 and 1988. [21]

The administrative office space in the south wing of the Old Courthouse was remodeled 

during 1986, resulting in more efficient utilization of space. Lighting for the east and west 

stairways between the inner and outer dome of the rotunda was also installed. The first and 

second floors of the building were repainted in preparation for hanging the Arts in the Parks 

exhibit. [22]

The brick sidewalk around the Old Courthouse was re-tuckpointed in 1987 as part of a cyclic 

maintenance project. The job turned out to be much more time-consuming than expected, and 

Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) workers were used to supplement the maintenance staff. 

Considerable pressure was brought to bear on the park by local unions, who objected to the 

use of YCC workers on the project. Several inquiries were made by union locals, who made 

contacts with local congressmen on the issue. The unions relaxed their pressure when they 

realized that taking jobs away from youths on a special summer program would not improve 

their image. [23]

Emergency funding was received for $100,000 worth of storm damage caused in January

1991 by falling ice, which dented the Old Courthouse roof and shattered second floor 

skylights. A contract for repair and replacement of the skylights was completed with a 

minority architectural/engineering (A/E) firm, Kennedy and Associates of St. Louis. 

Construction was performed by another minority contractor, Innovative Systems, Inc., of 

Kansas City, Kansas, and completed by the end of May 1992, allowing for a return to normal 

visitor traffic patterns to the third and fourth levels of the Old Courthouse. [24]

Physical Improvements and Preventative Maintenance

Maintenance employees in building services contributed an incredible amount of 

miscellaneous construction and repair projects throughout the park between 1980 and 1991.
Skylight damage, Old Courthouse, 1991. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

These projects included the installation of new stainless steel handrails to replace painted 

units in the upper load zones of the Gateway Arch; the installation of a new telephone system 

in 1987, which required the placement of considerable conduit ductwork; informational signs 

positioned on the Arch grounds; updating of accessible restroom facilities; and the repainting 

of the columns in the Museum of Westward Expansion. [25]

Major remodeling of the ticket area run by the Bi-State Development Agency at the Gateway 

Arch was completed in 1989, providing for more efficient park fee collection activities, 

which were implemented during that year. [26] The rehab included a fee collection facility, 

offices, storage, money counting stations, security, a new queuing system and signs. The 

space was enlarged to 1,800 square feet, and could not be serviced by the existing HVAC 

systems. This required the installation of a separate heating and cooling unit, both for the 

comfort of the staff and for the proper care of the computerized ticketing and reservation 

system. The remodeling was designed Hellmuth, Obata, & Kassabaum, and construction was 

jointly completed by a local contractor and the park building services staff. The park staff 

installed an overhead sprinkler system, all of the electrical wiring for lighting and power, 

computer wiring, a security system, and telephones. [27]

Signs fabricated by the St. Louis Ornamental Stone Manufacturing Company,

1986. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

A mud jacking program was implemented in 1989 to correct the most serious stumbling 

hazards on the Arch grounds walkways. In the process of mud jacking, a hole is drilled into 

concrete or stone paving slabs which have become uneven through settling. Mortar is poured 

into the hole, which when dry firmly supports the slabs from below and evens them out in 

relation to neighboring slabs. When slabs become cracked they are broken up and replaced. 

Approximately 15 slabs were adjusted, and in conjunction with this project, 150' of redwood 

expansion strips (which separate the concrete slabs on the Arch grounds) were replaced. [28]

One half of the grating on the Gateway Arch entrance ramps and four fresh air intake grates 

were replaced during 1989. The grating over the cooling towers was sandblasted and 

repainted through the cyclic program.
In 1989, the park replaced the 13-year-old carpeting in the Museum of Westward Expansion. 

Problems with the contractor regarding material specifications and installation resulted in 

time-consuming administration and supervision of this project. More than 60,000 yards of 

carpet were installed, which developed a fuzzing and piling almost immediately. The contract 

was terminated and a settlement reached with the contractor. The next replacement contract 

specified that the color of the carpet be modified to allow for more competitive bidding. In

1990, new carpet and installation services were donated to JEFF by Allied Fibers, a division 

of Allied Signal Corporation, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Gateway Arch. 

[29]

A temporary 300-amp, 480-volt power supply for the 70mm theater site was designed and 

installed in 1990. Existing supply panels were modified to provide the necessary power to run 

excavation and construction equipment for the project.

Eighteen bollards (movable post-like barriers, similar to stanchions but wider and heavier) 

were installed at six locations along the walkways of the Gateway Arch grounds for traffic 

routing and control during large events such as the VP Fair. The bollards were fabricated by 

Westerheide Sheet Metal of East St. Louis, and installed by park staff in core-bored 18-inch 

diameter holes cut and formed by Concrete Cutting Services, Inc., of St. Louis. [30]

Plans were prepared by Denver Service Center to repair the badly deteriorated stairs of the 

south overlook. A ramp of steel-plate material salvaged from informational signs and square 

steel tubing was constructed on the stairs by the HVAC staff. In order to better utilize storage 

space inside the south overlook structure, a contract was made to cut a larger opening through 

the block wall and install a rolling steel overhead garage door with an electric motor. This 

modification allowed grounds vehicles to enter the storage space below the observation deck. 

Completion of this work, in 1991, included a gate at the top of the ramp and an exterior key 

switch to operate it. The deteriorated stairs to the overlook were overlaid with a two-inch 

topping of concrete by park staff, and the overlook was reopened to the public. It was 

anticipated that these repairs would provide an additional five to eight years of use before 

total replacement was required. [31]

These brief examples give an indication of the amount of time and money saved by JEFF 

through having talented employees on staff, able to complete or supervise the completion of a 

wide variety of complex maintenance tasks.

Entrance Ramps

By 1983, the north and south terrazzo entrance ramps to the underground visitor center were 

badly deteriorated. On November 17, the National Park Service advertised in the Commerce 

Business Daily for professional A/E services relating to the replacement of the ramps. Title I 

services included problem analysis and the presentation of alternative remedial solutions. 

Title II services consisted of the preparation of construction documents. Under Title III 

services the contractor provided assistance to the government during the contract bidding and 

construction phases of the project. [32]

On January 26, 1984, WVP Corporation and R.L. Praprotnik and Associates were selected to 

submit unpriced technical proposals for the described A/E services. WVP was selected for 

Title I and II services on April 30, 1984. As outlined in the Scope of Work, the contractor 

determined the causes of the deterioration and proposed solutions, complete with preliminary 

design drawings and cost estimates. A further component of the project was the investigation 

of the installation an ice/snow melt system utilizing either electricity or available waste heat. 

[33]

On September 26, 1984, a $516,220 contract for constructing the ramps was awarded to Ed
Jefferson Contracting Company. The existing terrazzo surfaces were replaced with granite 

surface blocks, and the ramps were waterproofed. This last task proved to be troublesome, 

for soon after completion of the job water was discovered to be seeping under the stone. On 

June 25, 1985, JEFF Facility Manager Bob Kelly, the authorized contract representative, sent 

a letter to Ed Jefferson Contracting pointing out the water problems, noting that several of the 

granite stones were cracked, and that the caulking had failed to bond. He did not receive a 

response. Kelly then asked WVP Corporation, as the contractor with the responsibility for 

supervising the work, for an explanation. WVP contacted Ed Jefferson Contracting, who, in 

turn, looked to the stone work subcontractor, John Klaric and Milligan Stone Contracting. 

Klaric claimed that it had nothing to do with the stones or the manner in which they were 

installed. They claimed that the problem was unavoidable due to the large amounts of water 

that ran down the legs of the Arch during heavy rains. Rejecting this explanation, Kelly 

appealed to the NPS Midwest Regional Contracting Officer, who subsequently notified Ed 

Jefferson Contracting that, under the terms of the contract, they were responsible for 

correcting the problem. [34] The standard grout was replaced with urethane caulking, a 

project which fell to the building services staff. [35] A new gray granite surface was applied 

to the entrance ramps in December 1985. The appearance of the ramps was improved, and 

the new anti-icing heat mats functioned well. [36]

Water Intrusion

Water intrusion was an ongoing problem at the Gateway Arch visitor center from the time of 

its creation in the mid-1960s. Leaks in the ceiling were repaired in 1967. Major floods in

1981 overwhelmed the facility's pumping stations. [37] An underground structure with a flat 

roof, by 1987 the 20-year-old visitor center had begun to leak in several places, causing 

major concerns. Preliminary inspections by Michael Fees of the Midwest Regional Office, 

and Bob Whissen of the Denver Service Center, provided expertise and technical support for 

the project. [38] In 1987, a contract for A/E services was awarded to Zurheide-Hermann, 

Inc.. The project called for a field investigation to determine the source of the water intrusion 

and a technical report to examine, evaluate, and propose remedies. The results of this report 

formed the basis for construction documents, including complete and accurate drawings, 

specifications, and cost estimates for repair. [39]
The roof of the underground visitor center/museum exposed for repair,

1990, as seen from the top of the Gateway Arch. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

While the A/E contractor was digging test wells in conjunction with the water intrusion study, 

their drill rig penetrated the main electrical underground service line to the Arch. This 

mistake cost the contractor in excess of $20,000 to repair. A claim was made by the 

contractor to the NPS Contracting Officer for reimbursement, which was denied. A new 

scope of work statement and task directive were issued to Zurheide-Hermann in 1988, which 

expanded the project to include correcting the run-off water problem around the Arch 

complex, as a result of flooding which took place in July 1987. [40]

One of the results of the water intrusion investigation was the discovery of several cracks in 

the ceiling support beams, and the possible lateral movement of some of the beams and roof 

slabs. This caused great concern and prompted further inspections. [41] For two summers 

(1989 and 1990), visitors, especially during the Veiled Prophet Fairs, were not allowed on the 

grounds area over the visitor center roof, which was fenced off. In 1990, the scope of the 

project was again expanded to include not only waterproofing the roof and removing 

asbestos, but erecting structural reinforcements which would allow loading the surface above 

the roof to its intended design capacity of 100 pounds per square foot. [42] Jerry Schober
recalled:

The as-built . . . drawings, were not correct because we found that where there 

were supposed to be beams with stirrups, that they were not put in that way. We 

found . . . cracks in some of them that, I bet you, were there when they installed 

them. And we also found out our load limit was more restrictive than we had 

earlier thought. I thought at one time I would not have a VP Fair but two years 

because I called the Denver Service Center and asked them to tell me how much 

my roof would withstand under heavy rain and thousands of people. To my 

chagrin they said, "Schober, the only way you could overload that roof would be 

by stacking the people like a pyramid." Well, since we had to go back in and 

look at the water problem, we found out the roof would hold a lot less weight, 

and because of that we had to come back in and totally recover the roof with a 

new light-weight material. [43]

On site work began in July 1990 with Zurheide-Hermann serving as the designer and 

Kozeny-Wagner, Inc., of Arnold, Missouri, as the contractor. As a first step, all soil was 

removed from the roof of the visitor center and museum, a two-acre area. The soil was 

hauled from the site and recycled for use elsewhere. Such large amounts of soil could not be 

stored within the limited boundaries of the park, and the soil was of poor quality. [44] The 

next step was the installation of Pave-Prep, a waterproofing membrane. In an effort to lighten 

the structural load to less than 100 pounds per square foot, it was decided to use an Elastizell 

lightweight cement fill instead of replacing the earth backfill. Modifications to the contract 

resulted in an increase in price by 11%, to more than $1.5 million. [45]

Heavy rains soon revealed that the waterproofing material, "a sheet composite of a lower 

asphalt-impregnated fabric with a nylon mesh upper reinforcement, had been damaged by the 

small, skid-steer loader used to distribute materials to the installers." As a result, the roof 

leaked once more. [46] The manufacturer/installer agreed to replace the product, and the 

waterproofing was again removed down to the bare roof. The application was begun anew, 

this time without traffic. When complete, the roof was divided into six sections for a flood 

test of the new material. Each area was flooded with two inches of water, proving its 

integrity.

Attention now turned to the questionable strength of significant beams, running the length of 

the museum, east to west on both sides. All the various ceiling systems framed into these 

beams, and they had cracked due to relative movements between them. Structures need to 

allow for movement, for if it is restrained, concrete will crack. The cracks identified in the 

underground visitor center complex were a result of such stresses. To insure confidence in 

the resulting system, and to accommodate the intended design loading, ceiling/beam junctions 

were reinforced in such a way as to allow the necessary freedom of movement. Steel angles 

were fabricated of one-inch thick plate for bolting to holes bored through the side of the 

beams. The steel angles (about 300 pounds each) were jacked into place against the ceiling 

and grouted into firm contact. Using epoxy patching material under the angles, extensive 

repairs were performed in two places where strength had been doubtful.

Water Intrusion Repair, JEFF, 1990 A Sequence of NPS Photos, Courtesy Dave Caselli
Earth removal, August 21, 1990. Dave Caselli examines exposed 

pipe, October 5, 1990.

The exposed visitor center roof, October

24, 1990.

Installation of Pave-Prep, October

29, 1990.

Installation of Pave-Prep, November 2,

1990.

Removal of old waterproofing 

material, November 7, 1990.
The finished visitor center roof, 

November 17, 1990.

Testing for water-tight qualities, 

November 26, 1990.

The exposed visitor center roof, January

9, 1991.

New installation of waterproofing 

material, February 2, 1991.

Replacing soil, visitor center roof, April

1, 1991.

The re-covered visitor center roof, 

April 11, 1991.
Resodding, May 1991

Asbestos removal, January 9, 1991.

Temporary wall erected during asbestos 

entrance ramps removal, January 9,

1991.

When the soil was replaced on top, a lighter material was put in place to increase the live 

load capacity. Where there used to be two to three feet of soil, which had been reshaped 

several times for drainage, there were now only 14 inches of a lightweight, cement-based, 

closed-cell polymer material covering the roof. Fourteen inches was selected as the correct 

depth since that was the shallowest amount the soil consultant would recommend. Each cubic 

foot of polymer fill weighed just 35 pounds, almost 2/3 lighter than the same amount of soil. 

This reduced the overall load on the roof by approximately 5 1/2 million pounds.

A 1990 health and safety survey documented the presence of asbestos throughout the 

building, and removal was begun in conjunction with the waterproofing project, starting with 

the highest identified priority — the ceiling surfaces in public areas. Kozeny-Wagner 

experienced some difficulties in establishing plastic-sealed containment areas to keep 

asbestos particles from leaking out into public areas. The facility was kept open, with first the 

north leg and then the south leg closed to visitors. Air flow supplied to the visitor area at the 

top of the Gateway Arch through the operating leg was found to pressurize the space behind 

the poly plastic at the bottom of the opposite leg and tear it from the walls. If the containment 

area had been breached during removal operations, asbestos might have contaminated the
entire facility. This potentially major problem was solved by closing and sealing the doors on 

the side where work was progressing with tape at the top and bottom, then installing a 

filtered opening through the plastic to allow it to "breathe." [47]

The failure of the first waterproofing material delayed the completion of the re-roofing 

project. The excavation was left exposed to furious ice storms in December 1990 and January

1991. During the spring, sod and irrigation systems were finally laid into place. The 

contractor left the site on August 16, 1991, just meeting the completion deadline. The 

following day, construction crews arrived to begin setting up for the VP Fair. Following the 

VP Fair in September, the contractor delivered an additional quantity of sod and herbicide for 

application by the NPS grounds crew. The total cost of the project was $1,772,775.56. [48]
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER FOUR:

Maintenance (continued)

Part II: Grounds Maintenance

The look of the Gateway Arch grounds has been a major priority at Jefferson National 

Expansion Memorial since the Arch was originally designed, and for good reason. The park 

has just under 91 acres on which to host more than 2.5 million visitors annually. Since the 

Arch serves as a symbol of westward expansion as well as the city of St. Louis, the grounds 

must look their best at all times.

The original grounds foreman was Louis Whitman, who served from the 1950s to 1981, and 

set up the initial grounds care program. Whitman's program was continued under foreman 

Keith Biermann, who transferred to another park area during November 1984 and was 

replaced by Jim Jacobs in September 1985. Jacobs came to the park from St. Louis 

University, where he was responsible for the landscape program; he had extensive 

background experience in nursery work and a degree in horticulture. [49] Caring for the 

unique, man-made environment on the Gateway Arch grounds involved an extensive 

knowledge not only of horticulture, but several other disciplines as well. [50] A 1982 

operations evaluation by the Midwest Regional Office mentioned "a pressing need to 

establish more formalized activity standards and to rely upon a resources requirements data 

process within the Grounds Branch of the Maintenance Division. This branch is just now 

beginning to deal with the professional maintenance of the rather extensive landscape 

developments which have recently been completed. Consequently, we recommend that 

defined standards, resources requirements data, and a documented maintenance program be 

developed for this operation as soon as possible." [51] Programs such as those mentioned 

evolved over the course of the 1982-1991 period. [52]

Duties

In 1977, the grounds crew consisted of a foreman, two tractor operators and six seasonal 

laborers. JEFF Facility Manager Bob Kelly built the crew to its 1991 size of a gardener 

foreman, a gardener worker-leader, an automotive mechanic, two tractor operators, two 

landscape gardeners, one full-time laborer, and 3-7 temporary laborers. [53] Duties of 

grounds personnel included emptying litter containers, snow removal, turf maintenance, pest 

management, tree maintenance, irrigation, landscaping and equipment maintenance. [54] 

Although the park boundary encompassed approximately 91 acres, the area maintained by 

grounds maintenance was about 66.1 acres, with a total mowable area of 47.5 acres. The park 

had the largest in-ground irrigation system in the state of Missouri, covering 49.8 acres, with

8 systems, 43 zones, 1,420 heads, and 13.5 miles of pipe. The system was partially computerbased and partially manual in operation. The crew maintained 2,551 trees (28 species), 7,200
shrubs (4 species), one acre of wintercreeper euonymus, and 700 square yards of display 

flower beds. [55]

Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs

Landscaping

In an article about the Arch grounds, James P. Jackson stated that "The most ambitious urban 

forestry project ever undertaken in the St. Louis area was the landscaping of the area 

surrounding the Gateway Arch." [56] The original landscape design for the park was created 

by Dan Kiley, one of the country's leading contemporary landscape architects, who worked 

with Eero Saarinen from the beginning of the memorial competition in 1947. Regional 

Landscape Architect Mary Hughes summarized the contributions of Dan Kiley to the Arch 

project in a 1991 memorandum:

In 1961, Saarinen wrote Kiley to say the Director of the National Park Service 

(NPS) Conrad Wirth wanted NPS landscape architects to take over the design of 

the Gateway Arch landscape, to which Saarinen objected. A compromise was 

worked out by which Kiley would continue to carry the project through the 

design development phase, after which the NPS would take over preparation of 

working drawings. [57]

In the early 1960s, there were numerous versions of the landscape plan discussed 

in meetings attended by Kiley, Saarinen (or other members of his staff), Park 

Superintendent George Hartzog and Conrad Wirth [Director of the NPS] . . . . In 

the course of these meetings, the final shape of the landscape evolved into the 

site plan we see today: curved, tree-lined walks, large expanses of open lawn, 

and lagoons. Although the first phase competition drawings show a heavily 

forested site, the second phase drawings . . . reveal a large opening at the center 

of the site to permit views of the Arch from Memorial Drive. By the early
1960's, the trend toward a more "open" site was even more pronounced. . . . Tree 

massing was limited to lining the walkways and defining the edges of the open 

meadow spaces. In early 1963, Conrad Wirth expressed concern [that] the tree 

plantings along the walks were too dense, blocking pedestrian views of the Arch. 

Kiley then adjusted the plan into the scheme which received NPS approval. [A] 

letter dated September 17, 1963, authoriz[ed] Kiley to prepare color-rendered 

presentation drawings based on a plan reviewed by NPS officials, including 

Conrad Wirth and George Hartzog, in July of 1963. [58]

Dan Kiley was the original landscape architect for the grounds of the

Gateway Arch. Courtesy of the Office of Dan Kiley.

Eero Saarinen, the designer of the memorial, had been insistent that Kiley execute the 

landscape plan, but this was not to be, and Kiley's last association with the project was in

1964. [59]

The planting plan was redesigned in 1966, with the trees spread out more thinly than Kiley 

had advocated. There were three reasons for this alteration; first, to allow for open areas 

providing long views of the Arch and other groups of people, creating a safer pedestrian 

space; second, to allow for more natural, open-form trees; and third, to save money. [60] As 

NPS designers saw it, the goal of grounds development was to complement the Gateway 

Arch with ample open space, pleasantly contoured, and to enhance the generous approach 

views. [61] The park landscape plan was finalized by National Park Service personnel in 

Philadelphia, and included the preparation of master plans, development concept plans, 

preliminary drawings, construction drawings, and contract documents based on Kiley's 

original plans. [62]
The landscaping was complicated due to the unique nature of the Arch itself. Before the Arch 

was built, windtunnel studies were made to determine whether the structure could withstand 

high winds. The original grading plan and these studies were combined to obtain the proper 

elevation at each end of the north-south walkway. This elevation was pre-determined by the 

windtunnel studies and mathematics, and had to be 478' above sea level, making these the 

highest points of land on the Arch grounds. If this landscaping were changed, winds would 

eventually put too much stress on the Arch structure. The same studies also determined that a 

dominant tree species should be planted of the type which would reach a mature height of

100' to 200.' The dominant species of tree, in addition to aesthetic appearance, was meant to 

help deflect north-south winds in line with the Arch. The species selected had to live long 

enough in the St. Louis climate and urban environment to attain its full height. [63]

A great deal of pressure was exerted by the local community, through their representatives in 

Congress, for the project to begin. "The approach of planting time gives urgency to the 

question whether the Gateway Arch shall stand for another year amidst the weeds, or whether 

at least a modest start will be made toward giving the riverfront its intended park-like 

appearance," ran an editorial in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "It can be left to Washington to 

decide when and if the museum beneath the site is to be completed. Meanwhile the space 

provided for it may be screened off, it will offend nobody. But there ought to be no further 

delay in landscaping, its basic phase ought to be undertaken this spring." [64] Superintendent 

LeRoy Brown answered the editorial in a letter to the editor, patiently explaining that 

underground utilities, including area lighting and an irrigation system, had to be installed 

before final landscaping could begin. Brown also emphasized that interior work in the visitor 

center complex would take priority over the landscaping. [65] An interim landscaping plan, 

"to beautify the memorial grounds for the probable dedication [of the Gateway Arch] this 

coming spring or summer," was approved in March 1968, with severe modifications which 

eliminated permanent plantings. [66]

In 1968 John Ronscavage, who then worked for the NPS's Eastern Office of Design and 

Construction, was assigned to the landscaping project on the Arch grounds. He was ordered 

to follow the modified Kiley plan without alteration. He met with Superintendents LeRoy 

Brown and Harry Pfanz, who discussed the project with him. [67] A tree planting plan was 

drawn up, which outlined four phases of implementation. [68] When the first contract for 

landscaping was advertised, however, local nurserymen criticized the NPS for their projected 

selections of tree species for the grounds, specifically the tulip poplar, which had been the 

first choice of landscape architect Kiley. An objection was made over the poplars due to the 

perceived problems of air pollution and potentially toxic riverfront dirt. It was felt that the 

trees would not thrive under the conditions presented by the Gateway Arch grounds. A press 

and television conference was held on March 11, 1970, which was attended by "a group of 

nurserymen from the Greater St. Louis Nurserymen's Association and from the Arborists 

Association" at Stouffer's Riverfront Inn, to protest the proposed plan on which bids were to 

open. Letters were sent to Congressperson Leonor Sullivan and Senator Thomas Eagleton. 

[69] Congressional inquiries were answered, saying that the "National Park Service retained 

the planting list of the Kiley plan; however, we did revise the plan as it pertained to plant 

composition and open space. . . . The Park Service has given considerable study to the design 

to ensure the success of the planting. . . . Regarding the selection of plant species, the city 

forestry department concurs in the plants proposed. . . we believe we are making every effort 

to create a landscape for the memorial site in keeping with [Kiley's] winning design concept, 

which will be a credit to St. Louis and the Service." [70]

Due to a barrage of criticism, however, John Ronscavage began an intensive period of 

research, along with Superintendent Harry Pfanz, into the best tree to use as the dominant 

species on the grounds. They met with soil conservation people, urban foresters, botanists, 

Wayne Sefer (a professor of soil conservation at the University of Illinois, Edwardsville), and
the director of the Missouri Botanical Garden. [71]

A meeting was held in the Old Courthouse with Jim Holland, Ted Rennison and 

representatives of the City of St. Louis. In addition to expert objections to the ability of tulip 

poplar trees to survive the climate and the soil, they were not available in enough numbers 

for the initial plantings. The best regional source for poplars was in Tennessee, which fell 

within a different climactic zone than St. Louis. Ronscavage determined that tulip poplars 

would not be hardy enough for St. Louis, referencing climactic zone maps while formulating 

his decision, and proposed that the dominant species for the park be changed. [72] The group 

made a list of trees, tallying the pros and cons of each type. The first runner-up on this list 

was the pin oak (Quercus palustris). [73] This species lost out due to St. Louis' soil content, 

which has a high pH value (meaning it is alkaline); the pin oak prefers a low, somewhat acid 

pH. The final choice of the committee was the Rosehill Ash (Fraxinus americana). This 

species, a seedless male clone of the White Ash, was developed specifically at the Rosehill 

Gardens in Kansas City as an urban tree, meant to replace the American elm, which had been 

decimated by the Dutch elm disease in the 1950s and 60s. The Rosehill Ash had many 

advantages; it was hardy, and would thrive in the alkaline St. Louis soil; it was native to the 

midwest region, and had been bred for an urban environment. It would grow to an adult 

height of 60' to 70', shorter than Kiley's original species choice. The NPS was given a very 

reasonable price on these trees, and went sole source on the bidding. Ronscavage consulted 

the Soil and Plant Lab at Palo Alto, California, which confirmed the soundness of the choice 

of this tree.z [74] Kiley's grading plan was also revised by Ronscavage, and given to Harland 

Bartholomew & Associates for refinement. [75]

Once the design was completed, the first phase of the landscape project undertaken was the 

construction of walkways, plantings, and grading immediately around the Arch. In June 1970, 

[76] a contract began with Kozeny-Wagner Inc., for site work to the north and south of the 

Arch. The $474,064 contract included grading, seeding, drainage and roof repairs to the 

underground visitor center. [77]

Site grading was designed to direct surface and subsurface drainage to the two ponds, and 

catchbasins on the walkways by the Grand Staircase. In addition to providing an aesthetic 

feature, the ponds had a practical application as well. Water was drained from all exterior 

surfaces of the underground visitor center and ramps to protect the building interior, and then 

pumped to the ponds. [78]

Artificial hills created sight and sound barriers, alleviating the noise problem from the 

highways which surrounded the park. [79] Below these hills, the most extensive underground 

irrigation system in the State of Missouri was installed, with 9.5 miles of pipe and 900 

sprinkler heads. [80] An excess quantity of excavated soil and rubble removed while building 

the ponds allowed for mound construction along Memorial Drive. Rubble materials were 

buried deep, while better soils and 8" of topsoil were provided to sustain trees, grass and 

ground cover. A considerable cost savings was realized by not transporting excess soil off 

site. Soil monitoring and evaluation were performed during construction to minimize the 

importation of topsoil. [81] A contract was awarded to Suburban Tree Service of Manchester, 

Missouri, on November 9, 1972, to perform the first phase of planting on the Memorial 

grounds, including furnishing 573 trees. [82]

Though designed primarily to accommodate the pedestrian visitor, grounds development 

helped to complement the Arch in aesthetics and function. The walks were designed to 

provide access to the Arch from all corners and sides of the memorial. To the north and south 

of the Arch, scenic overlooks were built on the river side of the property. The overlooks 

provided an aesthetic balance to the Arch when seen from the river, as well as constituting an 

extension of a flood wall system. Wharf Street (later re-named Leonor K. Sullivan
Boulevard) provided access to the new riverfront, and was handsomely landscaped with trees 

and benches. The massive, curving grand center stairs, leading from Wharf Street to the 

Arch, were designed to sweep the eye upward to the crest of the hill. Landings provided rest 

areas and view points. The curvature of the walks was designed to complement and reflect 

the bold form of the Arch, and the integrated tree rows further reinforced that form. A 

walkway leading to the historic Old Courthouse from each leg of the Arch was also designed, 

and plans were made for two pedestrian overpasses over Memorial Drive. The pedestrian 

circulation system on the grounds provided an aesthetic unification of all the features of the 

memorial development. All areas of the grounds were accessible, except for the stairways 

down to Wharf Street, where extremely steep grades existed. [83]

From January 9, 1978, to April 20, 1980, Mike Hunter of the Denver Service Center worked 

as project manager on extended duty at JEFF. Hunter supervised the $2.89 million next phase 

of the landscaping project, contracted to Schuster Engineering of Webster Groves, Missouri. 

Concrete placement, construction of retaining walls, flat work, exposed aggregate walks, 

roads, completion of the ponds, and drop inlets were part of the package. The project 

involved earth movement, irrigation systems and backflow preventers to municipal water 

systems, walk lighting, seeding, sodding, fertilizing and mulching of grass areas, and the 

creation of storm sewer and discharge areas. [84]

The planting plan for the Gateway Arch grounds was a $1.03 million project. Phase I 

involved turf renovation on the 8-acre levee slope along the Mississippi River, and tree 

plantings to curb strong winds on the grounds. In 1979, Shelton and Sons Landscaping of 

Kansas City, Missouri, followed the Phase I plans designed by the Denver Service Center. 

The levee area required the elimination of temporary ground cover, which was replaced with 

a mixture of bluegrass, fescue and ryegrass. After removing several thousand Bulgarian ivy 

and wintercreeper euonymus plants in a 3-acre grass-infested plot, the crew sprayed the area 

with Roundup herbicide, waited for it to dry and then replanted. According to Mike 

Mayberry, crew chief for Shelton and Sons, the infested grass was eliminated in one day, less 

time than mechanical means would take. [85]

During 1978, trees were planted along the walks to the "teardrop" sections north and south of 

the Arch; by 1980, the concept of Rosehill Ash plantings was complete, with the walks 

finished up to the overlooks at the north and south ends of the grounds. [86] The park had 

more than 6,500 shrubs and 1,700 trees by 1980, including Rosehill Ash, Japanese black pine, 

oak, maple, bald cypress, redbud and flowering dogwood. [87]

The second phase of landscaping was begun during the summer of 1980, and completed by 

the fall of 1981. This $4 million project resulted in five miles of paved sidewalks, the 

completion of two reflecting ponds of 1.7 acres each, and an irrigation system which now 

totalled 12 1/2 miles of pipe (with 875 sprinkler heads), for a lawn area of 46 acres, as well as

2,495 trees, 6,500 shrubs and 5.5 acres of ground cover. [88] Mike Mayberry supervised 

completion of the irrigation system out into the smaller areas of the parking area and the 

planting beds between the railroad tracks and the Arch. The contract bid for this work went 

to Harland Bartholomew & Associates. Completion of this contract put the Arch grounds at 

optimum appearance. [89]

Superintendent Jerry Schober was not completely satisfied with the contractors on this phase 

of the landscaping, however.

[S]omething that bugged me there and I raised so much H-E-L-L over it that I 

got a contact person from the Denver Service Center. . . . I think I found to the 

tune of four hundred thousand dollars of boo-boos in the contract. . . I said [to 

the project supervisor]: "You know, look at this, here are a number of errors."
For instance, there was $80,000 worth of black paint to put on the bottom of the 

reflection pools to mix with concrete. "Wait a minute [I said]; it's going to turn 

dark in nothing flat. You have dirt washing right down into the pond, and it will 

darken the bottom, you will get the same reflection. Why do you need to 

introduce it?" Then on top of that they had plans drawn up in 1972, that they did 

not look at from a safety standpoint. The first thing they said to me was: "Those 

reflection pools are too deep. If you bring the water level up to where it was 

originally designed to be you will have to put up cyclone fence all the way 

around." That would make a very attractive reflection pool! . . . Or signs every 

six feet that say this is a dangerous area and to stay clear. [They asked] "Well, 

what can we do?"

"If you can drop the water basin to twenty-seven inches . . . then we'll be able to 

live with it." So the next proposal I got was for a hundred and eighty thousand 

dollars to raise the concrete floor up to where the water would [only be 27" 

deep]! And I said, "Guess what? I got a better idea."

"What is that?"

"For about twenty-five dollars on each one I can get them to come in here and 

cut that drain stand pipe off at twenty-seven inches. No water can go higher if it 

keeps running over it." Well, they quickly said they knew that could be done. I 

don't know why they did not tell me that, but anyhow, they said this will keep 

people from seeing the part of the wall which won't be covered by water. Well, if 

I find that offensive I can let ivy run down the walls. As it was nobody ever 

complained that it looks ugly. . . .

Then I found out that the mix of the peat and soil was way off. Another multithousand dollar mistake. So when I came to the project supervisor I said, "Now, 

you did not get a chance to see this prior to being made project manager, did 

you? To read over it and all that. You just inherited this as an assigned job, didn't 

you?"

"Oh, heck no, I saw the project in advance." 

"And you did not catch this?"

"Oh, guess I didn't."

See, I would make a recommendation that before contracts begin in the park that 

the engineer also has to come and explain it to a stupid superintendent like 

myself. Because you get frustrated. It is like the time my wife came out when I 

was working on the wiring on my car. It was in California and about a hundred 

degrees in the sun, and she said, "Why don't you tell me what you are doing so I 

can help you?" And I'm thinking she does not work on vehicles at all. Why 

would she come out here and say this? And I knew if I got angry it was going to 

be offensive to her. And so I said "O.K. . . . hold on. This is a battery, from that 

post the wire goes to here, and from here — Wait a minute! There is my 

problem!" You know what? I had looked at that same diagram half the morning. 

But when I had to explain it in a nice, simple way, the problem stood out.

I am saying, if the engineer says, I know this may be a little boring but here is 

what we are going to do. That allows me as a manager to say, why would you 

put black into the concrete mix?. . . . And then as we get to discussing it he'd say, 

wow, that mix isn't necessary. We'd take that one out. But instead we sent
someone home with a big packet of plans and it probably put them to sleep to 

read this sucker anyhow. If they would take the time to explain it to the 

managers, I think it would work far more effectively. [90]

During the hot, dry summer, Mike Mayberry of Regency Landscape, again working for 

Shelton and Sons Landscaping, planted and pruned the new trees. Since the lawns had 

already been hydroseeded, planting the new trees the contract called for would almost 

certainly cause severe damage to completed landscape areas by trucks and heavy equipment. 

[91] Superintendent Jerry Schober suggested an alternative method of putting in these trees 

which would not damage the completed lawns. [92]

I mentioned to [the contractor], why don't you plant the things by helicopter? 

And the contractor said, "What? Do you know how much that would cost?" I 

said: "Well I see them haul trees in, take them off the truck, and put them down, 

and to do that, you'll have to drive across the grass. Then you'll have to come 

back in and reseed, and take all those ruts out. It's going to take you longer. You 

are in arrears now on time. I just thought . . . " We never said any more. Later I 

got a call, sitting up here in my office in the Old Courthouse, and it's Robin 

Smith. Tough, near perfect newsperson here at [Channel] 4. And she said, "I 

want you to come down here." And I hear bop-bop-bop. It's the helicopters. They 

are taking the trees straight off the trucks, that brought them here from 

Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and they're taking them right out, setting them down in 

the holes. Not disturbing anything. That might be the first time in a National 

Park that we ever planted trees by helicopter. Sure did work fast. [93]

Balled trees are planted by helicopter on the Arch grounds, 

December 1980. NPS Photo.
Helicopters were rented from Fostair Helicopters on the riverfront, and used to airlift trees 

from delivery trucks to their final locations on the grounds. This method was primarily used 

on the North end of the grounds, particularly around the reflecting pond. These trees included 

Japanese Black Pines, Mugo pines, and sumac. English Ivy and euonymus ground cover were 

used on the slopes toward the railroad tracks. In the open areas, burr oaks, Japanese pagoda 

trees, locusts, radiant crabs, dogwood, Bradford pears, red oaks, Washington hawthorns, 

greenspire lindens, and coffee trees were planted. The remainder of the walks were also 

installed on the grounds. [94]

Tree and Groundcover Replacement

The park walks were lined with a total of 965 Rosehill Ash trees. Urban areas such as the 

Arch grounds constitute a difficult environment for trees because of air pollution, "heat 

islands" caused by concrete construction, poor soil conditions, and lack of space. St. Louis' 

particularly difficult conditions were due to high levels of ozone and sulfur dioxide, and 

extremes in weather, most notably temperature and rainfall. [95] The park's trees remained in 

very good shape over the decade of the 1980s, considering these physical conditions. Several 

experts stated that based on their experience, the original trees recommended by landscape

architect Dan Kiley would not have managed nearly as well as the Rosehill Ash in St. Louis. 

Due to urban environmental factors, however, replacement of trees and plants has been 

necessary at periodic intervals. [96]

On September 26, 1985, a contract was awarded to Treeland Nurseries to furnish all labor, 

tools, equipment and shrubs for replacing plants such as Mugo pine, "Lalandi" firethorn, and 

fragrant sumac on the Memorial grounds at the top of the levee slope, south of the central 

stairway; along the fence line and the open railroad cut, north and south of the stairway; on 

the slope around the south service entrance to the visitor center; and around the fenced area 

of the generator building and northwest service entrance. This project was completed on May

27, 1986, and a similar contract was awarded on September 23, 1986, again to Treeland 

Nurseries, to replace dead trees on the grounds. With the completion of this second replanting 

project on December 19, 1986, the park tree inventory was restored to within 92% of the 

original number planted. [97] The grounds crew planted 68 of these new trees, while 

Treeland Nurseries planted a total of 110 trees and 1,330 shrubs. [98] Another project called 

for transplanting twenty-eight 4-6" Rosehill Ash from less visible locations on the grounds 

into the tree pits that line the Arch walks. This contract was fulfilled by Davey Tree Service, 

and by the end of the growing season only one tree had been lost. [99] Hillside Gardens 

successfully completed a contract in November 1988 to replace 186 trees of 18 species. This 

project brought the tree inventory to within 96% of the total originally planted on the 

Memorial grounds. [100]
The completed grounds as seen from the top of the Gateway Arch,

1990. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

The park supported the efforts of the national "Global Releaf" organization in 1989, when 

seven trees were planted on the Arch grounds, drawing significant media attention to the 

park. Additionally, the park participated in the American Forestry Association's Urban Tree 

Workshop, as co-host for a reception and as part of the teaching staff. [101] Work with 

Global Releaf continued as the park attended planning meetings and assisted in the nation's 

largest single tree planting event on Earth Day of 1990. Ten thousand bare root trees were 

planted in a single day on two sites in the greater St. Louis area. The park donated 

equipment, tools and radios for the event. Gardener Foreman Jim Jacobs supervised site 

transportation and communications while Tractor Operator Sharron Cudney assisted in the 

preparation and transportation of trees. [102] The grounds crew also supported the Girl Scout 

Council of Greater St. Louis in a service project on April 6, 1991, called "Earth Matters: 

Branching Out," during which Girl Scouts replaced 45 missing trees on the Arch grounds. 

The Grounds staff selected and transported the trees from Forrest-Keeling Nursery in 

Elsberry, Missouri, dug holes, mulched, watered, and staked them in place. [103]

Pruning

On February 25, 1987, a photo appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of Gardener Carl 

Smith, with a simple caption stating that the "2,800 trees on [the] Arch grounds are pruned 

back each winter." [104] On March 2, a letter to the Editor of the Post-Dispatch criticized the 

practice of pruning, saying that "responsible people like the Missouri Department of
Conservation have been trying to educate us for years to refrain from such nonsense. . . . It 

makes about as much sense as cutting back human limbs for the sake of appearance and 

health. The practice weakens the trees in weathering future storms, promotes disease, 

shortens the life of the trees and makes them look terrible." [105] In an unsolicited response, 

Skip Kincaid of the Missouri Department of Conservation replied, for publication, that the 

letter to the Editor made "a comment that the Missouri Department of Conservation 

encourages people to 'refrain' from tree pruning."

Nothing could be further from the truth. We strongly encourage management of 

our urban trees, which includes proper pruning techniques. . . . Pruning at the 

Arch grounds is done by a very well trained and knowledgeable staff. Foresters 

with the Missouri Department of Conservation have worked with the staff at the 

Arch grounds to keep them up to date on urban forest management. We are 

continually impressed with the quality of work that is performed.

St. Louisans can be proud to have a showpiece like the Arch, and a tremendous 

urban forest that is developing beneath it. I encourage residents and visitors to 

visit the grounds and see, first hand, what quality urban forest management . . . 

looks like." [106]

The division received Worker's Skill Training Funds for six crew members to attend an 

Arborist Skills Workshop which included tree climbing and maintenance techniques. The 

course, held in September 1987, was attended by members of the City of St. Louis and the 

University City Forestry Divisions. Pruning was originally performed using ladders and a 

self-propelled lift. During two training sessions, in September 1990 and March 1991, the 

grounds crew learned the proper way to climb trees, and how to prune using ropes and 

saddles. [107]

Pruning was performed on alternate years after fertilization. In 1991, the grounds crew used 

their newly-acquired climbing skills to remove several dead and hazardous trees at the new 

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site (ULSG). [108] Improved pruning techniques have 

resulted in more professional and scientific care for the park's urban forest. [109]

The division received further funding for six crew members to attend a second Arborist Skills 

Workshop for training in advanced tree climbing, cabling and bracing techniques. The course 

was held at ULSG in March 1991 in conjunction with a one-day Hazardous Tree Program. 

Both seminars were attended by members of local arborist companies, municipal arborists, 

and NPS personnel from Herbert Hoover NHS and Lincoln Boyhood NHS. [110]

Integrated Pest Management and the Ash Borer

The completed grounds of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial had more in common with 

a golf course or an athletic field than with natural parks such as Yellowstone or Yosemite. 

All features of the landscape were designed, built and planted by man. Many of the trees, 

shrubs and lawn grasses were exotics. The main goal in managing these plants was to keep 

them as healthy as possible. Cultural practices such as pruning, mowing, watering, fertilizing, 

insect and weed control were all meant to give the desirable plant an advantage over the 

undesirable pest. On those occasions where pesticides were required, the decision to use them 

was made after considering many alternatives and consequences. Several factors led to the 

use of pesticides in JEFF's urban forest during the 1980s. Integrated Pest Management (IPM), 

a decision-making process that utilized the monitoring of pests to determine if and when 

treatments were needed, employed physical, mechanical, cultural, biological and educational 

tactics to keep pest numbers low enough to prevent intolerable damage or annoyance. Leasttoxic chemical controls were used as a last resort; improving or managing plant health was
considered to be the key. [111]

Not long after planting more than 900 Rosehill Ash trees on the Gateway Arch grounds, 

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial unwittingly became the foremost regional host for 

the Lilac or Ash Borer (Podesesia syringae). [112] Clearwing borers comprise one of the 

most damaging groups of insect pests which attack shade trees and shrubs. Included in this 

group are the dogwood borer, lilac/ash borer, rhododendron borer, oak borer, and peach tree 

borer. It is the larval stage of the borer, and not the adult moth, which causes the damage. The 

larvae burrow beneath the bark where they feed and tunnel, weakening trunks and destroying 

the tissues that transport food and water throughout the tree. As Superintendent Jerry Schober 

put it, "our trees began to look like they had been shot with automatic 22 rifles, there were so 

many holes . . . . Some of our first trees that were damaged, I think were due to the wind in

'82. We woke up one morning and had about nine trees just snapped right in the middle. And 

part of it was because so much damage had been done by the borers." [113]

The clearwing moth spends the winter as a larva under the bark of the host plants or in the 

adjacent soil. Following pupation, the adult male clearwings begin emerging, followed 

shortly after by the females. The females immediately begin emitting a pheromone (sex 

attractant odor); males are capable of detecting the pheromone with their antennae, and fly 

upwind toward the female until they locate and mate with her. Females typically mate and 

begin laying eggs on the same day that they emerge. Approximately ten days elapse between 

egg deposition and larval hatch. Larvae bore into the bark of host trees soon after they hatch. 

[114]

Control of the clearwing borer became imperative at JEFF during the 1980s. No insecticide 

was sprayed during the late 1970s, and before 1983 the grounds crew used squirt bottles to 

spray the small holes on the trees where the borers emerged. Wires were also pushed into the 

holes to kill borers during the early 1980s. These methods were unscientific and not 

commensurate with the growing problem. Insecticide spraying began in earnest after 1983, 

when entire trees, rather than just the borer's holes, were sprayed. The Missouri Department 

of Conservation assisted in the efforts of the park staff to gain permission for spraying by 

writing letters, as did the USDA Forest Service. By that time the trees were badly infested 

and threatened by the ash borers. [115]

Accurate timing of insecticide applications was the critical factor in reducing clearwing borer 

damage. Larvae were only vulnerable to insecticide from the time they hatched until they 

burrowed beneath the bark, a period of one day or less. Insecticides with long residual 

effectiveness were generally unavailable. Monitoring the emergence of adult clearwing borer 

males with sticky traps laced with synthetic pheromone provided the needed information to 

accurately time insecticide applications. The traps were located by the male ash borers, [116] 

where they became caught on the sticky surface. The number of males caught in this manner 

indicated the presence and population of the borers in a given area. Traps were put out two 

weeks before the anticipated emergence of males, and if six or more clearwing borer moths 

were caught in an individual trap within a ten-day period, an insecticidal spray was applied. 

[117]

In 1985, four applications were made of Dursban 4E, a common insecticide proven to be 

effective against ash borers. By 1986, only three Dursban applications were made, and during 

pruning operations, the grounds crew found no significant infestation of borers in the ash 

trees. In 1987 this was reduced to two applications, and during 1988 and 89, just one. Traps 

revealed a five-year low of just 95 adult males in 1988, and no evidence of damage as of 

January 1989. [118]

Meanwhile, other untreated species of trees showed an increased infestation of borers (other
than the Ash Borer). Monitoring of these species was increased in 1989, and for the first time, 

trees other than ash were treated. [119] Insect pest problems on the increase in 1989 included 

the eastern tent caterpillar on crab and hawthorn trees, scale on euonymus ground cover (a 

serious problem in isolated areas), and spider mite on cypress trees. [120] Eastern tent 

caterpillar infestation increased from none prior to 1987 to 45 nests in 1988 and more than

100 in 1989. Mechanical removal was followed by two applications of Dipel pesticide. All 

crabapple trees were inspected for egg masses during the winter months. Eastern tent 

caterpillars were far less of a problem by 1991, but hardwood borers of several species 

continued to infest trees in stress. [121]

Another major problem from 1985 through 1987 were white grubs (the larvae of beetles such 

as the Northern Masked Chafer). In 1986, after a second year of extensive damage caused by 

these grubs, a request was approved to apply Proxol 80sp to more than 20 acres of lawn area. 

Control was quick and efficient; however, the problem continued through 1987. Proxol was 

approved at levels of 5 grubs per square foot. No significant white grub damage was made to 

the turf in 1988, due largely to the successful control measures taken in the two previous 

years. Damage caused by Masked Chafer grubs to lawn areas required the treatment of eight 

acres in 1991, however. May Beetle and Bluegrass Billbug were also found, but not in 

significant numbers. [122]

The Japanese Beetle was rapidly moving west during the mid-1980s, but significant turf and 

ornamental damage were rarely found on the Memorial grounds. Milky spore to control 

Japanese Beetles was applied beginning in 1985. Despite this, the occurrence of Japanese 

Beetles rose dramatically during the late 1980s, with 844 beetles trapped at 15 sites in 1987, 

and 3,264 beetles trapped at 20 sites the following year. Other areas monitoring Japanese 

Beetles in Eastern Missouri experienced similar increases. Japanese Beetles were monitored 

in the park by the Missouri Department of Agriculture and the Missouri Department of 

Conservation. No Japanese Beetle grubs were found in 1991, but adult monitoring showed an 

increase of 92% over 1990 totals, and damage by adult feeding was found on canna plants. 

[123]

Indications in 1990 were that IPM control methods had limited clearwing borer damage. 

Monitored trap counts were approximately the same as the year before, and consequently, no 

Dursban applications were made for the first time since 1984. The program seemed incredibly 

successful. Gardeners Mike Dobsch and Carl Smith attended a 40-hour IPM course held in 

St. Louis, making a total of five staff members who held IPM licenses. Counts early in 1991 

were lower than the past two years and delayed control measures. The grounds crew were 

concerned by the monitoring of borer activity, however, which indicated two to three borers 

in 75% of the trees sampled. These results were ominous, since borer infestations had been 

almost nonexistent since Dursban use was begun in 1985. [124]

Other problems also appeared. Slow leaf development, die back, along with canker and bark 

sloughing on the park's Rosehill Ash trees were a cause for concern starting in late April

1991. Monitoring by Gardener Mike Dobsch in June found at least twenty trees showing 

advanced signs of die back with many more showing lesser symptoms. Site visits by urban 

foresters from the Missouri Department of Conservation and the City of St. Louis in June 

confirmed symptoms associated with ash decline. Heavy infestations of Ash Plant Bug 

(Tropidosteptes amoenus), a possible vector of Ash Yellows and other mycoplasma-like 

organisms, led to the conclusion that control measures were required immediately. After 

foreman Jim Jacobs consulted Midwest Regional Office IPM Coordinator Steve Cinnamon, 

the grounds crew sprayed the most heavily infested area with Dursban 4E under pest project 

JEFF-91-08. [125] Soon afterward, a large number of dead birds were noticed on the 

grounds. Although Jacobs was unsure that there was a connection between the dead birds and 

Dursban applications, Chief Ranger Deryl Stone shut down IPM operations for the remainder
of the year. [126]

In August, the national meeting of the American Phytopathological Society was held in St. 

Louis. Attending the conference were James L. Sherald, plant pathologist, National Capital 

Region, NPS, and Manfred E. Mielke, plant pathologist, USDA Forest Service. They had 

been made aware of the Rosehill Ash problem prior to their visit, and organized an informal 

walk with several of their colleagues. While there was no immediate diagnosis, the collective 

opinion of the group was that Ash Yellows was not a problem in the park. While symptoms 

of decline were certainly present, the canker was probably a secondary result of a greater 

problem, most likely limited root space, compaction, and the effects of the drought of 1988. 

Applications of Dursban were resumed in 1992 on a more limited basis, and research 

continued through the use of consultants into the most effective and non-destructive uses of 

pesticides on the grounds. [127]

In reference to this, Jerry Schober commented: "I think the Park Service is very concerned, 

and I don't blame them, in what chemicals we put out. [We have visitors] nearly around the 

clock except for six hours. So we have to be careful what we spray, in order to protect the 

environment." [128]

Bermuda Grass and Weed Control

Beginning in 1987, the grounds division began a project to eradicate Bermuda grass and other 

weeds. More than four acres of spot treatment with Roundup herbicide were followed by 

complete turf renovation in 1987, with additional treatments necessary during the spring and 

summer. This program was continued during 1988, when less than one acre of turf required 

spot applications. As a result, control and treatment were performed on an as-needed basis. 

In 1989, approximately 1/4 of an acre of slope was renovated in this manner, and later 

sodded by grounds personnel. [129]

Restrictions were placed on the use of pre-emergent weed control products in 1988, however, 

and weed problems in plant beds started to become significant. The lack of an appropriate 

selective post-emergent control also contributed to annual grasses and broadleaf weeds, 

which required intensive hand weeding, performed by Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) 

crews. The incidence of perennial weeds including thistle, bermuda grass, crab grass, clover, 

wild onion, and nutsedge increased significantly over previous years. [130]

To control these undesirable plants, YCC began installing weed barrier material under the 

trees in 1988. The park funded this project to test the effectiveness of geotextile turf covers 

in the protection of lawn areas from heavy foot traffic. The material protected the turf in 

most situations. [131] By 1989, YCC crews completed the installation of turf covers on 1,350 

trees (80% of the trees in turf areas and 50% of the tree grates in the park). These non-woven 

geotextile fabrics were also a part of the IPM process, eliminating most of the need for weedcontrol pesticides once they were in place. The fabric was stapled and mulched to hold it in 

position. Roundup herbicide was approved for one application per year, only prior to placing 

the fabric. Safer's Sharpshooter was approved on an experimental basis as a post-emergent. 

[132]

Weed problems in plant beds, however, continued to be significant due to the restrictions on 

pre-emergent weed control and the lack of an appropriate selective post- emergent control. A 

sharp decrease in seasonal laborers and the cancellation of the YCC program in 1990 and

1991 greatly reduced the amount of time available for hand weeding, and perennial weeds 

increased significantly. The program to eradicate Bermuda grass from the park continued, as 

did the removal of scale on euonymus groundcover, found significantly at the Arch Parking 

Garage and in other isolated areas throughout the park. Complete plant removal and
treatments of horticultural oil had not checked the spread of scale by 1992. [133]

Tree Inventory

During the 1980s, JEFF adopted a very efficient approach to monitoring the trees on its 

grounds. The Missouri Department of Conservation supplied a person to assist with tree 

assessment and inventory work in 1989. Each tree was tagged with a red plastic label with a 

code designating location, species and tree number. This information could be loaded into a 

computer at the Grounds Maintenance shop. A system was developed to assign point values 

to significant features of each tree, including the condition of the trunk, structure, vigor, and 

presence of pests. A cumulative point value was aligned with the MMS Feature Inventory 

Condition Assessment for condition levels of 1 (satisfactory), 2 (fair), and 3 (poor). A 

contractor was hired to produce a computer-generated map identifying all trees by zone, 

species, tag number, and relative size. A total of 2,551 trees were located and recorded on the 

map. Condition assessments were only made for trees other than Ash during 1989, however. 

Of the 1,558 non-ash trees, 56% rated as condition 1, 33% condition 2, and 11% as condition

3. Maintenance requirements, such as fertilizing and pruning, were noted. This information 

helped the grounds crew to treat each tree according to its needs, rather than work from 

orders for mass pruning or spraying, as some parks and golf courses are managed. Each year, 

two-thirds of the Arch grounds trees were inspected for pruning, with about half of them 

being pruned. [134]

The tree species performing best on the park grounds included burr oak, swamp white oak, 

thornless honey locust, bald cypress, red oak, the saucer magnolia, the Japanese pagoda tree 

and the Kentucky coffee tree. Many trees had slight problems. All Bradford pears that needed 

removal were replaced with Redspire pear trees, while Amur corktrees were used to replace 

dead lindens. Those trees with the most serious problems, which were not replanted, 

included flowering dogwood, greenspire linden, sugar maple, and white pine. [135]

Mowing

The Gateway Arch grounds were planted with grass seed known as "Arch Grounds Seed 

Mix." The Veiled Prophet Fair supplied 1 ton of this seed mix each year to the park. The mix 

consisted of 49% arboretum bluegrass, 15% regal ryegrass, 15% creeping red fescue, 10% 

glade bluegrass, and 10% Kentucky bluegrass, and was sold on the market. [136] From April 

through November, every weekday was mowing day somewhere on the Arch grounds, unless 

the grass was wet, when mowing was avoided due to the spread of plant disease. The crew 

mowed the grass high, with mowers set at 3" to 3 1/2", as long grass looks greener than grass 

that is cut too short. Each morning as the temperatures rose, laborer Gary Amstutz made the 

rounds of the 1,150 sprinkler heads, turning on those in selected zones so that the water ran 

through the 13.5 miles of underground irrigation pipe to keep the grass green. Sprinklers were 

turned off by 9 a.m. [137]

Snow Removal

During the winter, the grounds crew met the challenges presented by St. Louis' infrequent 

snow storms; with each snowfall, four sets of concrete steps and five miles of concrete 

sidewalks had to be cleared. [138] In January of 1991, a combination of sleet and snow kept 

walkways in hazardous condition for several weeks. The grounds crew performed three times 

the level of snow and ice control that had been planned for that winter. [139]
Tractor Operator Bobbie Eakins aerating turf near Memorial Drive, 1991. NPS 

Photo.

Reflecting Ponds

In 1986, a leak was discovered in the north end of the south reflecting pond at two inlets. 

Members of the grounds and HVAC crews repaired the leak after the pond was drained. The 

grounds crew and YCC cleaned the pond, which was then refilled. The following year, both 

the north and south reflecting ponds were drained and, after a thorough cleaning, the walls 

and floor of each were recaulked. Cyclic funding made available for this project, combined 

with other similar projects, resulted in a savings to the park of more than $40,000. A 

repair/rehabilitation project to modify the existing storm drainage system was also completed, 

with 530 feet of 18 inch PVC pipe and two manholes installed to divert storm water directly 

into the reflecting ponds on the grounds. [140]

Flooding

During October 1986, severe flooding of the Mississippi River resulted in damage to turf 

areas and cobblestone walks along Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard. A request was made to the 

Midwest Regional Office for emergency funds to replace approximately 3,000 yards of sod 

and cobblestones. The resodding of one acre of turf along Sullivan Boulevard was completed 

the following autumn. Repair of the area was delayed so as not to be affected by the VP Fair. 

A major tuckpointing job of the cobblestones along Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard completed 

the large project. [141]

Parking Garage

With the completion of the new parking garage in 1987, landscaping was begun. Tree and 

shrub replacements were made by the contractor, Fred Weber and Son, in the spring of 1987. 

The maintenance of the plantings and the irrigation system was taken over by the JEFF 

grounds division. The irrigation system required some minor repairs and modifications. [142]

Irrigation

Another major project for the grounds maintenance crew involved correcting deficiencies in 

the irrigation system that had been installed as part of the original site development. The 

original system did not provide coverage to all areas of the grounds. By 1986 grounds
maintenance employees had completed two-thirds of the planned irrigation improvements, 

which included the addition of 27 irrigation heads and the repositioning of 12 others. In

1988, 13 more heads were added to complete the project. The result of this work was a more 

efficient distribution of water, resulting in the improved appearance of the grounds. The 

grounds personnel also completed an irrigation system at the Old Courthouse initiated by the

1987 YCC program. This project, along with the subsequent lawn care and annual flower 

planting, won a 1988 Cityscape Award from Downtown St. Louis, Inc. [143]

A repair/rehab project to modify the storm drainage system was completed in 1989. The 

contract included the installation of 530 feet of 18-inch PVC pipe and two manholes to divert 

storm water directly into the reflecting ponds. This diversion project provided relief to the 

northwest and southwest pump stations to handle projected run-off from a 100- year flood. 

The project was designed by the A/E firm, Zurheide Hermann, of St. Louis. [144]

The irrigation system with sprinkler heads functioning. Photo courtesy John Weddle.

The VP Fair

Hosting the Veiled Prophet Fair at JEFF during the 1980s and 90s had a major impact on the 

Memorial grounds. Extensive damage resulted each year from the presence of large, tightly 

packed crowds. Beginning with the first fair in 1981, the National Park Service required the 

VP Fair Foundation to draw up a contract for the replacement of trees and sod, to be signed 

before the fair. [145] While this was of some help in dealing with the aftermath of hosting 

this large event, it did nothing to prevent the annual damage. Superintendent Jerry Schober 

recalled: "The damages and things that were brought about every time we had a VP Fair! It 

rained, so much rain. I've never seen that much come all at one time. And it happened almost 

continuously every time we had one." [146]

VP Fair destruction was usually heavy due to the fact that the Arch grounds had trees and 

shrubs with shallow roots. There was little subsurface drainage, and only 6" to 8" of topsoil. 

The weather rarely cooperated, and was either too dry or too wet. Irrigation water was turned 

off at the time of the fair, and hot and dry conditions coupled with the large numbers of
visitors compacted the soil and killed trees and groundcover. Under opposite conditions such 

as rain, the stress of fair visitation created a quagmire of mud. [147] VP Fair damage yielded 

long-range consequences to the grounds; the 1988 drought and the destruction caused by the 

fair, for instance, resulted in trees losing their bark during the 1991-1992 season. [148]

Cleanup and grounds repair began immediately after each fair ended. A 1985 newspaper 

article chronicled the grounds repairs:

Landscapers hired by the fair were at work early Monday morning. Assistant 

Superintendent Norman Messinger said the National Park Service will ask the 

fair to replace an estimated five trees and 50 shrubs, half last year's toll.

The trees were damaged either by vendor's trucks or by people climbing or 

pulling on them, Messinger said. With no appreciable rain during the fair and the 

ample rainfall in June that made for hardy turf, grass damage was minimal.

Late Monday, landscapers were waiting to be told where to put 1,300 pounds of 

grass seed and 3,000 square feet of sod. . . . Fencing helped shield the most 

sensitive ground areas this year. . . .

According to Park Service officials, damage to the grounds was not much worse 

than during the Chicago-St. Louis baseball series here near the end of June. 

After one Cub loss, someone armed with a blunt object seriously damaged a 

number of trees on the Arch grounds. [149]

The amount of destruction varied from year to year, but general improvements in the 

efficiency of the clean-up operations were apparent as the decade progressed. The 1982 fair 

destroyed so much of the turf on the grounds that it provided an opportunity to test another 

type of grass. Jaguar fescue was planted in the area below the Arch in place of the Arch 

Grounds Seed Mix. [150]
Damage to a Rosehill Ash tree as a result of the VP Fair. Courtesy 

of John Weddle.

As a result of the 1986 VP Fair, 12 shrubs, 10 trees, and 5,425 yards of sod required 

replacement. An additional 216 trees required pruning and 25 acres of lawn needed 

overseeding. This extra work was performed or supervised by the grounds crew, while 

Shelton and Sons Landscaping replaced 3,500 yards of sod. Additional sod was planted by 

Stricker Grading and Seeding with monies left over from the VP Fair Foundation donation. 

Trees and shrubs were replaced by Mark I. [151]

The 1987 VP Fair resulted in major damage to the park landscape, due largely to the higher 

than normal rainfall experienced between setup and takedown. From June 22 through July 12, 

the grounds crew's rain gauge registered 12.9 inches of rain, with 10.4 inches falling between 

July 1 and July 7 alone. As a result, an estimated 22 of the total 47.5 acres of turf were 

destroyed by foot and vehicle traffic. Also destroyed were 11 trees and 4 shrubs, with an 

additional 158 trees suffering damage to trunk or limbs; these were repaired by the grounds 

crew. [152] It was decided to replant several areas:

[JEFF Facility Manager Bob Kelly] and Jim Jacobs, grounds maintenance 

foreman, decided that the only solution would be total rejuvenation — kill the 

remaining green growth and start over, "a good solution when turf is badly 

damaged or growth is over 50% weeds. . . . We also had a buildup of 

bermudagrass, nutsedge and crabgrass — in some areas, weeds were taking over. 

It seemed a good year to rebuild the entire mowable area."

In August, [work leader Tim Burns] and his crew used boom and spot sprayers 

to apply a 2% solution of Roundup herbicide at the rate of roughly 100 gallons
per acre. Two weeks later they applied a weaker solution of 1-1.5% Roundup to 

spots that didn't have total kill on the first round.

Using Roundup herbicide, which is allowed by the NPS, rather than simply 

tilling was the key technique in renovating the turf on the Arch grounds. [153]

The jaguar fescue planted in 1982 had not worked out as well as it might, since obtaining 

fescue sod proved to be difficult and increased costs. Fescue did not seem to establish itself 

in the short time span between fairs. As a result, the 1987 reseeding was completed with the 

Arch Grounds Seed Mix. [154]

As of January 1988, 2.8 acres were resodded and 18.5 acres reseeded; the seeded areas 

needed additional overseeding in the spring. Improvements to the drainage system above the 

museum were also necessary following the VP Fair. Catchbasins installed on the existing 

drain pipe improved the dispersion of water from the area. [155] Jerry Schober estimated that 

the repairs from this one fair "had to be a quarter of a million dollars . . . We had to even 

redo the irrigation lines underneath." [156]

The impact of the 1988-90 VP Fairs on the Memorial Grounds was relatively light. Turf 

damage was down considerably due to favorable weather, the improved layout of fair 

activities, and the increased involvement of the grounds crew in expediting cleanup. The 

grounds crew and YCC removed large debris from the park, while grounds equipment was 

used to sweep sidewalks and turf. This action assisted in minimizing turf damage, and also 

decreased the time the VP Fair contractors required for cleanup and teardown. [157]

Gardener Sharron Cudney assesses damage to a tree on the Gateway Arch grounds.

NPS photo.

Of the 25 acres of turf impacted in 1988, the VP Fair was asked to resod less than one acre. 

The balance was reseeded by the grounds crew in the fall with seed purchased by the VP Fair 

Foundation. As of January 1989, only half of the requested sod was laid, and the 13 tree 

replacements had not been planted, which left visible scars from the fair. [158] The VP Fair 

organization was not asked to make repairs to the turf or replace damaged trees in 1989.
[159]

The 1991 VP Fair was relatively damaging to the grounds of the Gateway Arch. The VP Fair 

organization agreed to replace more than 14,000 yards of sod, much of it damaged when 

heavy rains occurred on the first day of the fair. Rain on the last day of the fair forced an 

early end to the activities and may have saved the park from suffering more damage. Tree 

damage was the lightest of any past fair. The grounds crew overseeded approximately 15 

acres of turf. Taking advantage of the timing of the fair, Labor Day weekend, approximately 

ten acres were seeded prior to the start of the fair. By the spring of 1992, approximately

4,500 yards of sod had been replaced. [160]

Youth Conservation Corps

During the 1980s, JEFF supported a very active Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program. 

The 1985 YCC Program employed 20 youths and was very successful. Special placement of 

several enrollees provided help in the administrative and maintenance offices as well as with 

the HVAC and grounds crews. [161] Brian Forbes, a local high school student who was a 

member of the 1985 YCC, worked with the grounds crew. He was involved in a project to 

repair 63 drain valves, making them easier to manage. That same summer, Kevin Williamson 

worked for the building maintenance crew on the EMS. The YCC worked from June 17 to 

August 9, 1985, at $3.85 per hour. The quality of their work was very high, and earned praise 

for the group from Facility Manager Bob Kelly. [162]

The YCC completed 65% of an underground irrigation system for the Old Courthouse 

courtyards in 1987. [163] During 1988 and 89, the YCC program completed a three-year 

IPM project designed to reduce the use of herbicides. The crew installed a weed-barrier 

material under approximately 650 trees the first year, and 700 trees the second. In addition, 

the YCC workers hand-weeded all plant and ground cover beds and completed a project to 

control erosion at the South overlook. [164] They mulched trees and shrub beds, planted 

shrubs to create a barrier to foot traffic, and began work on a three-year project to control 

erosion around trees planted on sloping ground. [165] In the heyday of the program, YCC 

had two work supervisors, two to three work leaders, and 10 enrollees each season. [166]

In 1990, grounds operations were curtailed by a reduction in the number of seasonal laborers 

hired, and the cancellation of the Youth Conservation Corps program due to lack of funds. 

As an alternative to the YCC program, the Summer Youth Program of the St. Louis Agency 

on Training and Employment (SLATE) supplied five youths to the grounds crew. The 

program was funded by the Federal Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). The major goal of 

the program was to provide job experience and good work habits for youths 14 to 21 years of 

age. This goal was only partially accomplished due to excessive absenteeism, tardiness, 

suspensions, and terminations. Of the original five youths hired, three were eventually 

terminated, leaving only two to complete the eight-week program. Three replacements were 

also terminated. SLATE again supplied five youths to the grounds unit in 1991. Brian Forbes, 

formerly a YCC enrollee and later a work leader, supervised. Work performed involved hand 

weeding ground cover beds and mulching trees. Forbes received a Fast Track Award for his 

performance. [167]

Another source of labor utilized by the maintenance division was the St. Louis County 

Juvenile Court Work Release Program. Juveniles convicted of various crimes were sentenced 

to public works projects. Two eight-week sessions were completed, and a crew 

leader/counselor from the program was supplied. The crew worked two days per week, with 

mixed results, as absenteeism and motivation were constant problems. The program was not 

continued for a third season due to the lack of success experienced during the first two 

summers. [168]
The termination of the YCC program, however, put a considerable dent in grounds unit 

project goals for 1990 and subsequent years. Additional pressure was placed on the program 

in June 1990, when limited grounds maintenance responsibilities for the new Ulysses S. Grant 

NHS were added to their duties. [169] Superintendent Schober commented:

The YCC has been a very helpful program, not only here but in lots of parks. I 

think the biggest criticism of it has been that they are never funded well enough. 

You usually have to use your own manpower for supervision and quite often the 

park's funds. [170]

YCC Crew in the Grounds Maintenance Facility, 1989. NPS Photo.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER FOUR:

Maintenance (continued)

Part III: Tram Maintenance

The Unique Arch Transportation System

The tram system for the interior of the Gateway Arch was designed by Richard B. Bowser. In 

a 1986 letter to former director of the NPS George B. Hartzog, Jr., Bowser outlined the 

sequence of events which led up to his selection as tram system designer:

Being a college dropout was hardly a credential to qualify me to design the arch 

trains [Bowser left the University of Maryland in 1942 to enlist in the Navy, 

serving three years as a fire controlman on the destroyer U.S.S. Wadsworth in the 

Pacific]. However, I was also a second generation elevator man with more than a 

fair share of guts. My father and I had developed, manufactured, and installed 

Bowser Parking System elevator equipment. These elevators could travel 

horizontally & diagonally through a structure as well as the normal vertical 

travel. There were no ramps or driveways in a Bowser System Garage. The 

Bowser System and the competing Pigeon Hole Parking were the only 

mechanical parking systems that ever got beyond the prototype stage. There were

35 Bowser Garages built, several of which were over 12 stories, some had 

capacities of over 1,000 stalls and I believe over half of which, after 30 years, 

still operate . . .

As the design and construction of the Arch progressed I began to realize that the 

opportunity to work on the Arch was more of a "last resort" than winning a 

competitive award. Eero Saarinen's office had contacted most of the larger 

elevator companies [including Otis] and several engineering firms who had little 

if any elevator experience when almost by accident I had an opportunity to offer 

to do the transportation system work for a fixed fee. [171]

Dick Bowser entered the Montgomery Elevator Company offices in Moline, Illinois, one day 

in 1960 to visit a friend, John Martin. The company had recently been called by Eero 

Saarinen's office, looking for a firm to take on a "transporter" project for the Gateway Arch. 

"[A]s soon as he saw me in his office, [Martin] had his secretary make a return call to 

Saarinen's office. While this was going on he was explaining what he was doing. He then 

took the telephone and was introducing me to one of the partners. By the time he handed the 

telephone to me there were two of Saarinen's partners on the line.

Their first question was "did an elevator have to travel vertically?" I said I didn't 

think so. I could remember that my father built and installed a dumbwaiter that
transferred from one hatchway to another hatchway about half way up its vertical 

travel. If they were interested the dumbwaiter was in a church building in 

Birmingham, Michigan. It turned out that the building was within a mile of their 

offices. Their next question was "when can you meet with Eero Saarinen?"

I explained my 2 week schedule and rather than wait they made arrangements to 

see me the following Saturday morning — giving me time enough to travel to 

their office and get back on my schedule by Monday. [172]

A month after this initial contact, Saarinen called back and requested a presentation from 

Bowser within two weeks. "The first drawing that I got had an outline of the Arch, and down 

at the bottom was a square that showed a walkway and it said 'elevator' — that's all there 

was." Bowser worked day and night at home in his basement for the next two weeks to 

complete his plans. [173]

Bowser described his thought process in a 1964 interview:

In designing a conveyance system for the Arch, there were very few criteria to 

meet except that the National Park Service had established a passenger volume 

of 3,500 people in an 8 hr. day, or up to 11,000 people in a 14 hr. day as visitors 

to the Arch. It was also required that in no way could the conveyance system 

distort the exterior of the Arch.

The first attempts in designing an appropriate system were based on several 

schemes, beginning with elevators. To get 3,500 people to the top of the Arch, 

which is the equivalent of a 63-story building, in an 8 hr. day would require 

more than an ordinary elevator, however.

Because of the triangular shape and the different slopes in the Arch, a standard 

elevator could only go up about 300 ft. Above that level, a small elevator at a 

steeper angle would be required. Between the larger and smaller elevators would 

have to be machine rooms, pits, and waiting space for a large number of people, 

and these would have consumed about six stories of the interior of the Arch. The 

triangular shape also presented a problem. Elevators were determined to be 

impractical.

The next solution to be considered was escalators but, here again, many units 

would have been needed, and the cost would have been very high. In the upper 

sections of the Arch there was an area where the slope of an escalator would not 

follow the required curvature.

The Ferris wheel principle was then considered. This involved utilizing small 

containers of people, with their seats pivoted to swing at any angle. This 

approach involved a continuous chain, but the distance up one leg of the Arch, 

and down the other side, and across the bottom, would have been almost half a 

mile. The Ferris wheel system would also have had to move on the center line of 

the Arch, and no provision could be made for passengers to get off at the top 

observation area.

The next solution to be considered was grouping of seats together so that there 

would be groups simultaneously at a loading zone, at the top, and at an 

unloading zone. This, too, presented problems, because the center portion of the 

upper part of the Arch would have been occupied with equipment, leaving no 

room for stairways and other devices for safety.
Finally, a combination of the elevator principle and the Ferris wheel principle 

was developed into a train of capsules. [174]

After two weeks, Dick Bowser traveled to Michigan for a 45-minute presentation. "I didn't 

know the meeting was going to be anything more than a preliminary meeting with the 

architect and his staff," recalled Bowser, who walked into a room filled with St. Louis area 

congressmen, the mayors of St. Louis and East St. Louis, MacDonald Construction Company 

engineers, Director of the Park Service George Hartzog, and Eero Saarinen himself. At 3 

p.m., Bowser began to pitch his idea for the transporter system, the concept of which was the 

same system which was eventually built in the Arch. His presentation lasted 40 minutes; then 

the questions came, in a session which lasted several hours. "[A]fter the group had been 

advised that the restaurant could not delay dinner any longer someone asked 'Mr. Bowser, 

what are you.' I was sure he was addressing my academic credentials. In an effort not to ruin 

what I felt was a successful presentation I answered 'I'm 38 years old.' This 'brought the 

house down' and ended the meeting." [175]

Within a few weeks Bowser had a contract, for a fee of $40,000, for a two year job; as it 

turned out, the job lasted until 1967. In his letter to George Hartzog, Bowser detailed some of 

the considerations included in designing the trams:

Last spring, when we were in St. Louis, my wife and I were standing in a leg of 

the Arch watching a train go up. There were relays clicking, motors running, 

capsules rotating in an effort to remain level, some cables were going up, others 

were moving down, wheels, trolleys, wires, chains, etc. I told my wife "I can't 

believe I was involved in all this and I don't believe I have the guts to do such a 

thing again.". . .

The 8 small capsules, used in each of the 2 Arch trains, are similar to the barrels 

used in cement mixers. Each train capsule has a 5 ft. diameter barrel that is open 

on the front and closed on the back. The back has a center pivot shaft and 

surrounding the open front there is a frame with rollers, so the barrel can rotate 

within the frame that is supported by wheels running in the channel shaped 

tracks. There are 5 seats in each barrel so the weight of the passengers helps 

keep [the capsule] in an upright position. In the lower load zone the capsules 

hang from the track — in the upper load zone the capsules are above the track. 

Each capsule rotates approximately 155 degrees during the trip to the top of the 

Arch . . .
The Gateway Arch Transportation System.

Each train (8 capsules) is powered by a typical heavy duty elevator machine with 

cables, counterweights and all of the safety features of a modern high speed 

passenger elevator. Each of the Arch trains carries 40 passengers and is capable 

of making a round trip with passengers in 9 minutes — including loading and 

unloading passengers in both directions[.] When running near capacity each train 

typically carries 200 to 225 passengers per hour. [176]

It [was] possible to put the entire train on one side of the Arch, leaving half of 

the upper area for a stairwell . . .

When the capsule starts out from the lower load zone, the tracks are overhead, 

but as it goes up the Arch they come to be beneath the capsule. All the way 

along, the framework rotates around the capsule. A separate train runs in each 

leg of the Arch because there is a great deal of difference in the amount of time 

that loading takes at the top, where it is cramped, and at the bottom, where there 

is a great deal of room. Several advantages were gained by having independent 

units. As crowds increase, each train can run empty one way, or in the case of 

small attendance, only one train need be used. [177]

Sixteen special passenger capsules were built, which operated in two eight-car trains, one in 

each leg. The cars were designed by Planet Corporation of Lansing, Michigan, and built by 

General Steel Industries, Inc., St. Louis Car Division, from Reynolds aluminum supplied by 

Joseph T. Ryerson & Son. Each capsule carried five passengers seated in fiberglass seats, the 

only components of the cars and carrier frames not made of aluminum. [178]

The trains have been operating for over 18 years [in 1986], traveling a total of
approximately 150,000 miles and carrying over 14 million passengers. They are 

considered to be a transportation system, and are run by the Bi-State 

Development Agency. [179]

Repairs and Maintenance

A unique transportation system such as the tram in the Gateway Arch, despite its efficiency 

and durability, was bound to present unusual problems over the course of time. Employees 

were kept on staff (including Dick Bowser between 1967 and 1972, and his successor as unit 

supervisor, Harry Breitenstein) to maintain and repair the Arch tram system. These 

employees were people with some of the most specialized talents in the National Park 

Service (NPS), with a history of innovative solutions to their credit, and an almost daily 

series of one-of-a-kind problems facing them. A $15,000 per year fund from the 

transportation operation profits was set aside by Bi-State for major repair and replacement of 

tram components in 1970. In addition, $5,000 was set aside for emergency maintenance other 

than spare parts. [180] Originally, NPS tram maintenance personnel worked only Monday 

through Friday shifts, and their duties were assumed by standby mechanics from General 

Elevator Engineering Company. On February 10, 1971, at the insistence of Dick Bowser, 

JEFF requested that the park hire two elevator mechanics on a full-time, year-round basis to 

replace the part-time standby mechanics. The mechanics were paid out of funds generated by 

Bi-State from the tram operation by bill for collection on a quarterly basis. The additional 

mechanics enabled the tram operation to start running earlier each day, thus providing better 

visitor service and more revenues for Bi-State. [181] This agreement proved beneficial to 

both JEFF and Bi-State, and was continued, with modifications, into the 1990s.

A 1992 article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch profiled one of the Arch Transportation

Services (ATS) employees, Chuck Kalert, indicating some of their routine duties:

"Every day we do thorough inspections to make sure all the safety equipment is 

working," Kalert said. "We also do monthly and annual safety inspections."

Kalert's day starts at 7 a.m.

"We spend the better part of two hours checking out the tram, making sure the 

lights work, the doors are operating properly, and that there aren't any problems," 

he said. "We'll ride to the top on the maintenance platform checking the cables."

A ride on the maintenance platform — attached to the front of the tram — is a 

bit different than being inside the cars, which adjust to keep level as the tram 

slopes toward the top.

"The maintenance platform doesn't correct its angle," Kalert said. "What you're 

standing on when you start is what you're holding onto when you reach the top. 

You have to do some shuffling."

The nine five-eighths-inch steel cables that pull the trams . . . are replaced every 

other year. [182]

Negotiations were begun in 1985 to study the entire tram system, with the objective of 

modifying the electrical and mechanical systems, and changing to state-of-the-art technology 

where cost-effective. These negotiations had to be abandoned in 1986 due to fiscal 

constraints. Problems with the tram system were constant during the late 1980s, with abovenormal failure on the capsule reversing starters beginning in 1986. These starters were rebuilt 

the following year; some of them had been in service for 18 years. In addition, the south tram 

was recabled during January. The north tram was recabled in 1987, but Bethlehem Steel
provided cables which were cut too short and not to park specifications. This delayed the 

completion of the project, but was only a minor inconvenience to the visitors. New control 

wires were also installed on the outside of the north tram, along with eight new starters. [183]

The south tram was again recabled during January 1988, and several first-time projects were 

also completed that autumn, including replacement of the original inter-capsule wiring, which 

was 21 years old. After analyzing the failure pattern on the system, a new program was 

instituted for changing the counterweight wheels, with any wheel bearing that was over seven 

years old automatically slated for replacement. This program eliminated shutdowns due to 

wheel or bearing failure. All the original micro switches on the south tram capsule doors 

were changed during 1988, as well as drive belts on the door operators for the lower and 

upper hatch doors. [184]

ATS crew working on a tram car, March 1978. NPS photo by Norman Messinger.

From September 15 through December 20, 1991, several of the 25-year-old components of 

the north tram were replaced. These included all magnetic hoist-way switches, the capsule 

cradle wheels, trunion cables, capsule leveling motor output shaft bearings, sprockets and 

drive chains. All moveable and stationary contacts on the number two section control panel 

were replaced. [185]

Electrical Systems

In addition to work on the trams, ATS employees performed extensive work on electrical and 

wiring systems in the park. The ATS crew is primarily responsible for repair to light fixtures 

at JEFF. In 1989, a program to upgrade several components of the vast Arch electrical system 

was begun. Replacement fixtures could not be located for the lighting units on the Grand 

Staircase, and so the ATS crew designed and fabricated a replacement fixture and installed 

approximately 40% of the units. A program to upgrade the exterior pole fixtures along the 

Arch walkways began, including the re-welding of all poles to their bases and a modification 

of the receptacle part of each fixture. An inventory/tracking system was developed for all of 

the electrical distribution panels in the Arch complex, allowing for the documentation of any 

future additions or deletions to the electrical system. [186]

The 1990 purchase of a Diahatsu utility vehicle with a hydraulic work platform made
repairing grounds lighting safer and more efficient. A major effort was made toward 

correcting design deficiencies in the north parking garage exterior lighting system, 

specifically on the top deck. Additionally, an electrical lighting supplies inventory was 

established. [187]

A 400-amp electrical panel, which supplied power to the south grounds lighting system, was 

replaced due to damage caused by water intrusion during the Arch complex roof repairs. The 

first panel to be replaced required many hours of research and four investigative sessions 

with General Electric and its vendor. The panel size had been changed due to an alteration in 

the National Electrical Code. Field changes were made by the ATS crew to adapt the new 

panel to the existing conduit and wiring. Soon after this, as the result of another intrusion of 

water and sand, the new breakers had to be replaced. The offending sand was so fine that it 

entered the breakers' internal mechanisms and rendered them inoperative. [188]

A main electrical junction box along the north side of the underground museum, which had 

been leaking for several years, was replaced during October 1991. Every time it rained, water 

infiltrated the north mechanical room around the main 440 volt switch gear. During April

1991, the main feeders from #2 emergency generator, for the Arch's main line emergency 

circuit, were changed to correct an electrical code violation. [189] Thirty grounds light poles 

were refurbished and re-welded in 1991. The repairs were necessary due to vandalism and 

the constant vibration of the wind, which caused the welds to fatigue and break. These 

repairs represented a substantial savings over the cost of replacement poles. [190]

Unique Systems and Repairs

Work was begun in 1985 to install central vacuum systems in each leg of the Arch, to 

facilitate the annual cleaning of the interior portion of the Arch legs, as well as daily cleaning 

of load zones and capsules. Piping was installed by 1986, and specifications for the purchase 

of power units were made. The central vacuum systems were completed in 1987. [191]

ATS Crew Foreman Harry Breitenstein replaces the aircraft warning light on the top 

of the Arch, October 1976. NPS photo by Norman Messinger.

An overhead I-beam system was installed in the lower load zone during 1989, which allowed 

for the removal of heavy pumps from the bottom of the pump station. Weighing more than
500 pounds each, these pumps could only be removed through the effort of four men 

physically carrying them out. The pumps had to be raised 45 feet vertically, and moved up 29 

steps. The new I-beam system allowed the pumps to be moved mechanically, and was a good 

safety project. [192]

Water intrusion, as a result of the water mitigation project on the MWE roof, "shattered 

nerves in the ATS shop," and consumed many hours of labor in cleaning up mud and water. 

"Several call outs in the middle of the night brought employees in to find water running from 

the ceiling and from electrical panels and light fixtures, a very unsettling experience." Spring 

rains during the waterproofing of the visitor center roof consumed many hours of labor in 

cleaning up mud and water in the ATS shop. After several change orders and negotiations 

with the contractor, this was finally corrected with the installation of new ventilation system 

piping to the exterior of the building. [193]

ATS crew member Les Doolittle working on a tram capsule, March 1978. NPS photo 

by Norman Messinger.

Specialized Staffing Problems

The ATS unit was affected by staffing shortages because of injuries in 1987 and 1988. Due to 

the technical nature of the work involved, it was impossible to find temporary help to 

alleviate the problem. [194] Staff-days lost totaled 192. Three new mechanics were hired for 

the ATS crew, which created unique problems, since this was the first time so many men had 

to be trained on the job at the same time. Schedule changes were required in order to cover 

all phases of the job, as few employees were experienced enough to perform all the needed 

tasks. [195]

During 1990, four positions that were vacated on the ATS crew were filled by individuals 

who were members of the military reserves. Park operating standards required at least two 

members of the ATS crew be present at all times when the trams were operating, so this 

created scheduling problems due to the mandatory drill weekends for the reservists. As a

result of the unusually large turnover of personnel, more scheduling and training was 

necessary, and less annual maintenance was accomplished. [196]
The services of ATS Mechanic John Rousan were lost from February through November,

1991, due to his activation for military duty in Saudi Arabia. During the first quarter of 1991, 

three new mechanics were hired to fill vacancies on the ATS crew. An additional, temporary 

mechanic was hired as a replacement for John Rousan during his call to active duty. [197]

Motor Generator Set Replacement

The motor generator (MG) sets are the devices which produce direct current (DC) power to 

operate the Arch tram system. Industrial electrical systems requiring close, precise motion 

and speed control have historically operated on DC power, rather than commercially 

available AC power. Each of the two trams has an MG set, located beneath the floor of the 

observation deck at the top of the Arch. The original MG sets, installed in 1967, continued in 

use until 1992. [198]

Major repairs were made to the fuel distribution system on the #1 emergency generator, and 

all fuel hoses were replaced in 1988. [199] The south motor generator (MG) shorted out 

during the summer season of 1989. Emergency repairs were made, with the tram being down 

during the heavy visitor use season for four days. This breakdown indicated that the MG sets 

were approaching the end of their life cycle and were in need of replacement. [200]

The park negotiated for more than two years to replace the 25-year-old MG sets with a 

kinetic rectifier drive system. A bid was received in May 1991 to accomplish this, but was 

beyond the reach of available funding. To this end, 1991 was another year of many meetings 

and field trips to the interior of the Arch legs to investigate the work sites. Superintendent 

Schober commented:

So much of the equipment that was first-line stuff twenty years ago, is not nearly 

as good now. And when you try to redo something you find there are only a very 

few people that could install this system and none of them want competition. 

And without competition it means they name their own price. So we have found 

that the overriding thing has been greed in almost every case that we've gotten 

involved in . . . [201]

The ATS maintenance staff was assisted by General Electric investigators with coal mine MG 

set experience. Work continued into 1992 to obtain replacement MG sets, to be produced by 

G.E. for installation in March. The old sets were cut in two in order to remove them from the 

top of the Arch, and transport them to ground level. The MG sets, both the 1967 and 1992 

models, are unique, and were specially designed for the Arch. They were installed in an 

inverted position due to the small size and unusual shape of their housing area at the top of 

the Arch. [202]

Ticket for Gateway Arch Transportation System, c. 1968.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER FOUR:

Maintenance (continued)

Part IV: Custodial Services

During the late 1970s, a small custodial staff worked under the supervision of Michael J. 

Cooke. In August 1981, Shad Collier was hired as custodial supervisor, and served 

throughout the 1980s in that capacity. At the time of Collier's arrival, there were three work 

leaders, no foreman, and sixteen employees, working under cleaning schedules established by 

Building Services and HVAC foreman John Patterson. [203] Shad Collier explained:

The place of the custodial crew in a Park Service operation is unique, in that the 

employees of this division experience an extensive amount of public contact, and 

must be able to answer visitor questions and give directions, as well as complete 

projects involving cleaning the facility, carefully considering visitor safety as 

they work. This unique balance of assigned duties is combined with naturally 

occurring unassigned duties, making these jobs more extensive and important 

than they might ordinarily be. [204]

The cleanliness of a National Park site, no matter how large or how extensive the visitation, 

is the one thing that is sure to be scrutinized by the visiting public. It is a job which cannot be 

faked. It was imperative, therefore, in a high-visibility park such as JEFF, that the custodial 

staff and supervisor be of the highest quality.

In the mid-1980s, a program called A-76 was instituted, in which competitive bids for 

maintenance services were submitted, with contracts being awarded to the low bidders. All 

maintenance positions were described and put out on bids. "We went through a lot of 

paperwork to bid on our own jobs," recalled HVAC foreman John Patterson. "As it turned 

out, the custodial services were the easiest to manage as a block of work which could be 

contracted out. These services were also easier to monitor." [205] The best of the bids 

submitted to JEFF for custodial work turned out to be from the National Park Service, to 

whom the contract was awarded. Superintendent Schober recalled:

A-76 was probably, after all our griping and everything, one of the finest things 

that happened to us. When I first got here my biggest concern was those 

bookends sitting at the end of the ramp up against the wall, and I found out they 

were custodians that sat up there very quietly, one at each end of the ramp. And 

so I would talk to the chief of maintenance about: "Don't you think we have too 

many custodians?"

"Oh, no. Not at all. Almost not enough."
"Well I see so many sitting around."

"Yeah, but, see, the beauty of them is that if you have a spill, or anybody gets 

sick, or anything goes wrong, they can tackle it just like that."

Well, within my concession contract I negotiated to have the concessioner supply 

individuals to mop up the drink spills, to make change, to keep emptying the 

trashcans, and to pick up the empty cans. We not only got a percentage of their 

take, but we made sure there were individuals down under the Arch to help take 

the pressure off our custodians.

When A-76 came in we had to compete against outside bidders. What they did 

was take the work scope for the custodians in the Arch, and send out invitations 

for someone to bid on it. How much this would cost, how many people, and all 

of that. We in like manner could bid along with them. If we could win the award 

then there is no outsider. By us having to compete, we must have dropped, and I 

am guessing, ten to eleven custodians, and I have not seen the quality of the 

operation suffer . . . the whole Arch stays in pretty good shape. It's good 

maintenance, it's good quality individuals. But it shows you every once in a 

while we have to be proven wrong. And that's what A-76 did for us. [206]

A-76 staffing levels for the Custodial Division were completed by 1985. The employees met 

the intent of the contract, keeping the facility in an amazingly clean and presentable 

condition, despite the heavy visitation the site received. [207] Staff training produced a 

cleaning standard that far exceeded earlier, pre-A-76 standards, and effective supervision 

provided the tools for upgrading the operation. [208] As a result of the A-76 process the 

division was compelled to accurately establish task directives, which included the frequency 

of work, and establish quality control for all phases of the work. The implementation of the 

Maintenance Management System further advanced the ability of the custodial team to track 

costs and efficiently plan the tasks to be accomplished. [209]

Custodial services within the Museum of Westward Expansion under the Gateway Arch were 

expanded during 1987, with areas of responsibility changed to more fully utilize the talents of 

the staff and provide more timely correction of maintenance deficiencies. Touch-up painting 

of areas around baseboards and under multiple seating areas were performed on a daily basis 

by the custodial staff after these changes. [210]

The special use permits issued for after-hours use of the Arch and the Old Courthouse 

affected the custodial staff directly, for they were responsible for administering the permits 

and representing the maintenance division at these events. [211]

The Gateway Arch complex was flooded during and following the July 4, 1987 holiday, 

which caused additional work for the division. The museum shop, Arch lobby and Arch west 

hallway carpeting were quickly reconditioned following the flooding incidents. [212]
Custodial workers Kathryn Rogers and Athlene Ryales dust exhibit text prisms, 

Museum of Westward Expansion, May 1979. NPS photo by Norman Messinger.

After a year of monitoring the MMS, final adjustments were made in 1988 to refine the 

system, bringing the performance standards of custodial employees to a higher level. The 

entire custodial crew combined efforts in order to clean out the accumulated trash and debris 

in the area scheduled for the new 70mm theater in just three days time. Wall washing in the 

Old Courthouse, in preparation for the Victorian Christmas celebration, was completed in six 

work days and facilitated the areas to be painted by the HVAC division. [213]

Various construction projects heavily impacted the Custodial division throughout 1988. Dust 

from the installation of the fee collection area and the queuing area caused additional work 

and scheduling for the crew. [214] When the carpeting was removed during the queuing 

system installation, the contractor was incapable of cleaning the existing terrazzo to an 

acceptable condition. The custodial crew rose to the challenge and successfully restored the 

terrazzo to its original beauty. [215]

During 1989, the new theater excavations caused constant problems through the daily mud, 

dust, noise, and exhaust, and created tracking problems in the interior areas of the Arch lobby 

and museum. Associated breathing problems from the motorized equipment used on the 

project also had an impact. Additional work scheduling was necessary in some areas, and 

tasks were sometimes repeated as many as three or four times an hour to keep the facility 

presentable. [216]

Water intrusion played a part in the additional work of the division. On four occasions, staff 

members were called in to contain and clean up flooding. In each case the facility was clean 

and ready for visitation by morning. Two custodial staff members were assigned to the 

Ulysses S. Grant NHS to clean the home for an open house. They stayed within time 

constraints to complete the project. [217]

Conclusion

Maintenance at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial provided extraordinary challenges 

throughout the 1980s. Unique construction projects, extensive heating and air conditioning 

maintenance, an urban forest ecosystem, the essential cleaning and grooming of the site for
the visiting public, and a one-of-a-kind transportation system occupied the time and 

resources of the four major units of the JEFF maintenance staff. Their continued success was 

a tribute to park management, especially the overall supervision of Facility Manager Bob 

Kelly. In the words of Superintendent Jerry Schober: "I think that Bob Kelly has been a good 

addition. He was brought in here before I came. I think he put together a pretty dog-gone 

good staff, and of course this staff is unique because of the tram operation and the other 

unique services we offer." [218]

Custodian Max Martinez buffs the floors of the tram ramps, Gateway Arch visitor 

center. NPS photo by Al Bilger.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER FOUR:

Footnotes

1Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (JEFF) Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985, p.

5. All Superintendent's Annual Reports may be found in File A2621, JEFF Files.

2JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 17, and interview with John Patterson, 

Building Services and HVAC Foreman, April 1, 1992, conducted by JEFF Historian Bob 

Moore.

3 i.e., service-wide computer specifications requirements and new service-wide training 

manuals; see JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 24.

4Interview with John Patterson, April 1, 1992.

5Ibid.

6Contract #CX6000-3-0139, File S7217, Federal Records Center, Kansas City, Missouri, 

hereinafter cited as Federal Records Center.

7JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985, p. 4.

8Contract #CX6000-5-0052, File S7217, Federal Records Center.

9JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985, p. 4.

10JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 6.

11Ibid.

12JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 20.

13JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1988, p. 17; 1989, p. 23.

14JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 23.

15JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 24; for 1991, p. 26.

16JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 26.
17JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 28.

18JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 26.

19Interview with John Patterson, April 1, 1992. These are just a couple of examples of the 

many common, seemingly trivial items taken for granted by most employees and the public, 

which must be checked, repaired and replaced by the HVAC division.

20Ibid.

21Ibid. See Chapter 9 in this administrative history for more on the exhibits in the Old

Courthouse; JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 19; and for 1988, p. 17.

22JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 6.

23JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 19; interview with John Patterson, July

28, 1992, conducted by JEFF Historian Bob Moore.

24JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, pp. 26 and 28.

25JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 6; for 1987, pp. 19-20; for 1988, p. 17. 

The design of the signs was coordinated by Norman Messinger, Assistant Superintendent at 

JEFF; they were fabricated by the St. Louis Ornamental Stone Manufacturing Company. 

Interview with John Patterson, July 28, 1992.

26See Chapter 7 in this administrative history for more information on the establishment of an 

entrance fee at JEFF.

27JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, pp. 22-23; "Accomplishments HVAC

1989," p. 1, internal JEFF document, copy, JEFF historian's files.

28Ibid., p. 23.

29JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 23; for 1990, p. 26.

30JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 23; "Accomplishments HVAC 1989," p.

3.

31JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, pp. 23-26.

32Replacement of exterior ramps, Scope of Work, File #S7219, Federal Records Center.

33Later, WVP was awarded the contract for Title III services as well; see Contract #CX6000-

4-0097, File # S7219, Federal Records Center.

34File S7217, Federal Records Center; interview with JEFF Facility Manager Bob Kelly, 

March 28, 1992, conducted by Bob Moore, JEFF Historian.

35Interview with John Patterson, April 1, 1992.

36JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985, p. 4.
37See "Leaks in Roof Being Fixed At Underground Area of Arch," St. Louis Post Dispatch, 

June 21, 1967. All newspaper sources cited may be found in the newspaper clipping Files, 

JNEM Archives. See also Memorandum, Curt Townsend, Technical Assistance Coordinator, 

Denver Park Support Office, to Regional Director, Midwest Region, April 28, 1981; and trip 

report, Istvan Lippai, Civil Engineer, Rocky Mountain Team, June 23-25, 1981; 79-89-0003, 

Box 5, D22, Federal Records Center.

38JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 17.

39Contract #CX6000-7-0005, File S7219; see also Scope of Work Statement for ZurheideHermann, File D24, Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Physical Facilities; and Memo, 

Thomas A. Hermann, Executive Vice President, Zurheide-Hermann, to Gerald T. McClarnon, 

Contacting Officer, NPS, December 16, 1987, which includes details of the investigation, File 

D24, all JEFF Files.

40JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 17.

41JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report 1987. See also the letter of Thomas A. Hermann, to 

Gerald T. McClarnan, December 16, 1987, in JEFF File D24. The letter detailed the 

discovery, on December 10, 1987, of water intrusion and leakage through a beam above the 

north entrance. "A closer inspection of this area and removal of a portion of the ceiling 

revealed a crack in the bottom of the beam with water leaking thru it. . . . While the crack 

above the north entrance contributes to the water intrusion problems, we feel that it was not 

caused by the water problems, but was due to other circumstances. . . [T]here exists the 

potential for progression of serious structural problems." The letter recommended a more 

extensive investigation of the structural problems in the visitor center area, and included a 

diagram of the damage.

42Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990; see also Dave Caselli, "The Dirty Story of the 

Underground Museum's Roof," Courier, Newsmagazine of the National Park Service, 

Volume 37, Number 4, April, 1992, pp. 8-10, hereinafter cited as Caselli.

43Interview with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 18, 1992, conducted by

JEFF Historian Bob Moore.

44The decision was made to replace this soil with new material, "blended from sand and peat 

according to a strict recipe provided by a soil specialist professor at the University of 

Missouri." Caselli, p. 9. With the dirt and roofing material removed from the top of the 

visitor center complex, it was necessary to reactivate the hot water heating system, which had 

not been used for several years. During the late 1980s, the park was able to generate enough 

energy through the lighting units alone to provide heat in the museum, due to the insulation 

provided by the underground facility. Caselli, p. 9; interview with John Patterson, April 1,

1992.

45Ibid.

46Caselli, p. 9.

47For more on the asbestos survey, see Chapter 10, Law Enforcement and Safety, in this 

administrative history.

48Ibid.; see also JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 23; for 1991, p. 26, and
Chapter 3, on the VP Fair, in this administrative history. Final cost figures were supplied by

Dave Caselli.

49JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985, p. 5.

50Interview with JEFF Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, and Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3,

1992, conducted by JEFF Historian Bob Moore.

51JEFF Operations Evaluation Report, Midwest Regional Office (MWRO), May 1982, pp. 6 

and 15-16.

52JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports, 1985-1991.

53Interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, and Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3, 1992.

54"Grounds Maintenance Labor Breakdown," internal document, JEFF, 1991, copy, 

historian's files, JEFF.

55Interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, and Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3, 1992.

56"The Greening of St. Louis," by James P. Jackson, American Forests, September/October

1989, p. 67.

57Memo, MWRO Landscape Architect Mary V. Hughes, to Associate Regional Director, 

Planning and Resource Preservation, MWRO August 8, 1991, on a trip to Dan Kiley's 

Studios in Charlotte, Vermont, June 8-9, 1991.

58Ibid.; see also "St. Louis Riverfront Revisited 1933-1964," by Ruth Layton, in Landscape 

Architecture, April, 1964, which provides a brief overview of the most radical changes made 

to the Saarinen/Kiley plan during this period. A copy of this article is in the JEFF Library 

vertical file, VF-JNE-147. At a meeting of the Eastern Office of Design and Construction in 

Philadelphia on March 18, 1963, "a discussion on the 'pros and cons' of lakes emerged, which 

resulted in the . . . plan being revised to show a 'lake scheme.'" See letter, Philip D. Shipman, 

Office of Dan Kiley, to Bruce Detmers, Eero Saarinen and Associates, October 2, 1963, 

copy, JEFF historian's files. For more on the "opening up" of the landscape design and the 

planting of fewer trees than Kiley advocated, see letter, Robert G. Hall, Chief, Eastern Office, 

Design and Construction, to Eero Saarinen and Associates, February 3, 1963, and letter, 

Bruce Detmers, Saarinen and Associates to Hall, March 25, 1963, copies in JEFF historian's 

files.

59Meeting and interview with landscape architect Dan Kiley, at JEFF (included a tour of the 

grounds), October 21, 1991. Participating were MWRO Landscape Architect Mary Hughes; 

JEFF Historian Bob Moore; and JEFF Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs. Mr. Kiley discussed the 

appearance of the landscape design. Although pleased at the general site layout, he was 

disappointed that his original plant selections had not been followed, stating that his plan 

called for tulip poplars for the grounds. The poplars "would be seventy feet tall by now, and 

would blend very well." He suggested that clusters of flowering trees near the edges of the 

property, especially near the highway, might look nice, and favored ginkgoes or tulip poplars 

as possibilities for new tree plantings. He also mentioned clustering the trees closer together, 

as at the Tuilleries in France, where the trees are distant 12' 6" on center. When asked about 

the tree grates on the sidewalks, Mr. Kiley said that he would prefer to keep them as they 

were, despite the problems caused by the root systems. Mr. Kiley stated that he had originally
consulted with the Missouri Botanical Garden and other sources on the plantings, and the 

most successful trees for the St. Louis climate. He noted that the plantings away from the 

walkways are substantially different than the way he had designed them. In several letters, 

Eero Saarinen expressed his concerns regarding the landscape design and his wishes 

regarding the retention of Kiley as the landscape architect; see letters, Saarinen to Kiley, 

especially August 6, 1956. A 1969 letter from Kiley's office stated Kiley's concerns: "We are

. . . interested in seeing the design carried out in a way that is sympathetic with the original 

design intent. Mr. Kiley is concerned that this project may be going ahead without his 

involvement." See letter, Henry F. Arnold, partner, Office of Dan Kiley, to Richard Huber, 

NPS Eastern Office of Design and Construction; copies in historian's files, JEFF. According 

to Mr. Kiley, no reply to this letter was received from the NPS.

60The plan was approved by Director George B. Hartzog on February 2, 1966; see the 

memorandum, Ray Freeman to Rich Huber, March 20, 1970, in JNEM Archives, Record Unit

106, Box 36, Folder 23. It appears that many of the NPS people involved in the planning 

process had deep concerns about crime on the grounds and the physical safety of visitors if 

the area were heavily forested.

61Award Nomination, Presidential Design Awards, National Endowment for the Arts, 

proposal by John Ronscavage, former landscape architect with Denver Service Center (DSC),

1988; copy, JEFF historian's files.

62Telephone interview with John Ronscavage, former landscape architect with Denver

Service Center, May 26, 1992, conducted by JEFF Historian Bob Moore.

63Ibid. See also "Aerodynamic Stability of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Gateway

Arch" by Lloyd R. Cayes and Charles F. Scheffey, July, 1965, JNEM Archives, Record Unit

106, Box 35, Folders 25-27.

64Editorial, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 26, 1968, in JNEM Archives, Record Unit 106, 

Box 36, Folder 22.

65Letter, JEFF Superintendent LeRoy Brown to Joseph Pulitzer, February 29, 1968, JNEM 

Archives, Record Unit 106, Box 36, Folder 22.

66Memorandum, Superintendent LeRoy Brown to Midwest Regional Director, March 6,

1968; and Memorandum, Chief, Design and Construction H. Reese Smith to Regional

Director, March 15, 1968, both JNEM Archives, ibid.

67Ibid.; Pfanz assumed responsibilities as Superintendent of JEFF in December 1968.

68 Proposed Tree Planting Plan, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, January 2, 1970, 

JNEM Archives, Record Unit 106, Box 36, Folder 23. Phase I of this plan specifies "two 

rows of tulip trees" which will line the walks of the memorial.

69 Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Administrative History, 1935-1980, Sharon A. 

Brown, JEFF 1984; p. 167. See JNEM Archives, letter, Clarence Owens of Owens Nursery to 

Sen. Eagleton, March 12, 1970; Mrs. James S. Behan of Houlihan Nursery to Sen. Eagleton, 

March 11, 1970.

70Memorandum, March 20, 1970, Raymond L. Freeman, Deputy Associate Director, 

Professional Services, NPS, to Charles Hamilton, Assistant to the Secretary for Congressional
Liasons, copy in JNEM Archives, Record Unit 106, Box 36, Folder 23. In addition, 

Superintendent Pfanz defended the tulip poplar selection before the press on March 12; see St. 

Louis Post-Dispatch, March 13, 1970 p. 3A. Pfanz had received negative comments about the 

tulip trees from Director Bielmann of the Missouri Botanical Garden. "In fact, he pointed out 

certain characteristics of the tulip poplar which we might find undesirable and which have 

been cited by some of our critics." See the memorandum, Superintendent Pfanz to the 

Director, Midwest Region, April 27, 1970.

71Telephone interview with John Ronscavage, former landscape architect with Denver

Service Center, May 26, 1992.

72Ibid.; "but in effect," noted Ronscavage, "this was a true committee decision." See the 

memorandum, Chief, Environmental Planning and Design, WSC, Glenn O. Hendrix to 

Director George B. Hartzog, June 25, 1970, in JNEM Archives, Record Unit 106, Box 36, 

Folder 23.

73In fact, the pin oak was designated as the tree of choice for a short period; see ibid.

74See Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael A. Dirr, (third edition, 1975), p. 4, 

Map: "Zones of Plant Hardiness (USDA)". A simple comparison of the characteristics of tulip 

poplars compared to the Rosehill Ash seemed to verify the soundness of the committee's 

decision. The Tulip Poplar ( Lilodendron tulipiferous) is subject to disease, requires deep soil 

(the Arch grounds have only 8" in most places), prefers acid soil (the grounds have alkaline 

soil), good drainage, and full sun. The Rosehill Ash ( Fraxinus americana) is tolerant of 

poor, alkaline soils and withstands dry and rocky conditions well.

75Ibid. See also the memorandum, Associate Director J.E.N. Jensen to Director, Midwest

Region, July 23, 1970.

76By this time, the jurisdictional lines for managing projects such as the landscaping of the 

Arch grounds had changed, and the project, still supervised by Ronscavage, was under the 

Office of Design and Construction in the San Francisco Service Center. In 1972 

responsibility shifted to the new Denver Service Center.

77JEFF Administrative History, Sharon Brown, p. 167, and letter, Superintendent Harry Pfanz 

to St. Louis Mayor Alfonso Cervantes, June 26, 1970. A second contract for $546,010 was let 

to Millstone Associates Construction Company on June 30, 1971, which included 280 tree 

wells, the north and south overlook walkways, concrete benches, lighting, topsoil, and an 

irrigation system. Brown, p. 168. For more on the early development of the landscape design, 

see Brown pp. 164-165, 166-167, and 168. A contract for overlook paving and outdoor 

lighting was let in 1974; see Brown p. 174. See also the project diaries kept by Gene Mott, 

Project Supervisor under Jim Holland, in the JNEM Archives (hereinafter identified as Mott 

diaries). The five diaries cover the 1970-71 period of landscaping in great detail.

78Award Nomination, Presidential Design Awards, National Endowment for the Arts, 

proposal by John Ronscavage, 1988. Telephone interview with John Ronscavage, former 

landscape architect with Denver Service Center, May 26, 1992; telephone interview with Jim 

Holland and John Ballard, DSC, July 28, 1992.

79Ibid.

80"The Greening of St. Louis," by James P. Jackson, American Forests, September/October

1989 p. 69.
81Award Nomination, Presidential Design Awards, National Endowment for the Arts, 

proposal by John Ronscavage, 1988.

82JEFF Administrative History, Sharon Brown, p. A-5. These trees, the first of the Rosehill 

Ash on the Arch grounds, lined the sidewalks leading to the Arch. Apparently, 560 trees were 

actually planted; "The Greening of St. Louis," by James P. Jackson, American Forests, 

September/October 1989 p. 69.

83Ibid. The pedestrian overpasses were never built, due to an enormous estimated cost (at 

least $6 million) and problems meeting accessibility requirements. Superintendent Schober 

also thought that the ramps were not aesthetically pleasing, and ruined the appearance of both 

the Arch and the Old Courthouse. "I felt that the same effect could be gained from asking the 

city to regulate the [stop]lights" on Memorial Drive, said Schober. He concluded that the 

ramps would not be put in during his tenure as superintendent. Personal communication to 

Historian Bob Moore from Jerry Schober, September 1, 1993.

84Telephone interview with Mike Hunter, Chief, NRSO, April 19, 1992, conducted by JEFF 

historian Bob Moore. See also JEFF Administrative History, Sharon Brown, p. 179; and 

"Small Business Bids for Arch Landscaping," January 24, 1979, North St. Louis Commercial 

News, in the newspaper clipping files of the JNEM Archives.

85"Nonselective chemical renovates Gateway Arch Grounds," in Chemical Hotline, February

1981, pp. 94-95; a publication of Monsanto Agricultural Products Company. Copy, JEFF

historian's files.

86Telephone interview with Mike Hunter, Chief, NRSO, 19 April, 1992. Few other walks 

were in place on the grounds at that time.

87Ibid.

88See the Chronology, JEFF Administrative History 1935-1980, by Sharon Brown.

89Ibid.

90Interview with Jerry Schober, May 18, 1992.

91The reasons for this situation were due to contract lengths for individual projects and 

deadlines. Since the ideal time to plant lawns was in the fall, seeding had to be accomplished 

at that time, while the trees had to be planted after they had lost their leaves. The planting of 

the grass before the placement of the trees was "not a mistake" according to DSC Landscape 

Architect Nancy Baker, inspector of Phase II and III operations at JEFF. Telephone 

interview, September 7, 1993, with JEFF Historian Bob Moore.

92Interview with Jerry Schober, May 18, 1992; telephone interview with Nancy Baker, 

landscape architect, DSC and inspector on Phase II and Phase III, conducted by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore, April, 1, 1992; and interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, and 

Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3, 1992.

93Interview with Jerry Schober, May 18, 1992.

94Telephone interview with Nancy Baker, April 1, 1992; see also "Gateway Today," the JEFF
park newspaper, for Summer 1981, copy in historian's files, JEFF.

95See "Integrated Pest Management," an article in the April, 1992 JEFF Newsletter by

Grounds Maintenance Foreman Jim Jacobs.

96Award Nomination, Presidential Design Awards, National Endowment for the Arts, 

proposal by John Ronscavage, 1988. Telephone interview with John Ronscavage, former 

landscape architect with Denver Service Center, May 26, 1992; telephone interview with Jim 

Holland and John Ballard, DSC, July 28, 1992; interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, 

and Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3, 1992. "The Greening of St. Louis," by James P. 

Jackson, American Forests, September/October 1989 p. 69.

97See Contracts #CX6000-5-0049, File S7212, and #CX6000-6-0032, File S7217, Federal

Records Center; and JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 7.

98JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 7.

99Ibid.

100JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 15.

101JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 22.

102JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 28.

103JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 29.

104 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, photograph of Gardener Carl Smith, February 25, 1987, p. 1.

105"Letters from the people," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 2, 1987.

106"Letters from the people," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 4, 1987; letter from Skip

Kincaid, urban forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

107Interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, and Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3, 1992.

108JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 29.

109Interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, and Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3, 1992.

110Ibid.

111See "Integrated Pest Management," an article in the April, 1992 JEFF Newsletter by 

Grounds Maintenance Foreman Jim Jacobs. Jacobs continued: "Pest problems exist 

everywhere, and the mere presence of a particular pest species does not necessarily mean that 

a problem exists. Chapter 4 of NPS Management Policies lists specific criteria that must be 

met before exotic or native species may be managed. Whether pest problems are associated 

with the preservation of historic structures or the prevention of forest devastation, the 

mandate of the NPS is the same. IPM seeks maximum use of naturally occurring pest 

controls, including weather, disease agents, predators, and parasitoids. In addition, IPM 

utilizes various biological, physical, and chemical controls, as well as habitat modification 

techniques. Before a pesticide may be used in any park, a Pest Management Program Report
(Form 10-21A) must be submitted. These annual forms expire on December 31 of the year of 

approval."

112Interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, and Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3, 1992.

113Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 8, 1992.

114For more on the Ash Borer see "Guide to Monitoring Clearwing Borers," published by 

Albany International, Controlled Release Division, 110 A Street, Needham Heights, 

Massachusetts, 02194.

115Interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs and Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3, 1992. 

See also Appendix I in this administrative history.

116Ash borers are capable of locating pheromone sources from distances of at least half a 

mile.

117"Guide to Monitoring Clearwing Borers."

118Interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, and Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3, 1992;

and JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 8.

119Linden, maple and hawthorn; see JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 15; 

and for 1989, p. 22; and the briefing paper on "Pest Control," by Grounds Maintenance 

Foreman Jim Jacobs, 1989.

120JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 22, and for 1990, p. 28.

121Briefing Paper on "Pest Control," Jim Jacobs, Grounds Maintenance Foreman, 1989;

copy, historian's files, JEFF; JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 29.

122JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1986, p. 8; 1987, p. 18; and 1991, p. 29.

123See the briefing paper on "Pest Control," by Jim Jacobs, 1989; and JEFF Superintendent's

Annual Reports for 1988, p. 15, and 1991, p. 29.

124JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1990, p. 28, and 1991, p. 29.

125JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 30.

126Interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, and Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3, 1992.

127Interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, and Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3, 1992. 

Future applications of Dursban will be limited to the trunks and lower branches of trees, 

which should eliminate the effects on wildlife experienced in 1991. An on-site visit by Dr. 

David G. Nielsen of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in the Fall of

1992 confirmed the link between the Dursban applications and the bird deaths. Nielsen 

recommended just one application per year in the lower area of each tree, where the borers 

cause the most damage. See letter, David G. Nielsen to Jim Jacobs, November 3, 1992, p. 3; 

copy, historian's files, JEFF.

128Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 18, 1992.
129JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1987, p. 18; 1988, p. 15, and 1989, p. 22.

130JEFF Superintendents Annual Reports, 1987-1989.

131JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 15.

132Briefing paper on "Pest Control," Jim Jacobs, 1989.

133JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1990, p. 28, and 1991, pp. 29-30.

134"Arch of Triumph; The Gateway Arch At 25," St. Louis Post-Dispatch Magazine, October

28, 1990, p. 16.

135Ibid and JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 22. Substitutions were: sugar 

hackberry or zebkova for sugar maple; snow drift crab for flowering dogwood; and red pine 

for Japanese black pine.

136Interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, and Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3, 1992. 

The grass mix was developed by former Superintendent Robert Chandler, according to 

information in a telephone interview with John Ronscavage, former landscape architect with 

Denver Service Center, May 26, 1992.

137Ibid. These figures on the length of the irrigation system and the number of sprinkler 

heads represent the finished system as it stood in 1990. With the addition of the Old 

Courthouse and Parking Garage areas of the system, it increased in size steadily during the 

decade covered by this report.

138"Arch of Triumph; The Gateway Arch At 25," St. Louis Post-Dispatch Magazine, October

28, 1990, p. 17.

139JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 29

140JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1986, p. 8; 1987, p. 19; and 1989, p. 21.

141JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 8; and for 1987, pp. 18-19.

142Ibid., p. 17.

143JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 16.

144Ibid., p. 22.

145Interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, and Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3, 1992; 

see also Chapter 3 on the VP Fair in this administrative history; and JEFF Files A8227, 

which include the signed agreements, special use permits and assessments of damage for 

each VP Fair.

146Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 8, 1992.

147Ibid.
148Interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, and Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3, 1992.

149"5th VP Fair was for families," Chris Condon and Margaret Sheppard, St. Louis GlobeDemocrat, July 9, 1985; attachment to JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985.

150Interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, January 7, 1992.

151JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 7; 1986 NPS Annual Report, p. 2.

152JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, pp. 17-18.

153"Roundup Rehabs National Park Lawns," Roadtalk, p. 3, a publication of Monsanto on 

Roadside Vegetation Management, Vol. 2, No. 1, 1988, ed. Jim Altemus; Letter, VP Fair 

Foundation to Richard J. Mahoney, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Monsanto Company, 

August 24, 1987, JEFF Files A8227.

154Interview with Jim Jacobs, January 7, 1992.

155JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, pp. 17-18.

156Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 18, 1992.

157JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 15.

158Ibid.

159JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 21.

160JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 30.

161JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985, p. 5.

162"No Vacation: Working their summer under the Arch," by Dave Whaley, Granite City 

(Illinois) Press-Record, August 22, 1985, p. 20, a profile of two students in the 1985 program 

from Granite City, Brian Forbes and Kevin Williamson.

163JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 18.

164JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 15.

165JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 21.

166Interview with Jim Jacobs, Grounds Foreman, and Tim Burns, Work Leader; April 3,

1992.

167JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1990, p. 27, and 1991, p. 29.

168Ibid, p. 28.

169Interview with Grounds Foreman Jim Jacobs, and Work Leader Tim Burns; April 3, 1992.
170Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 18, 1992.

171Letter, Dick Bowser to George Hartzog, March 11, 1986, copy, JEFF Vertical File, VFJNE-076.

172Letter, Richard B. Bowser to JEFF Superintendent Gary W. Easton, August 1, 1993, JEFF

historian's files.

173Interview with Dick Bowser, June 9 and 11, 1992, conducted by JEFF Historian Bob 

Moore; "A Monumental Task," by Rick DeYampert, Daytona News Journal, Daytona, 

Florida, October 14, 1990, copy in Vertical File, JEFF, VF-JNE-151.

174"Jefferson Memorial Arch, A Panel," Building Research, Sept-Oct. 1964, copy in JEFF 

historian's files. This article was based on a transcription of interviews with Dick Bowser and 

four other participants in the design and engineering phases of the Arch construction.

175Interview with Dick Bowser, June 9 and 11, 1992, and Letters, Dick Bowser to George

Hartzog, March 11, 1986, copy, Vertical File, JEFF Library.

176Letter, Dick Bowser to George Hartzog, March 11, 1986, copy, JEFF Library Vertical 

File; see also Bowser to Eero Saarinen and Associates, March 28, 1962, which details 

estimated costs of building, operating and maintaining the tram system, copy, JEFF 

historian's files.

177"Jefferson Memorial Arch, A Panel," Building Research, Sept-Oct. 1964, copy in JEFF

historian's files.

178 Reynolds Aluminum Progress, Fall, 1968, JNEM Archives, Record Unit 106, Box 35, 

Folder 4.

179Letters, Dick Bowser to George B. Hartzog, Jr., March 11, 1986, copy, JEFF Library 

Vertical File. See also Battling for the National Parks by George Hartzog, pp. 47 and 50-52, 

for more on Bowser and the designation of the trams as a "transportation system." 

Information on the early use and maintenance of the tram system is available in memoranda 

included in JNEM Archives, Record Unit 106, Boxes 35 and 36, folders 9, 10, 11. Materials 

relating to the growth of the tram maintenance staff and the hiring of Bi-State employees are 

located in Box 35, Folder 7. Dick Bowser's visionary suggestions for improving the tram 

operation are included in a memorandum of December 10, 1969, in Folder 11. From July 24,

1967 to May 5, 1968, the NPS ran the trams in the Arch, which were formally turned over to

Bi-State on May 5. See the memorandum, John D. Kuziel to Col. R.E. Smyser, Jr., May 24,

1968 in Folder 4.

180Memo, JEFF Administrative Officer Edward E. Countreman to files, February 26, 1970. 

JNEM Archives, Record Unit 104, Box 15.

181See memos of Superintendent Ivan D. Parker to Administrative Officer Edward 

Countreman, January 28, 1971; Richard Bowser to Ivan D. Parker, January 28, 1971; Edward 

Countreman to Ivan Parker, February 8, 1971; Ivan Parker to Col. R.E. Smyser, Jr., executive 

director, Bi-State Development Agency, February 10, 1971; Smyser to Parker, March 1,

1971; and Parker to Smyser, March 3, 1971, JNEM Archives, Record Unit 104, Box 15.

182"Kalert keeps trams traveling smoothly up Gateway Arch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
November 19, 1992.

183JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1985, p. 5; 1986, pp. 6-7; and 1987, p. 20.

184JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, pp. 16-17.

185JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 27.

186JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 24.

187JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 25.

188JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 27.

189Ibid.

190JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 28.

191JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1985, p. 5; 1986, p. 6; and 1987, p. 20.

192JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 24.

193JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1990, p. 25, and 1991, p. 27.

194JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 20.

195JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 16.

196JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 25.

197JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 27.

198Memo to JEFF Employees from Acting Superintendent Nicky Lindig, on the installation 

of MG sets, February 28, 1992. Copy, JEFF historian's files.

199JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 24.

200Ibid.

201Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 18, 1992.

202Ibid., and memo, Acting Superintendent Nicky Lindig to JEFF Staff, February 28, 1992;

interview with Dick Bowser, June 9 and 11, 1992.

203Interview with JEFF Custodial Foreman Shad Collier, April 3, 1992, conducted by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore.

204Ibid.

205Interview with John Patterson, September 16, 1993.
206Interview with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 8, 1992.

207JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985, p. 5, and interview with Custodial

Foreman Shad Collier, April 3, 1992.

208JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 6.

209JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, pp. 18-19.

210JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 19.

211JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 19, and interview with Custodial

Foreman Shad Collier, April 3, 1992.

212JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 19.

213JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 16.

214JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 24.

215JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 25.

2126JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 27.

217Ibid.

218Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 8, 1992.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER FIVE:

Old Courthouse Rehabilitation and Restoration

The Old Courthouse, as seen from the top of the Gateway Arch. NPS photo 

by Al Bilger.

Early Restoration Efforts, 1930-1946

On May 1, 1940, St. Louis' Old Courthouse was conveyed by the city of St. Louis to the 

National Park Service, and became a part of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The 

significance and importance of this historic building was clear, but National Park Service
(NPS) officials quickly discovered that the Old Courthouse was in poor physical condition. 

The structure had deteriorated for a decade, since the St. Louis City Courts moved to a new 

building in 1930. [1] In 1933, a report by the St. Louis chapter of the American Institute of 

Architects noted serious fire hazards from electrical wiring. Indeed, a fire broke out in May

1936, and caused extensive damage to the roof and attics of the west and north wings, and to 

rotunda decorations. [2]

In the summer of 1940, the NPS began planning the restoration of the exterior and of selected 

interior spaces of the Old Courthouse to the 1871 period, including the adaptive restoration of 

some rooms for administrative and museum education use. This early restoration phase was 

substantially completed by September 1942. [3]

The building's stability required the complete reconstruction of the deteriorated gable roofs of 

the wings, and north and south extensions, in 1941. In addition, the limestone chimneys, 

parapets, cornices, and pedestals were rehabilitated, and nonhistoric skylights and ventilators 

removed. Deteriorated exterior downspouts were replaced by new interior drains. The badly 

rusted cast iron balustrade on the lantern of the dome was also removed, and sections were 

saved to make molds for later replacement. Nonhistoric window sashes and exterior doors 

were replaced as well, and by December 1, 1941, the NPS moved into offices in the south 

wing of the building. [4]

The next major project in the restoration of the exterior was the painting of the courthouse in

1942, including the masonry walls, the drums above the wing roofs, the building's copper 

dome and the copper dome of the lantern. The copper ball atop the lantern was covered with 

gold leaf to continue the historic treatment. [5]

Further Restoration, 1947-1974

During the winter of 1947-1948, new 16 ounce copper was installed on the dome over the 

original copper; the next major restoration period, however, was 1952-1959. Most of this 

work involved interior spaces and landscape features. Some exterior doors and window 

sashes, chiefly at the basement level, were replaced or repaired, a new cast aluminum 

reproduction balustrade was installed on the lantern walkway, and new stone steps were 

installed by the city at all four entrances in 1955. NPS painting conservator Walter 

Nitkiewicz researched the historic colors and interior decoration, developing a painting 

scheme for the building in conjunction with historian John Bryan, who described the process 

in the third person:

The choice of colors for the walls and the many architectural details was the duty 

and pleasure of this Architect. Having studied the Rotunda for several years 

before restoration got underway, he had become convinced that there was very 

little left of the colors selected by Architect Rumbold in the original decorative 

scheme of 1862. The eagles that nestle under two of the topmost balconies, and 

the escutcheons that alternate with the eagles at that level seem to be the original 

browns and grays so popular with architects and decorators of the MidNineteenth Century. Another color which was popular then is known today as 

"dusty pink". It was used generously between the ribs of the dome; and this 

Architect decided it should be kept there. The biggest problem was the color for 

the wide cornice which winds in and out among the many projections and 

depressions at the top of the third balcony. With the lunettes directly above this 

cornice, it was necessary to have a subdued color . . . since competition for 

attention between the murals and their frames was not desirable. A cocoa brown 

was chosen, which under some circumstances might have looked dull, but with 

the large Corinthian capitals of the supporting pilasters done in gold, the cocoa
brown made a rich bond between murals and architectural detail.

Investigation and restoration of original Old Courthouse murals, 1955. NPS photo.

On the fifth balcony, where there is a circle of large windows, a soft green was 

chosen, since Mother Nature has taught us that where strong light prevails, green 

is the best color for light absorption and for relief to the eyes.

Mauve or lavender being a combination of two primary colors (red and blue) 

harmonizes all other colors and changes shades with the different hours of the 

day. For that reason the Rotunda looks best near the close of day, when the 

sunlight is not too strong and the lavender (shades of evening) gives a warmth 

and softness to the entire picture of architecture and paintings.

Of course the new system of cove lighting brings out all the richness of the 

Rotunda as it was never brought out before. . . . [T]he remaining gas brackets 

which were on the walls of the fourth and fifth galleries have been wired for 

electricity and having been cleaned and re-plated, now add very much to the 

attractiveness of the Rotunda, by offsetting the modern appearance that would 

have been present with only the cove lighting.

After the scaffolding had been removed, it was apparent that there was too 

decided a contrast between the richly decorated upper part of the Rotunda and 

the three lower balconies which had been painted in five different tones of 

eggshell, following the new plastering done there in 1953. The job of painting 

the cornices of these lower balconies, and gilding the capitals of the columns was 

assigned to our own force of workmen, with the Architect selecting colors and 

stencils. A moveable platform of aluminum was devised by the Maintenance 

Supervisor, John Whipple, and the two workmen assigned to do the painting 

were Sylvestre Lorenz and Louis Whitman. Gilding was done not only on the 

Ionic and Corinthian capitals but between the dentils of the cornices, and the 

mouldings dividing the sections of the cornices were also covered with gold 

paint. [6]

"The color scheme which was actually adopted in 1955," wrote John Lindenbusch, in the

Historic Structure Report for the Old Courthouse, "was derived more from a set of
convictions about how the Rotunda should appear than from any actual evidence pertaining 

to the earlier painting." [7]

The entire exterior of the building, with the exception of the main and lantern domes, was 

painted a light gray in 1955; it was repainted the same color in 1963. The landscaping work 

of 1955-1956 was altered in 1959, eliminating the walks and adding ground cover in the four 

courtyards. [8]

In September 1961, the Klaric Contracting Company of St. Louis completed a major project 

that involved repairing or replacing sections of chimneys, parapets, and cornices on the Old 

Courthouse. During the inspection carried out by the Klaric firm, "weathered joints or 

fissures" were noted on the top surfaces and vertical edges of several of the parapet blocks, 

as well as heavy water erosion. Klaric replaced the upper layers of the wing roof cornice 

stones, which rested on top of the lower walls. Klaric removed the original limestone blocks, 

and used new Indiana limestone, close in texture and appearance to the original, as 

replacements. Weak joints were evident in unprotected areas where blocks were placed 

parallel to a wall surface and projected outward, as happened in the parapet areas of the Old 

Courthouse. [9] Klaric replaced one 9 foot block entablature on the east wall of the South 

extension; twenty-two 6 foot pieces of the upper cornice section (crown molding); twelve 

pieces of the center section of the molding; and fifty sections of the deteriorated sloping 

pediment stones. New and existing stones were connected with stainless steel clamps set in 

Dex-O-Tex, "a durable traffic topping material." [10] Many of the stones were tied to the 

building by stainless steel rods attached through the walls to the inside of the structure. [11]

Inspection of Conditions, 1975-1977

No more major work was done on the Old Courthouse until the mid-1970s. From 1975 to

1977, repairs to, or replacement of, portions of all basement windows and doors, and 

emergency minor repairs to the first and second floor windows were accomplished. Windows 

and doors were also painted. The parapets and tops of the horizontal cornice sections were 

sandblasted, sealed, and treated with water repellant in the fall of 1975. [12]

While this work was in progress, a large cornice block from the north side of the east wing 

fell to the ground. [13] A subsequent inspection discovered a serious deterioration of the iron 

suspension rods that held the stone ceiling blocks over the entrance porticos. Other cornice 

stones in the roof area were cracked so badly that they were threatening to fall as well. 

Further problems included spalling (the chipping of large sections of stone) and peeling 

paint; deteriorating joints were suffering from the yearly freeze/thaw cycle. In addition, it was 

determined that the flagpole atop the Courthouse was structurally unsafe, and several roof 

leaks were discovered. Clearly, major rehabilitation work was necessary, [14] and costs were 

estimated at $8-10 million. [15] On the brighter side, the report stated that "no signs of 

significant settlement or displacement" of the building or its foundations were discovered, 

and that the Old Courthouse was "in better condition than it appears" from a visual inspection 

alone. [16] Twenty coats of paint were identified on the exterior of the building, and the 

peeling layers were blamed for the building's "shabby appearance." [17]
Deteriorated cornice, Old Courthouse, 1978. NPS photo.

Alerted to the Old Courthouse's problems, Park Service officials from the Midwest Regional 

Office, the Denver Service Center, and Jefferson National Expansion Memorial conducted a 

thorough investigation in 1977, and formulated a set of recommendations. It was determined 

that a major, multi-million dollar restoration project should be carried forward in three 

phases, due to the extensive overall cost. The project would begin at the top and work 

downward, with its goal being to "preserve the historic fabric of the Old Courthouse and to 

ensure that adaptive use of it for interpretive and administrative purposes does not jeopardize 

the qualities that contribute to its historical and architectural significance." [18]

The Lantern structure atop the Old Courthouse dome, July 1978. NPS photo.
Lantern Restoration and Fire, 1978-1980

The first stage of Phase I of the Old Courthouse restoration dealt with the lantern atop the 

dome. [19] Rehabilitation work was accomplished under a contract with Woermann 

Construction Company of St. Louis, with National Park Service representatives Charles E. 

"Ted" Rennison as project supervisor, Michael E. Hunter as project inspector, and David G. 

Henderson as historical architect. Work commenced in March 1979 and was completed April

15, 1980. [20]

An inspection of the entire lantern on April 20, 1979 revealed that the dome leaves, rings, and 

consoles were dented and dimpled from hailstone damage, and had suffered from a poorly 

executed paint job coupled with the effects of air pollution. [21] Old paint was stripped off, 

and a number of chemical solutions were employed to clean the affected areas. The pineapple 

leaves on the lantern's dome were replaced by reproductions. On the lower lantern the 

columns were cleaned and repaired, and broken or damaged glass panes were replaced. The

1955 cast-aluminum balustrade was thoroughly cleaned, the metal primed and painted. [22]

In addition to the exterior work, plaster that had been removed for investigation on the lantern 

interior was replaced. Interior scaffolding was erected from the rotunda floor to the top of the 

dome, and a solution of ammonia and distilled alcohol was used to remove the old paint 

layers. The lantern interior was repainted a pale aqua color and decorated with gold stars, 

matching the 1880 color scheme of Ettore Miragoli, originally researched and reproduced in

1955 by NPS painting conservator Walter Nitkiewicz. [23] Nitkiewicz visited the Old

Courthouse to assess restoration on the murals in the rotunda on August 29, 1977. On March

11, 1978, investigation of the murals was begun from scaffolding by Nitkiewicz, Bob 

Simmons, David Henderson, Thomas Busch and Paul Newman of Denver Service Center 

(DSC), and Dan Evans, Ray Kunkel and Randy Biallas of the Midwest Regional Office. [24] 

Floors on the rotunda balconies were refinished at this time as well. More than twenty layers 

of wax, varnish, stains and paint were removed, stripping them down to bare wood. A clear 

floor dressing, which penetrated like a sealer, was applied to preserve the wood; no waxes 

were used. [25]

Unfortunately, work on the lantern project was slowed as a result of a fire caused by a 

lightning strike in June 1979. The strike occurred despite the existence of a lightning 

protection system, possibly installed when the flagpole was replaced in 1971. A 5/8" stranded 

copper cable was attached to the flagpole base, and bonding conductors were attached to 

several points on the cast-iron ring plate at the bottom of the cornice. One conductor was 

faulty, however, and during a lightning strike the electrical charge arced, igniting the dry 

wood ribs of the dome. Electrical engineer Roy Kohen pointed out that the main charge "went 

to ground" via the cast-iron structural system, but lightning also struck the worker's 

scaffolding and jumped to the lantern. Due to the low oxygen level in the upper part of the 

dome, the fire smoldered for several days. Estimated fire damage and repairs amounted to

$93,391. Firemen had to chop several large holes in the dome as they tried to locate the fire. 

Damage to the dome caused by the fire necessitated the replacement of 17 wooden ribs, 

either in part or in full (8 were totally destroyed), the replacement of 25% of the wood 

sheathing over the ribs (all of which was later replaced due to rot discovered there), all the 

floor decking, portions of the floor joists and the repair of cracks in two braces. Six hundred 

seventy lights of glass were destroyed in the lantern, most of which were not original; all 

were replaced with reproductions. The old lightning protection system was thoroughly 

checked, and necessary adjustments or corrections made, while smoke/heat detectors were 

installed in the area as an added precaution. [26]

Dome Restoration, 1980-1981
The second part of Phase I of the Old Courthouse project concentrated on the exterior 

surfaces of the building, from the base of the lantern to the main roof, including the 

reassembly of the lantern balustrade, the main dome, and the upper and lower drums. Plans 

and specifications for the work were prepared by the Denver Service Center. One of the 

major problems confronted by the planning group was the removal of the exterior paint layers 

without damaging the fabric of the building; abrasive methods were ruled out. In 1980, DSC 

performed tests during which crushed walnut shells, applied under pressure, were shown to 

be effective for paint removal with no detrimental effect to the historic stonework. [27]

Thomas P. Busch, a historical architect with Denver Service Center, was chosen as the 

project inspector. Park Technician Nancy Hoppe described the walnut shell process and the 

work to be accomplished in a 1980 article:

Fire investigation, June 1979, showing the hole chopped in the roof of the lantern and 

the exterior scaffolding. NPS photo by Norman Messinger.
Interior of the lantern showing fire damage, June 15, 1979, looking upward. NPS

photo by Norman Messinger.

Exterior, Old Courthouse dome and scaffolding, December 1980. NPS photo by Tom

Busch, DSC.

[Tom Busch] approves the walnut shell system as the hulls have a softer grit 

than sand, reducing the chance of the stonework becoming pitted. Tom states that 

sand is too aggressive; in a matter of seconds it could drill a hole in a wall. 

Walnut hulls tend to lift off paint as opposed to abrading or wearing it off. Our 

method preserves the stone to a much more satisfactory level than sandblasting. 

It takes one man to blast the hulls, while two to five men clean up the walnut 

shells and paint chips.

The outside project will include the following actions on the structure:

1. Removal of paint with shells from the base of the copper dome to the roof 

line.

2. Tuckpointing or putting back mortar into mortar joints. This process 

waterproofs the stone so that moisture cannot develop in the mortar joints.

3. Epoxy the cracked stone to restore structural integrity . . . as well as to secure 

stones to the building.

4. Rinsing the building down with water and detergent to remove stone dust, 

walnut shell dust, and atmospheric pollution.

5. Painting the drum with an off-white latex paint. The color is historically 

accurate.

This present phase of restoration of the dome down to the roof line will be 

completed by August 1981 . . . There are forty-five holes in the dome in need of
repair. . . . The galvanized aluminum balustrade will reappear at the top of the 

dome sometime this winter, allowing visitors once again to walk outside at the 

top of the dome. [28]

In June 1980, the St. Louis Tuckpointing and Painting Company was awarded a contract for 

paint removal, using the walnut shell method of blasting. [29] Additional work included the 

repair, partial resetting, repointing and sealing of stone masonry work. Replacement of old 

cornice material with new Indiana limestone was not recommended due to the excessive 

costs, which were estimated at $1.5 million. [30] Twelve sections in extremely bad condition, 

however, which had "spalled," were replaced. [31] The project involved the repair, patching 

and sealing of the copper dome, gutters, and cast iron columns; the partial replacement, repair 

and reglazing of the wooden window frames; the reinstallation and touch-up painting of the 

aluminum lantern balustrade; the installation of new downspouts; and the repainting of 

historically painted areas. [32]

Work commenced on September 15, 1980. An unusual problem encountered by the 

contractors was the need to erect scaffolding upon elaborate shoring to accommodate the 

peaks and valleys of the courthouse roof. [33] Park Technician Nancy Hoppe interviewed 

workmen at the time of the contract:

Removing paint with a forced stream of walnut shells, April 1980. NPS photo.

E.J. Holley, owner and supervisor of the St. Louis [Tuckpointing] company said 

that the scaffolding procedures here on the courthouse are more difficult a task 

than on most buildings he has worked. Originally the scaffolding was to be 

screwed into the building, but engineers developed a new technique to prevent 

damage to the courthouse. The scaffolding was fastened to the building without 

anchors. Workmen wrapped steel cables around the drum of the dome, threaded 

it through the scaffolding, and then pulled it tight, attaching the scaffolding 

securely to the structure. High winds prevented the erection on only one day.

With the scaffolding securely fastened, workmen began cleaning the building 

with ground black walnut hulls. The 40,000 pounds of hulls came from Stockton, 

Missouri, from Hammons Products. Mr. Holley reported that this is his
company's first experience with walnut shells. They are not as dirty to use; and 

they do not explode when hitting a building surface, eliminating a dust hazard. 

[34]

Most of the limestone masonry surfaces of the drums were cleaned using the walnut shell 

blasting technique. [35] In some areas, however, a more meticulous hand cleaning method 

was necessary. The cast iron columns of the upper drum were cleaned by sandblasting. 

Copper work was cleaned using a chemical stripper and a water rinse. [36] Once cleaned, 

holes in the copper were repaired using two-inch diameter soldered copper patches. After all 

the masonry and cast iron surfaces had been cleaned, they were painted. [37]

To arrest the deterioration caused by exposure to the elements on the stone cornice of the 

upper dome, it was decided to use a sloped topping material. A product called Sika Top 122, 

a general purpose repair mortar used on horizontal surfaces, was applied to the area in 

August 1981. Two months later, however, the surface of the cornice had formed a network 

of cracks. It was discovered that the Sika Top material did not bond with the stone, and water 

collected underneath it. Project supervisors were concerned that the pieces caused by the 

cracking would fall, and the material was removed. [38] When the manufacturer was 

consulted about the failure of the Sika Top product, they suggested that it had not been 

applied properly. NPS project supervisor Charles E. Rennison, however, concluded that the 

material was not correct for this particular application. In the end, the top of the cornice was 

simply painted as originally specified. [39] Final inspection of the work took place on August

28, 1981, and the $363,394 contract was declared complete. [40]
Dome restoration, April 1981. NPS photo by Thomas Busch, DSC.

Exterior Restoration, 1982-1986

Further rehabilitation work on the Old Courthouse was made possible in 1982, when the U.S. 

House of Representatives Interior Appropriations Subcommittee approved $2.7 million for 

the completion of repairs to the building. [41] In July 1982, an evaluation was made of the 

roofing, skylights and associated water penetration problems at the Old Courthouse by 

representatives of the Copper Development Association and two St. Louis roofing 

contractors, Hopmann Cornice and Sheet Metal Company, and Western Sheet Metal Works, 

Inc. The inspection team also included Facility Manager Bob Kelly and HVAC foreman John 

Patterson. Their conclusion was that the roof, then forty years old, would last for another 

twenty. Minor repairs which had been held in abeyance due to construction were 

recommended, including fixing leaks in the skylights. [42]

It was recommended at this time that the sidewalks around the building be repointed and 

leveled. During the sidewalk project, 436 square feet of brick were removed and replaced, 88 

linear feet of concrete curb was laid, 1,866 square feet of deteriorated sidewalk joints were 

replaced, and five curb cuts were installed for ease of accessibility. [43]

Phase II of the Old Courthouse project began in 1983, when Schuster Engineering of Webster 

Groves was awarded a $934,271 contract for the rehabilitation of the building from the level 

of the cornices to the foundation. [44] The project included the removal of existing paint; 

repainting of all exterior wood, metal and masonry surfaces; repair and replacement of 

window sashes, jambs, hardware, sills, and glass; the repointing of mortar joints in the stone 

and brick masonry; repair and replacement of stones and brick in vertical walls and cornices; 

the installation of rock bolts in the lintels across the colonnade; [45] repair and replacement 

of basement doors; the installation of a wheelchair lift on the west side of the building; new 

period handrails at the east and west entrances; the installation of new lead-coated copper 

flashing around all chimneys; the installation of cramp anchors in the cornice stone; the 

construction of concrete window wells at two basement windows; and various other work. 

[46]

The project began on January 24, 1984, with the removal of sill from the basement windows 

and the installation of plywood covers. On February 23, scaffolding was erected on the 

northeast quadrant of the building, and paint was stripped from the masonry. The window 

sills and sash were removed, and the window jambs repaired. Brick and stone joints were 

repointed, leaded copper was put on the cornices, damaged cornice stones were removed, and 

three coats of paint were applied to 90% of the surface. In April, scaffolding was erected on 

the southeast quadrant where similar work took place, which was completed by November. A 

delay was caused in the work on the northeast quadrant after the discovery of a large cornice 

stone which needed replacement. The stone was replaced and the area painted by September. 

Scaffolding was erected in November 1984 on the southwest quadrant, with work progressing 

quickly (as no stones needed replacement), to completion in May 1985. [47] Smaller 

replacement stones were rejected by project supervisor Charles "Jerry" Shaffer for not 

meeting contract specifications, and were not installed until May 1986. [48]
The Old Courthouse sheathed in scaffolding, October 1986. NPS photo.

The dispute over the stonework proved to be only one of several problems NPS officials had 

with the contractor. Among others identified by project supervisor Shaffer were dust [49] and 

water from the paint removal process entering the building, no security fence around the 

scaffolding, window sills painted the wrong color, work being done prior to approval, the 

placement of a 15-ton crane in the courtyard, and failure to secure the building at night. The 

latter problem resulted in one break-in after hours. [50] Despite these problems work 

continued, and by July 28, 1985, the project was declared substantially completed. [51]

Interior Restoration, 1983-1988

In conjunction with the exterior rehabilitation, work began on the interior of the Courthouse 

dome. In June 1983 architects from the Denver Service Center identified major problems and 

established the plan for a scope of work statement. Sections of plaster originally repaired in

1955 had detached from the wooden lath in the dome. In addition to being unsightly, this 

situation presented a safety hazard, since falling plaster posed a danger to people in the 

rotunda area. The architects decided to remove all the plaster from the ribs and top cornice 

ring of the main dome, and replaster the area over a new metal lath. This solution destroyed 

evidence of original decorative designs covered by the subsequent paint scheme, but samples 

of these designs were salvaged. [52] On September 28, 1984, Midwest Construction 

Company was awarded a $277,778 contract for the interior restoration of the dome. [53]

Part of the project was a comprehensive special investigation to determine the best means of 

preserving existing decorative painting, and restoring a selected decorative design scheme in 

the upper rotunda and main dome. The contract for this phase of the work was awarded to the 

Conrad Schmitt Studios of New Berlin, Wisconsin, on June 26, 1984, for $54,921. [54] 

Restoration work on the dome interior began with the erection of scaffolding in the rotunda, 

commencing November 28, 1984. By February 2, 1985, the scaffolding was in place from the 

floor of the rotunda to the dome, and the three month, on-site investigation began. The 

conservators sought to determine the existence of decorative treatments in the rotunda, 

visually sequencing layers of paint under a microscope, carefully removing layers to expose 

the designs beneath, accurately tracing patterns for each design, and developing a 

comprehensive color chronology coded to the Munsell Color System. Both stencil and hand-
painted patterns were found, along with more than 400 separate colors. [55] 

Recommendations were made for each of the historic paintings in the rotunda, including the 

identification of any retouching deemed necessary. [56] Loose paint was reattached and 

defective plaster spots repaired, cleaned, and applied with a protective coating. Decorative 

paint schemes from the top ring cornice of the main dome down to the fourth level rotunda 

walls were researched and recorded in a format that identified each total scheme as it existed 

at the time it was painted. [57]

Interior scaffolding, Old Courthouse. NPS photo.
Restoration experts at work on the murals, Old Courthouse 

rotunda, 1985. NPS photo.

In September 1985, an addition was made to the contract which provided for the creation of a 

full color rendering, by the artists of the Schmitt Studios, of the 1880 design scheme by 

Ettore Miragoli, in a cross-section of the rotunda from the top of the lantern to the first floor. 

The result was an artist's interpretation of the historical appearance of the rotunda showing 

depth and lighting highlights. The illustration was very successful, and was later sold as a 

poster. [58] The studio recommended that this 1880 design scheme be reproduced in the Old 

Courthouse, at an estimated cost of up to $975,000. Due to the excessive costs of the 

proposed project, and a feeling that the estimate was quite low, considering the work to be 

performed, this was not done. Instead, the "adaptive restoration" color scheme identified in

1955 by NPS painting conservator Walter Nitkiewicz was again utilized throughout the 

building. [59] However, "The Conrad Schmitt Studios' thorough investigative study . . . along 

with microscopic color analysis, serve[d] as an architectural record and documentary base for 

possible future restoration." [60]

On May 25, 1985, the subcontractor, the Cassidy Company, began plastering, and despite 

recurring problems with Midwest Construction, including a lack of workmen's compensation 

and liability insurance, concerns about the physical safety of the scaffolding, and physical 

arguments between workers, the project moved forward. [61] Work progressed steadily until 

July 12, 1985, when Midwest Construction informed the National Park Service that it would 

be unable to complete the job, as the company was bankrupt. [62] On July 13, the NPS 

terminated the contract with Midwest and the project was temporarily shut down. 

Responsibility for fulfilling the contract fell to the surety company, the Integon Indemnity
Corporation. Integon retained the subcontractors and successfully administered the contract to 

completion in January 1986, with only one brief break in the work caused by a painters strike 

in December 1985. [63]

The plaster repair and painting from the fourth level to the first floor was also completed in

1986, using park staff rather than a contractor. This resulted in extra funds which were used 

to repair plaster deterioration in the east and west courtrooms on the second floor. [64]

In 1986, a proposal was submitted to the Regional Office regarding the installation of 

revolving glass doors and vestibules in the Old Courthouse, such as those used at the turn of 

the century, as an energy saving measure. The request was withdrawn after the Missouri State 

Historic Preservation Officer objected. "While our proposal may not have impacted the 

integrity of the building which resulted in its being nominated to the National Register," said 

Superintendent Schober, "we are not prepared at this time to revise the efforts of those who 

worked so hard to reestablish the 1870 facade." [65]

During the 1980s, the efficiency of the heating system of the Courthouse was improved by 

Facility Manager Bob Kelly, by upgrading the vacuum pump and cleaning the radiators; new 

air conditioning was also installed. The entire electrical system of the building was improved 

as an in-house project. Historic landscaping, exterior appearance and full building 

accessibility were subjects to be addressed during the 1990s. [66]

A Draft Historic Structure Preservation Guide was prepared for the Old Courthouse in 1988 

by David Scherer and Paul Newman of the Denver Service Center. The guide was "less than 

effective" since it was not directly tied with the MMS computer system, and therefore was 

not used. [67] A computer program known as ICAP, in production during 1991, was 

expected to replace Preservation Guides such as this servicewide. [68]

With the completion of the decorative paint analysis and the replastering of the dome interior, 

the restoration and rehabilitation of the Old Courthouse was effectively finished. More than

$2 million was spent in correcting the problems that had been identified in the mid-1970s, 

making the Old Courthouse a much safer and more attractive historic structure. [69]
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER FIVE:

Footnotes

1This summary of the Old Court House restoration is from David G. Henderson, Historic 

Structure Report, Old Courthouse, Architectural Data Section, Phase II: Exterior 

Preservation, Sept. 1985, pp. 10-13, hereinafter cited as Henderson; an excellent physical 

description of the building is included on pp. 14-31. An in-depth narrative of restoration 

efforts between 1940 and 1960 is included in John H. Lindenbusch, Historic Structure 

Report, Historic Data Section, Part I, and Historic Grounds Study, Old Courthouse, Jefferson 

National Expansion Memorial; Denver, Colorado: Denver Service Center, National Park 

Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1982, hereinafter cited as Lindenbusch, pp. 227-237.

2Henderson pp. 10-13.

3Henderson, p. 11.

4Ibid.

5Henderson, p. 12.

6"Preliminary Draft, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Administrative History," 

(Undated), John A. Bryan pp. 26-28; see also pp. 34-41 for further details of the 1950s 

restoration, including information on the courtrooms. A copy of this important document is 

located in the JEFF Library Vertical File, VF-JNE-050. See also Lindenbusch, pp. 232-235; 

and two important files of memorandums from Walter Nitkiewicz to Chief, Museum

Services, JEFF, October 20, 1977 and March 23, 1978, copies in the JEFF Library Vertical 

File, VF-JNE-079 and 080.

7Lindenbusch, p. 234.

8Henderson, pp. 12; 27.

9Henderson, p. 58.

10Henderson, p. 58.

11Personal inspection of the Old Courthouse, by JEFF Historian Bob Moore, with

Maintenance Mechanic Lonnie Collins, February, 1992.

12Henderson, pp. 13; 52.
13The size of the block was approximately six feet long by two feet wide by 1-1/2 feet high.

14"Survey of the Condition of the Old Courthouse, JNEM," by David Arbogast and Thomas 

Busch, Historical Architects, and Richard Ortega, Architectural Historian (Engineering); 

Omaha, Nebraska: MWRO, NPS, December 5, 1975. A point-by-point study said the 

Courthouse was "greatly in need of repair," and recommended cleaning damage in the 

basement, third floor, and also the dome; see JNEM Archives, currently uncataloged material, 

Office of the Superintendent Records, post-1968.

15Development/Study Package Proposal, January 23, 1976, Federal Records Center, Kansas

City, Missouri, Files 79-89-0007, Box 2, H3015 and 79-89-0006, Box 9, D22.

16Henderson, p. 32.

17Ibid.; a detailed discussion of the building's condition may be found in Henderson, pp. 32-

45.

18Ibid., and JEFF Statement for Management, 1984, p. 14, JEFF Files D18, Planning

Program.

19The lantern consisted of "a windowed base, a colonnaded and glazed center section, and an 

elaborately worked dome topped by an elongated gilded sphere and a 45' aluminum flagpole." 

The dome-shaped roof of the 40' tall lantern was topped with copper shingles which gave it a 

scaled or "pineapple" appearance. An excellent description of the lantern may be found in 

Henderson, pp. 29-31 and 42-45.

20Henderson, pp. 112-132; Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Administrative History,

1935-1980, Sharon A. Brown, JEFF, 1984, pp. 180-181.

21Henderson, pp. 29-31 and 42-45.

22This was an entire railing system, including a top rail, its balusters and a bottom rail.

23Henderson, pp. 131-132; also Decorative Paint Analysis of the Old Courthouse, Spring

1985 report on contract #CX-2000-4-0015, Conrad Schmitt Studios, p. 69, JEFF Library, 

Ref. 333.71 CON; Telephone Interview with Ranch Building and Utilities Supervisor Ray 

Kunkel, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, conducted by JEFF Historian Bob 

Moore. Kunkel was an employee of Denver Service Center (DSC) and participated in the 

removal of paint layers inside the lantern in 1980; see also Lindenbusch, pp. 234-235.

24Memorandums: Arthur C. Allen, Chief, Division of Museum Services, JEFF to David

Henderson, DSC, October 20, 1977 and Walter J. Nitkiewicz to Arthur C. Allen, October 6,

1977, Vertical File, JEFF Library, VF-JNE-080; and Nitkiewicz to Allen, March 23, 1978, 

VF-JNE-079. The latter memo describes in detail the investigation and the exact methods 

employed in removing individual paint layers from the murals.

25Telephone interview with Ray Kunkel.

26Henderson pp. 121, 127-130.

27Memo from Regional Director, Midwest Region to Manager, Denver Service Center,
February 21, 1980, Federal Records Center, File 79-89-0003, Box 5, D22.

28"Current Events at the Old Courthouse," September, 1980, Nancy Hoppe, Park Technician, 

copy, historian's files, JEFF, published in "Gateway Today," the JEFF newspaper, Summer,

1981. This article was based on personal interviews with Thomas Busch and restoration crew 

members in 1980. In addition, Tom Busch kindly reviewed the article for accuracy for this 

administrative history, on September 30, 1993.

29Henderson, pp. 46-50.

30See Henderson, pp. 59-63 for details, and suggestions on the inspection of the cornices.

31Letter, June 27, 1978, Regional Director Merrill D. Beal to Executive Director Robert 

Garvey, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Washington, D.C.. The Missouri State 

Historic Preservation Officer recommended against the use of reproductions made of 

fiberglass as replacements for deteriorated cornice stones. See also Myra F. Harrison to 

Merrill D. Beal, August 4, 1978; both letters in File H42, Historic Preservation Programs

1978, 1979, & 1980, JNEM Archives, uncataloged box, Office of the Superintendent Records, 

post-1968.

32"Completion Report — Exterior Rehabilitation and Partial Restoration of the Old 

Courthouse, October 21, 1981," in File H42, Historic Preservation Program Overview — Old 

Courthouse, JNEM Archives, uncataloged box, Office of the Superintendent Records, post1968, hereinafter cited as Completion Report.

33Ibid.

34"Current Events at the Old Courthouse," September, 1980, Nancy Hoppe, Park Technician, 

copy, historian's files, JEFF.

35Memo, Associate Regional Director for Planning and Resource Preservation John 

Kawamoto to Superintendent Jerry Schober et. al., on the use of the walnut shell process to 

remove existing paint from exterior stone surfaces; see also letters, Kawamoto to Fred A. 

Lafser, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, of March 27, June 18, July 24, and 

September 9, 1980; File H42, Historic Preservation Programs 1978, 1979, & 1980, JNEM 

Archives, uncataloged box, Office of the Superintendent Records, post-1968.

36Henderson, pp. 53-54.

37Henderson, pp. 63-68; 133-135.

38Trip Report to Assistant Manager, Midwest/Rocky Mountain Team, DSC from Historical

Architect, Cultural Resources Branch, Midwest/Rocky Mountain Team, DSC, November 18,

1981, File 79-89-0004, Box 1, H3015, Federal Records Center.

39Henderson, p. 136.

40Completion Report, October 21, 1981, JNEM Archives.

41 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 21, 1982, JNEM Archives, Newspaper Clipping Files.

42Three XXX forms, September 9, 1982: Package No. 160, Park General, Roof and Roof
Drainage Repairs, Project Types 36 and 91; and report, Evaluation of Roofing, Skylights and 

Associated Water Penetration Problems, dated July 28, 1982; JNEM Archives, currently 

uncataloged box, Office of the Superintendent Records, post-1968.

43Ibid.

44Contract, Schuster Engineering, Inc. CX-6000-3-9004, JEFF Files D5217, Contracts, 

Construction Contracts.

45For more on the anchored rock bolts see the memos of June 21, 1985, and February 12,

1986, in JEFF File S72, Procurement.

46See JEFF Files, S72, Construction Contracts, Schuster Engineering, Inc. CX-6000-3-9004; 

see also Specs on work, August 30, 1983, and Weekly Field Reports, Specs and Monthly 

Reports, especially for January 16, 1985, which are included in the same folder. See JEFF 

Files, D2623, Reports, Situation, for the "Completion Report, Exterior Rehab and Partial 

Restoration of the Old Courthouse — Phase I, Package 201, P.T. 21, Contract CX6000-0-

9003," which includes photos of the project.

47Narrative Statement, Contract CX6000-3-9004, Exterior Rehabilitation of the Old 

Courthouse, April 15, 1986, Completion report, Project Supervisor, DSC to Superintendent, 

JEFF Files S72; includes photographs.

48Ibid.

49Between April 30 and June 5, 1984, seven letters were written to the contractor about the 

dust. On June 11, Denis Zavadil, vice-president of Schuster Engineering, claimed that an 

intensive investigation on their part had determined that the problem was caused by exhaust 

fans in the dome being on. In a reply on June 13, Shaffer said the fans had not been on during 

the time in question; letters, Federal Records Center, File 79-90-0002, Box 6, H3015.

50 St. Louis Globe-Democrat, September 18, 1984, "Man Accused of breaking into Old 

Courthouse." Alfred J. Vital of Silverwood, Louisiana climbed the scaffolding and entered 

through a window; he was apprehended onsite. JNEM Archives, Newspaper Clipping Files.

51"Final Inspection of Exterior Rehab, Phase III, Package No. 201, Contract No. 6000-3-

9004, Schuster Engineering, July 28, 1985;" JEFF Files S72, Procurement (Construction 

Contracts). See also letter from Chief Contract Administration Director Robert W. 

Laubenheim to Schuster Engineering on deficiencies in the existing contract, especially on 

the delay of the installation of the wheelchair lift; November 18, 1985, JEFF Files S72; 

Project Supervisor Jerry Shaffer to Schuster Engineering, June 18, 1985 on deficiencies in the 

contract; the memo on completion of the punch list of April 16, 1986; and Laubenheim to 

Schuster, all in JEFF Files S72, Construction Contracts, Schuster Engineering, Inc. CX-6000-

3-9004.

52Task Directive — Old Courthouse Interior Dome Repairs, June 1983, Paul Newman; and 

XXX forms with memo, Superintendent Schober to Regional Director, MWR, JEFF Files 

D18; St. Louis Globe-Democrat, February 6, 1984, p. 8A, "Plaster, safety repairs in dome are 

part of Old Courthouse plan;" St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 6, 1984, "Old Courthouse 

Dome Will Get New Interior Plaster and Paint," JNEM Archives, newspaper clippings file.

53Contract #CX6000-4-9006, Package #229, JEFF Files, S72.
54"Decorative Paint Analysis for the Old Courthouse," Conrad Schmitt Studios, New Berlin, 

Wisconsin, Contract #CX6000-4-9006, two files, JEFF Files, S72, Procurement (Personal 

Services); a copy of this document is in the JEFF Library, Ref. 333.71 CON.

55Ibid., pp. 3-5. Six separate periods of decorative design were discovered; 1862 (pp. 9-29);

1870 (30-31); 1880 (32-74); 1905 (75-104); 1920 (105-115); 1955 (116-123). Extensive 

photographs and mylars of paintings and design elements were stored at the Denver Service 

Center.

56See "Survey of Murals, Old Courthouse," Feb. 1985, Richard Trela, Conservation of Works 

of Art, Provo, Utah, for a detailed analysis of each mural. Copy in Curator's Office, JEFF.

57Contract #CX2000-4-0015, Package #229, JEFF Files, S72.

58Modification #1 to Contract #CX2000-4-0015, Package 229, October 15, 1985, JEFF Files, 

S72.

59"Decorative Paint Analysis for the Old Courthouse," p. 1; interview with JEFF Facility

Manager Bob Kelly, March 26, 1992, conducted by JEFF Historian Bob Moore.

60"The Courthouse, Research, Documentation, Restoration," Conrad Schmitt Studios Inc. 

promotional folder, OCH Interpreter's files.

61During one of these arguments, Project Supervisor Les Bowman had to step between 

workmen about to "come to blows;" see "Weekly Field Reports," project supervisor Leslie L. 

Bowman, JEFF Files S72, Procurement (Construction Contracts), Midwest Construction 

Company, CX-6000-4-9004.

62Letter from Midwest Construction to NPS, July 12, 1985, JEFF Files S72.

63"Weekly Field Reports," Dec. 1, 14, 27, 1985, Jan. 4, 1986, JEFF Files S72; the 

subcontractor, Gus T. Handge & Sons Painting Company, held up the work of the Cassidy 

Plastering Company between December 2 and January 6 during their strike. See also final 

inspection report, January 21, 1986, same file.

64JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, File A2621, JEFF Files.

65Memo, Associate Regional Director for Planning and Resource Preservation John 

Kawamoto to Superintendent Jerry Schober, January 15, 1986, and Superintendent Jerry 

Schober to Regional Director, MWR, December 12, 1986; Memos regarding XXX form for 

installation of revolving doors; Superintendent Schober to Regional Director, MWR, 

December 12, 1986. File H4217 Historic Preservation Programs Overview — Compliance 

Documentation; JNEM Archives, currently uncataloged box, Office of the Superintendent 

Records, post-1968.

66Interview with JEFF Facility Manager Bob Kelly, March 26, 1992.

67Memo, Acting Superintendent Nicky Lindig to Acting Chief, Programs and Budget, MWR, 

Concurrent review of document, Historic Structure Preservation Guide, Package No. 201B, 

JEFF Files, D18; interview with JEFF Facility Manager Bob Kelly.

68Interview with JEFF Facility Manager Bob Kelly, March 26, 1992.
69

"Completion Report, Interior Dome Repair," Les Bowman, project supervisor, CX-6000-4-

9006, JEFF Files D2623.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

Video monitor with accessibility information, installed in the visitor center in 1984.

NPS photo by Al Bilger.

CHAPTER SIX:

Accessibility

During the 1980s, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial implemented several measures in 

an effort to make park programs and facilities more accessible to all visitors. Although the 

design of both the Old Courthouse and the Gateway Arch complex pre-dated many 

accessibility guidelines, and improvements in facility accessibility were rather limited, some 

gains were made. [1] In 1986, as part of the extensive restoration work on the Old 

Courthouse, a Garavanta wheelchair lift was installed at the west entrance to allow access 

into the building. [2] In 1987, portable ramps were acquired to provide access to the museum 

shop/information center, the theater, the diorama room, and the St. Louis history exhibit 

galleries on the first floor. [3]

Improvements in program accessibility were more notable. By 1989, several interpreters had 

been specially trained in sign language; two TDD telephones were installed in the 

interpretation division offices; and interpreters received special population awareness 

training. [4]

Video Programs
The memorial commissioned two video programs to assist visitors with disabilities, which 

were produced in 1984 with funds from the Jefferson National Expansion Historical 

Association (JNEHA). Both videos made use of a sign-language interpreter, shown in a 

vignette in the lower right hand corner of the screen. Earphones were available at the location 

of the viewing monitors, which could be used to increase the volume of the program for the 

hearing impaired. The programs were self-activated with special non-mechanical switches, 

which worked upon contact with the electrical conductants of the human body. A visitor 

could start the program by bringing any part of their body in proximity to a small panel, 

about the size of a light switch cover plate, located about 3.5 feet above the floor. These 

switches were installed in 1989. [5]

The video at the Gateway Arch illustrated accessibility for visitors with mobility 

impairments. It described the difficulties involved in a ride to the top of the Gateway Arch, 

including the several flights of steps and small, unique tram cars. The video showed what it 

was like to ride to the top of the Arch on a tram, the size of the observation area at the top, 

and the views from each side. The program was produced by a local video company, shot on

3/4" videotape, and transferred to videodisc. [6] The program informed visitors with 

disabilities of the problems they might face during a visit to the site, allowing people to 

choose for themselves what programs they wished to attend. The video also provided an 

alternative interpretive program for activities such as a ride to the top, which were impossible 

or unsafe for a person with mobility impairments to attend. [7]

Completed in 1862, the Old Courthouse was built before the advent of modern elevator 

systems. Although a wheelchair lift was installed on the exterior steps of the building, the 

second floor was not accessible to visitors with mobility impairments. As with many park 

areas, the costs of rehabbing the building to include an elevator were prohibitive during the

1980s. In addition, the Old Courthouse's second floor was composed of uneven surfaces and 

steps leading from one wing to another; even with an elevator, a person using a wheelchair 

or canes would find the area difficult to navigate. To insure that all visitors received a quality 

interpretive experience, a video program on the first floor provided scenes of the courtrooms 

on the second floor from doorways as well as other angles not always seen by the public. The 

video described the history of the building and pointed out the location of restrooms, 

galleries and areas of interest. [8]

Further Accessibility Improvements

In 1990, further progress toward improved accessibility was made with the use of slides to 

communicate available services; improved signs at video monitors; and the development of 

special binders showcasing inaccessible areas. In addition, a site bulletin was developed by 

JNEHA interpreter Eleanor Hall to inform visitors of available services. An audio 

enhancement system was installed for use in the Tucker Theater for visitors with hearing 

impairments. At the Old Courthouse a script was developed for a taped audio tour of the 

building. [9]

During the early 1990s, JEFF continued its commitment to make its programs and facilities 

accessible all visitors. An Accessibility Plan for the memorial was completed on February 29,

1988, and a Special Populations Coordinator appointed in December 1989. [10] The park 

aggressively implemented recommendations in the JEFF Accessibility Plan, including 

improved programmatic accessibility videos at both the Gateway Arch and the Old 

Courthouse, large print brochures, a section of the park newspaper dedicated to accessibility, 

an adjustable ramp at the Old Courthouse, TDD equipment for the deaf at the Arch, Braille 

language information, and wheelchairs upon request at both the Arch and the Old 

Courthouse. Also, JEFF incorporated accessibility requirements into the planning for the new 

American Indian Peace Medal exhibit and 70mm theater in the Arch complex. The park's
collateral duty Special Populations Coordinator, a position filled by JEFF civil engineer 

David Caselli, reviewed all plans and specifications for facilities and coordinated 

accessibility issues. The ongoing analysis of needs and costs associated with accessibility 

continued. [11]

Months of writing and editing a script to accompany the film Monument to the Dream 

resulted in a final written product to be used in 1991 with a captioning device for the 265-

seat Tucker Theater. The custom-designed system was installed by Harpers Ferry Center staff 

in early 1992. Three training sessions were conducted for the entire staff, focusing on better 

communication skills between interpreters and visitors with disabilities. Interpreters also 

joined other park staff in the planning of future improvements involving the Gateway Arch. 

Plans addressed streetside access to the grounds from two sources, and access to the lobby 

level of George B. Hartzog, Jr. Visitor Center via an elevator or improved ramps. Attendance 

at a seminar devoted to explaining the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 also enhanced 

staff knowledge of critical issues related to the disabled visitor. Awareness of the concerns 

and barriers encountered by visitors with disabilities increased the sensitivity of the staff to 

these and other problems, promising many more positive and innovative changes in facility 

and program access for the remainder of the 1990s. [12]
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER SIX:

Footnotes

1The Architectural Barriers Act of 1969 and Section 504 of the Architectural Rehabilitation 

Act of 1973 required that Federal Buildings be accessible. Although not applicable to Federal 

facilities, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 brought much greater public attention 

to accessibility issues. Despite the concerted efforts of the JEFF staff, there were still 

facilities and programs which remained inaccessible to visitors with severe mobility 

impairments at the beginning of the 1990s. These included the load zones, the trams and the 

top of the Arch, as well as the upper floors of the Old Courthouse and the "top of the dome" 

tours. See memorandum, Superintendent Gary Easton to all JEFF park employees, June 4,

1992; copy, JEFF historian's files.

2JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 6. All Superintendent's Annual Reports 

may be found in JEFF Files, A2621. See Chapter 5 in this administrative history for further 

information on the Old Courthouse rehabilitation.

3JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987.

4Ibid.

5"Video and Accessibility: A Tool For the Future," by Bob Moore, NPS Interpretation, copy 

in JEFF historian's files; JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 14.

6Ibid.; see also JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 6.

7Interview with Al Bilger, JNEHA Audio-Visual Production Specialist, conducted by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore, July 17, 1992.

8Ibid.

9JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1989, p. 14, and 1990, p. 18.

10The Accessibility Plan was based on an accessibility self-evaluation conducted by Tom 

Richter, Acting Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation, and Chief Ranger Ivan Tolley, 

the Park Safety Officer. Paraquad (a local support organization for people with disabilities), 

participated in the self-evaluation, presenting the park with many practical and useful ideas. 

A copy of the self-evaluation may be found in the historian's files, JEFF.

11JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 2.
12

JEFF Superintendent's Arumal Report for 1991, p. 2.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

Special wagon with "car wash" type vending machine for fees, May 1988. Pictured 

left to right are: Superintendent Jerry Schober, Exhibits Curator John Arata, Assistant 

Superintendent Gary W. Easton, and Museum Aide Cindy Hagley. NPS photo by Al 

Bilger.

CHAPTER SEVEN:

Entrance Fee

During the history of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the implementation of 

entrance fees for admission to the Old Courthouse or the Gateway Arch visitor center was 

urged several times by the Washington and Regional offices. This was especially true in

1982, when shutting down the Old Courthouse was considered by the park administration as a 

money-saving measure due to lack of funds. [1]

Superintendent Jerry Schober recalled:

The entrance fee idea started under [Midwest Regional Director] Chuck 

Odegaard, and we were supposed to have a say. I remember it was brought up at 

a Superintendent's conference here in 1987; we had the deputy director here from 

Washington, and they were talking about the possibility of putting fees in all the 

parks. I said to the crowd of superintendents sitting there, "Let me make you 

guys an offer. Would you get off my back if I told you I'd give you a quarter of a 

million dollars a year?"
The Deputy Director of the Park Service said "Schober, don't start that crap with 

us. We're not interested."

But here was where I was coming from. I would have put a surtax on [the BiState Development Agency's Arch tram operation] of 25 to 50 cents, and that 

money would have gone straight into a fund that would be sent to [Washington]. 

At that time they were having one million people [a year] go to the top of the 

Arch, and this was how I figured we could work it. Bi-State would have been 

happy to do it. . . . But they dilly-dallied around [in Washington]. We waited 

until finally Bi-State came and said "Jerry, it's been a long time since we've had 

an increase on the admission [on the trams], and we really need it and it's going 

to be touchy." So, we passed an increase, and I wasn't about to request another 

one. And as usual the Park Service [then] said "Hey, let's go back to something 

you brought up about a year ago. We think you ought to put in a surcharge."

By then, Odegaard's gone, and Don Castleberry's in [as Midwest Regional 

Director]. Don called up, telling me that we'd need to have a fee. And I said "I'm 

not excited about it, but we could — "

"Well," he said, "It'd be pretty easy, all you'd have to do is just get a ranger there 

at the door, and they'd sit there in the chair — " I didn't realistically feel that that 

could work. I wanted [Bi-State] to collect every fee that was charged under the 

Arch. There's no point in me going to one window for the [tram] ride, going to 

another place for admission, going to the theater to see the movie, going over 

here for the wide-screen theater — You would have lines all over that lobby. So 

I said [to Bi-State], "I want you to get the latest in computers, I'm going to 

enlarge your space, we're going to put you into a first-class operation. In return, 

we'll pay your expenses for doing it." [2]

As a result of Regional Director Castleberry's call, a fee for the Gateway Arch complex was 

again considered, in November 1987, and was reported in The St. Louis Post Dispatch:

A proposal for collecting the fee is due Dec. 4 at the park service's office in 

Washington, John Townsend said . . . He is a visitor services specialist for the 

park service's Midwest Regional Office, in Omaha, Neb.

Proposals for new fees are being requested from about 20 of the 339 national 

parks in the second year of adding fees to national parks, he said.

"We'll do what the regional office wants," said Jerry Schober . . . But he said he 

rejected the admission fee idea earlier. "We didn't think we were going to have to 

be doing this."

Schober said he was concerned that the ramps leading to the underground 

visitors center were too narrow to accommodate booths or turnstiles and allow 

for quick evacuation in case of an emergency.

Townsend said the appropriations bill that Congress passed for the fiscal year 

that ended Sept. 30 allowed the park service to increase or add fees to help pay 

for services — and decrease the deficit.

Fees proposed under the law for the Statue of Liberty and the Independence Hall 

historic complex in Philadelphia caused a brouhaha last spring, Townsend 

acknowledged. Congress passed a special bill exempting the Statue of Liberty; 

the other fees went into effect . . .
Schober said he would prefer to have people pay for use rather than admission. 

When the idea of an admission fee arose, he said he had suggested an 

alternative, adding a 25-cent surcharge to the $2.50 charged for the tram ride. 

With nearly 1 million of the Arch's 2.3 million visitors riding the tram last year, 

the surcharge would have generated about $250,000, he said.

That idea was rejected, Townsend said, because the federal law allows only 

federal employees to collect new fees that may be imposed under it. Bi-State 

employees sell the tickets for the tram ride.

Ray Breun, executive director of the historical association, said he feared an 

admission fee would discourage visitors.

"It will call for a fundamental change in how the park operates because of the 

huge number of people who come. You couldn't get them through the door," 

Breun said. "We'd be the only major museum in town with a charge." John 

Walsh, president of the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, agreed. 

[3]

The park administration and local residents were opposed to an entrance fee in light of its 

practicality and in consideration of the concept of paying to see the visitor center and 

museum, which had been free since they opened. Superintendent Schober worried that if 

people were stopped at the entrances and asked for a fee, a significant percentage might 

decide that going inside the facility was not worth their while. Having seen the outside of the 

Arch, many visitors might turn back toward their cars, thus not patronizing the film, the 

museum shop, or the trams. A drop in revenues from these concerns would mean the loss of 

financing which supported the Gateway Arch Parking Garage, interpretive rangers funded by 

the Jefferson National Expansion Historical Association, and the possibilities of future 

projects such as the 70mm theater. [4]

Visitor fees were authorized by Congress in December 1987. Realizing that a fee would 

eventually be implemented despite his opposition, Superintendent Schober began to pave the 

legal path toward allowing Bi-State to collect NPS fees. He was aware that an NPS fee 

collection operation would duplicate work and divert the energies of a staff of up to seven 

federal employees. This made the collection of the fee by Bi-State, already set up with the 

facilities and personnel to do so, the most practical solution. Time ran out on this process, 

however, and the park was forced to begin collecting fees before it was ready to do so. [5] 

Superintendent Schober recalled:

[I] had in the back of my mind to try to sell [Regional Director Don Castleberry 

on having Bi-State collect] the fees. So we're on the phone, and he's saying, "I 

just don't think you should resist it."

"I'm not resisting, Don, but I can't have someone charging at the door. Could you 

see one ranger standing up there, . . . when people are letting off busloads and 

everything else, and folks are coming in at 5,000 an hour and that ranger saying 

"whoaaaa! — Here's some more change." You see, no one knew this operation 

like we did.

Well, from my conversation I wasn't too convincing to the Regional Director. 

And he went to the Director of the Park Service and said "May 1 the Arch will 

be charging." . . . There's one little person he never told — me. March 30, still 

unknown to me, he [sent] the deputy director of the Region, Bill Schenk, [and 

three others] from the Region down here to find out how we were going to do
this, at which time I told them we were looking into a computer which would 

take a transaction, and every 19 seconds would spit a ticket out; that would cover 

the theater, would cover the wide-screen theater when it was completed, and 

would take one buck for everybody from 16 to 61 . . .

And so, you know, Bill Schenk, who has been very, very helpful to us, says, 

"OK Schober, we think that's a great idea, but how are you going to do it?"

"What do you mean, how am I going to do it?" 

"How are you going to do it by May 1?"

"What is so marvelous about May 1?"

"Well your boss told the Director of the Park Service that you will be doing this 

by May 1."

"Golly!"

I was fit to be tied. [Assistant Superintendent] Gary [Easton] and I got together 

and we started talking about how we could quickly put something into effect, 

without [it] looking so commercial. We had one old wagon, and we bought 

another one real quick. . . Somebody on our staff [6] thought about those car 

wash machines, you know when you go up and you either put a code into the 

machine or quarters in and then the arm goes up and lets you go into the car 

wash when it's ready? We bought six of those machines, and instead of an arm 

going up, we connected the wires to a duplicator that spit out tickets. And we put 

the time and date on the ticket, and it was good for seven days. [This system] 

gave us fiscal control and it only took quarters, but . . . you could put in four 

quarters and press a button and shoop! — I mean, as fast as you'd do it it'd spit a 

ticket out. Now if it was five tickets, you could put a five dollar bill in it, it'd take 

up your five dollars, press the button for the number, and shoop! it shot out the 

tickets. But, one little catch. Each one of those machines held a thousand 

quarters, I think it was. We told the Region that we needed authority to have a . .

. $30,000 imprest fund. Oh! They like to have died! [They said] "There's not [an 

imprest fund] over $500 in the whole Park Service. What, are you all nuts? The 

government's not going to allow that much money to just lie there as a change 

fund." We finally got it down to $17,000, and I have to say something for Ed 

Davis in Washington, he really likes to remind me of that. He OK'd it. So we got

$17,000 in quarters, [and] we had to have special [carts] to push them to the 

machines. We mounted these [ticket machines] on wagons and blended them in 

[with the ambiance of the visitor center]. [7]

The result was an attractive fee collection area, an easy-to-use system for the visitor, and 

complete financial accountability for the park, since each machine kept its own internal 

record of every transaction. On May 26, 1988, at the direction of the Regional and
Maintenance Mechanic Lonnie Collins readying a wagon for the fee collection 

machines, May 1988. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Washington offices of the National Park Service, JEFF began collecting a $1.00 per person 

entrance fee for visitors between the ages of 17 and 61. Organized school groups and 

educational outings were exempt from the fee, and individual families were charged a 

maximum amount of $3.00. Superintendent Schober was quoted in the St. Louis PostDispatch: "The legislation calls for fifty percent of the admission fee to be returned to the 

area where collected. . . . The additional revenue will be used to enhance the park's 

interpretation program and improve resource protection.'" [8]

The park established a supervisory position and two seasonal fee collector positions to direct 

the operation and maintain accountability for the fee machines. Park interpreters assisted the 

seasonal fee collectors near the machines by providing information about the fees to visitors. 

Both interpreters and fee collectors presented talks before the start of each film in Tucker 

Theater to explain the purpose of the new entrance fee. [9]

As fee collection began, the park tried a low-key approach, with no signs proclaiming the 

new policy on the entrance ramps. A blue and white banner reading "Fee Collection Area" 

was hung over the central fountain in the visitor center lobby, where two wagons, one on the 

north side and one on the south, held three ticket machines. Park interpreters were stationed 

at the machines to provide information and assistance, but collection was based on the honor 

system. By the end of the first week, daily collections were running about $200 per day, in a 

season with daily attendance of 15,000 people. This method of fee collection was simply not 

practical at a park as busy as JEFF. [10] As JEFF interpreter Eleanor Hall recalled:

There were two wagons, one a farmers wagon, and the other a peddler's wagon. 

Each wagon was staffed at all times by an interpreter, one facing the north 

entrance and another the south. At first, one hour tours of duty were tried for 

these spots, but it was a difficult, impossible job, and it was bad for morale. You 

had to constantly try to get people's attention by saying "Please pay entrance fee 

here," or something to that effect. On busy summer days you couldn't be heard 

above the din. Visitors, unused to paying a fee or unaware of your purpose in 

standing there by the wagons, generally ignored you. Some thought it might be a 

voluntary donation, while others objected to paying and simply refused to do so.
Often, when honest folks had paid their admission and saw others streaming 

right by the machines without paying, they demanded their money back. Some 

people thought the machines were for making change. [11]

Many visitors approached the fee wagons because they thought them to be museum exhibits, 

others in the belief that the tickets were for the ride to the top of the Arch. Friction developed 

between the NPS and Bi-State Development Agency staffs because many visitors attempted 

to use their entrance fee tickets to board the trams to the top. [12]

The honor system was not successful, nor had Superintendent Schober anticipated that it 

would be. By the end of the first year, approximately $120,000 had been collected, despite 

attendance figures of 2.5 million people. By 1989, park management was able to arrange for 

the Bi-State Development Agency to assume the collection of NPS entrance fees. In 

February 1989, Bi-State began operating the centralized revenue collection and ticketing 

system in the visitor center, handling tram fees, JNEHA's movie fees, and the NPS entrance 

fee. A cooperative agreement was approved by the solicitor's office and Bi-State's legal 

counsel, which formalized the process and provided a prorated payment to Bi-State for NPS 

portions of the total cost. In 1989, the park collected six times the amount of money received 

in 1988. The successful plan administered by Bi-State mirrored the original Schober proposal 

for fee collection. [13]

Park Ranger George Baitinger tells visitors about the new fee program at JEFF. NPS

photo by Al Bilger.

By 1990 the centralized revenue/ticketing area constructed for Bi-State was fully automated, 

which greatly expedited the purchase of tickets, the payment of the NPS entrance fee, and 

reservations. It was estimated that each transaction was completed in less than 20 seconds. 

[14] The integrity of the site was preserved by the implementation of the Bi-State fee 

collection system, although some confusion was caused by the process. Many visitors did not 

realize that they were paying an entrance fee at the ticket window. The park continued the 

theater talks, even after the establishment of the centralized ticket system, to explain to the 

public the purpose and necessity of an entrance fee. The issues of safety, park revenue, 

efficient utilization of park employees, and the enjoyment of the visitor were all addressed 

with the assumption by Bi-State of fee collection duties, a unique solution to a potentially 

severe management problem.
Fee collection area run by Bi-State Development Agency, Gateway Arch visitor 

center. NPS photo by Al Bilger.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER SEVEN:

Footnotes

1"Entry Fees Suggested For Old Courthouse, Arch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 19,

1982, p. 3A. Copies of newspaper sources referenced may be found in the Newspaper

Clippings Files, JNEM Archives.

2Interview with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992, by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore.

3"$1 Admission Fee Is Weighed For Visitors Center At Arch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 

November 25, 1987, p. 1.

4"Keep The Arch Free," editorial, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 28, 1987; interview 

with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

5Interview with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

6The idea of using car wash-type machines was originated by JEFF Administrative Officer

Nicky Lindig.

7Interview with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

8News Release, JEFF, "Gateway Arch to Charge $1 Admittance Fee," May 25, 1988; "Arch 

Visitors Ignoring Entrance Fee," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 1, 1988; interview with 

former Superintendent Jerry Schober, April 11, 1991 by former JEFF Historian Mike Capps; 

JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 1.

9At the end of the summer, with the departure of the seasonal fee collectors, park interpreters 

assumed total coverage of the fee collection area, impacting the staff's ability to provide other 

public services. The fee collection operation also replaced the Maintenance Division in the 

collection, cleaning, and deposit of coins thrown into the lobby fountain by visitors. 

Information from former Gateway Arch Chief of Visitor Services Tom Richter.

10JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 1.

11Interview with Park Ranger Eleanor Hall, July 28, 1992, conducted by JEFF Historian Bob 

Moore. National Park Service Director William Penn Mott visited the park for the VP Fair on 

July 4th, and was appalled at the number of visitors who refused to pay. See "Parks Chief 

Decries Lack of Fee Payers," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 5, 1988.
12Information from former Gateway Arch Chief of Visitor Services Tom Richter.

13JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 1; "Arch Visitors Ignoring Entrance 

Fee," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 1, 1988; interview with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry 

Schober, 11 April 1991.

14JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 2.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER EIGHT:

The Role of the Jefferson National Expansion

Historical Association

A key to the success of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial throughout its years of 

operation has been the assistance it has received from the Jefferson National Expansion 

Historical Association (JNEHA). Many of the park's programs were made possible through 

the money JNEHA raised from the sale of educational materials in its museum shops.

Through a memorandum of agreement with the National Park Service, the Jefferson National 

Expansion Historical Association was founded on January 13, 1961, with the close 

cooperation of leading members of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association. 

Articles of incorporation were filed in Jefferson City, Missouri, establishing the organization, 

and operations began in April 1961. The first JNEHA staff members were hired in 1968 when 

the Gateway Arch opened to the public. Only three employees were necessary at that time to 

manage the operation. Postcards and various publications were the primary sales items, and 

all profits were put into the memorial's interpretive programs. The Park Service supervised 

the activities of the museum shop directly, but gave a great deal of latitude to the business 

manager. When the Museum of Westward Expansion opened in 1976, the staff was enlarged 

and the association began to play a more active role in the park's interpretive effort, with the 

beginning of such activities as museum education programs. [1]

Raymond A. Breun was selected as Education Director of JNEHA in 1977. Breun recalled: 

I [was selected] on March 14th, 1977 . . . I used to work at the art museum here

in St. Louis, and [I] started a thing there called the . . . teacher's resource center. .

. . The then assistant superintendent, Norm Messenger, used to come to the 

meetings of a group that I had started in 1974, . . . the Museum Educator's Round 

Table of Metropolitan St. Louis. . . [W]hen the Bicentennial came along it was 

clear that [the local museums] would need to do workshops for school teachers 

and work with school districts, . . . because it was just getting out of hand for 

each institution [individually]. So in 1974 we formed this round table, and 

included libraries and other agencies.

The opening of the museum under the Arch was in August 1976, and the Park 

Service wanted it to be part of their Bicentennial package for the nation. So the 

Park Service folks began to take more of an interest in museum education [and] 

in the educational process. And Norm got the idea of using the Association 

[JNEHA] as a mechanism to install education in the Park Service. . . Well that's 

the stuff I had done at the Art Museum . . . In addition, Norm was moving 

toward getting the Museum [of Westward Expansion] accredited by the
American Association of Museums. We had just gone through accreditation at 

the Saint Louis Art Museum and the two areas of the art museum's program 

which received special commendation were in the handling of objects and in 

education.

So Norm wanted to buy some of [my] skills if you will, use the association as a 

mechanism. The other part that was handy, we did most of those programs at the 

Art Museum as outside funded programs. We did them through various means 

that did not include tax money, and he liked that notion as well. We had a series 

of grants. . . . So, when the position opened here in the association [Norm] asked 

me to apply, and I got the job. . . . My title was Educational Specialist and it was 

thought to be analogical to interpretive specialist, but was to be a non-Federal 

position to allow for the types of things that non-Federal folks can do, but have 

them done in house . . . He had done some [think]ing over it, and had talked with 

the then Superintendent Bob Chandler. . . And so the two of them together had 

[thought] over the need for other ways of doing the kind of business that the Park 

Service does in an urban environment such as St. Louis. And with the 

association they had a ready-made vehicle.

When I came I had nothing to do with the sales division at all. All I would do 

was spend the money. Up 'til 1977 all of the Association positions had been 

involved with sales, but beginning in 1977 they not only hired me but they also 

hired the folks that were dealing with what became known as the folklife 

program . . . [2]

[On the sales side, Norm] was moving the association into a publications 

program which it had never had. He changed the mixture of items sold. Prior to 

Norm there were very few books sold, I don't think there were more than a 

dozen. . . Probably the first items that the association sold going back to 1964 

were medallions. . . The first book that the association was involved with . . . 

appeared in 1965, and has been redone several times, . . . on the construction of 

the Arch . . . By 1977, that's about all that was in the store, in addition to the 

American Indian [items]. . .

Norm's motivation therefore was complex. He was able to [see] into the future, 

he had spent a good deal of time in the museum curatorial side of the house, and 

was indeed quite interested in that, and also was quite impressed with what the 

museums did in this town, especially in the educational area. [3]

Superintendent Jerry Schober said of the relationship between JEFF and JNEHA: "I 

mentioned to Ray that if we were going to have a relationship we . . . don't have to refer to 

each other as 'them' and 'us.' And as he reformed the sales and the response to the community 

and all, [the store's] income increased. And I felt we should support those moves, just as long 

as he didn't go commercial." [4]

Enlargement and Modernization of the JNEHA Museum Shop

By the 1980s, the association had become a vital part of the total park program. As JNEHA 

grew it took on more responsibilities. In 1985 the museum shop at the Gateway Arch was 

redesigned and the inventory selectively reduced. This resulted in more efficient operations 

and an increase in profits by 30%. Breun recalled:

In 1983, after the Charles Russell exhibit, [5] the board treasurer came to me and 

said, "Have you looked at the . . . profit and loss sheets? And in March of '83 the
Historical Association was for all practical purposes in the toilet. The only reason 

we had any money to pay the staff was that . . . the then business manager and 

bookkeeper were not paying the bills that were due on the inventory. So we were 

basically borrowing internally. Then Jack Green [6] came to me and said it's time 

to look at this . . . I went down to the business office and got copies of all the 

profit and loss sheets back to 1977, and took them all home [to look at them]. . . 

So I came back to Jack in May, and I told him that we just didn't have any 

management on the sales side, and our inventory had grown to be [too] large. . . 

We had over half a million dollars in books at a time when our sales were under 

a million dollars. In contrast, our 1991 sales were over three million, and our 

inventory was only around a $400,000 level. In essence, what was happening 

was the business manager was taking money which could be used as liquid 

assets for assisting the park and other purposes, and putting most of it back into

inventory, that is, buying stock to sell in the museum shop . . . and in that way 

trying to keep things going.

So, I basically said you need one head for these two operations, donations and 

sales. Somebody needs to take a look at the whole thing. And it can't just be the 

board — you need staff there. And you cannot simply rely on the Park Service. 

The Park Service management is not going to understand the sales and the 

accounting that goes into it. . . If we can keep money we can earn interest, then 

there's more money next year. . . The business manager went away, we didn't 

have one anymore, the bookkeeper was replaced by a computer . . . and staff 

turned over. So everything was going on at the same time.

[When] Rick Wilt came here [as Chief of Interpretation from] Carlsbad [Caverns 

National Park], he said "Let's go spend a couple of days at the Smithsonian to 

see how they work." I said "That's a heck of a good idea." So he and I took off 

to Washington for two days. . . and we went from store to store. We talked to 

people in catalog sales, in accounting, in membership, the whole business. . . I 

had seen that our sales per square foot were around $1000. And the guys at 

Smithsonian were already used to using those kinds of numbers. And they said 

"Well, we do about $800 a square foot." And I looked at them and I said "Oh, 

well we're already doing more than that." And they said, "Well you shouldn't be 

here, we should be there." So that insight alone made me stop and think that 

maybe we were doing some things right, but we needed to take more conscious 

control over it.

The other thing from our own staff, we never kept the numbers that came out of 

the cash register that show transaction rates, the amount per transaction. None of 

that was computed or compared to volume. So, [we could not] look at what other 

museum shops were doing, and what we were doing, just on a pure statistical 

basis. . . To me it seemed that the only way you could increase your business was 

to increase the number of transactions, and the amount per transaction. . . So here 

I come along as a non-accountant type and I told the accounting staff, "OK, get 

those numbers." And they didn't have them. And I said "You will go back for all 

the previous part of this fiscal year, and the year before, and take them right off 

the cash register tapes. . . And so I gave them a sheet, and I said write them 

down, and I entered them into my computer at home. So [this is how] I worked 

out how we could increase our sales.
The original JNEHA museum shop in the Gateway Arch complex, September 1978.

NPS photo.

So in '83 and '84, when we put this kind of a direction to it, we did two things. 

First of all, we changed the store design. It was the last store in the world where 

if you wanted something you had to ask. Non-self-service, in other words . . . It 

was dark, and dank. It was designed by the same guy who did the museum. [7] 

No lights. It had a very small little strip sign in front, which half the time you 

couldn't read because the lights were out, and it was too hard to change the 

bulbs. . . . It was great at Halloween. But it wasn't any good to make any 

[money]. And yet despite that, we were still doing almost a million dollars [per 

year] in sales. So with all that stuff in the way I kept scratching my head and 

saying, "We can at least triple sales." What people did was go in, buy a postcard 

and leave. So our transaction rate was under $3 then, and it was $8 in 1991. So 

even if you do the same number of transactions, you've tripled your money right 

there.

Jack Green got me in touch with the President of the Board of Famous-Barr [8] 

who got me to his store design people, and they came down free of charge. We 

decided that if we re-did the store we could increase the square footage for sales 

and make the whole store more operational. We went to Hellmuth, Obata & 

Kassabaum, Inc. (HOK), and for $12,000 we got our current store design. I spent 

a quarter of a million dollars to re-do the store, and our first three months' excess 

profit was equal to that.

While the store was under construction, through the help of the designer at HOK, 

and with the approval of the Park Service, we bought a 19th century buckboard, 

and sold [merchandise] off the buckboard outside the theater. . . I brought in 

some old shelving from home and some old wood and we bought candy jars, and 

put stuff in them; books and postcards, all kinds of stuff. And we did almost as 

much business off that silly buckboard as we typically did in January and 

February anyhow. Plus, the staff found out that people are fun, and if you go 

self-service they'll talk to you.

Then we computerized the thing so that we used scanners. 'Cause one of the
complaints we had gotten in the store was that the store staff was not very 

friendly. Well, they had two reasons. First of all, they weren't used to talking to 

people, and the other thing was . . . they had to look at the price and enter it in, 

and enter the right number, . . . and couldn't talk to anybody. . . Well, I said we'll 

have the computer look up the number, and a price, and add it up. And then I 

want you folks to talk to the visitor. All of a sudden we began to get 

complimentary letters, for the very simple reason that [they] could act as people 

and let the machine do what the machine does. [We had some initial] arguments 

with a vendor, [who] didn't want to put bar code on [his] book, and I said "Fine, 

we won't handle it." And [Superintendent] Jerry [Schober] and [Assistant 

Superintendent] Gary [Easton] backed me. Well, by God he apologized, and he 

put the bar code on. . . We were the first store [in the NPS] to have bar code, and 

now everybody has copied us on that, because it's just a better way of doing 

business, because you can talk to people. [9]

In 1968, a museum shop was opened in the Old Courthouse, and in April 1987 a full-time 

person was hired to operate it and assist with basic visitor services and information. [10] 

Through a redesign of existing space and an increase in the variety of St. Louis-related 

publications and other sales items, the 1987 gross sales for the Old Courthouse doubled over 

the previous year's figures. [11]

New JNEHA museum shop in the Gateway Arch complex, 1984. NPS photo by Al

Bilger.

Donation Expense: Funding Provided to the NPS by JNEHA

In 1982, JNEHA provided $260,040 in funding for park interpretation and educational 

programs. By 1989, that figure had risen to $447,040, [12] and by 1991, to $994,770. A high 

percentage of these funds were turned directly back to JEFF by JNEHA. In 1991, for 

instance, out of gross sales of $2,731,417, 36%, or $994,770, was given in aid to the JEFF. 

[13]

The number and variety of projects JNEHA money has made possible have been large and 

diverse. Many of them have been mentioned throughout this administrative history. There 

were special exhibits such as the Charles Russell art exhibition and numerous others arranged 

through the traveling exhibit program. The museum education program was financed since its
inception by JNEHA. The Folklife Program and festivals were organized by the association. 

In 1983, the agreement with the NPS was modified as JNEHA assumed the responsibility for 

operating the Tucker Theater at the Gateway Arch, and subsequently used the funds 

generated from the admission price to provide association interpreters to keep the Old 

Courthouse open. [14] In 1985, JNEHA interpreters began working in the Museum of 

Westward Expansion. [15] Special emphasis programs such as the Victorian Christmas and 

Black Heritage Month were possible because of association support, as was the production of 

such publications as the park newspaper Gateway Today and the Museum Gazette series. 

Because of these growing responsibilities, the JNEHA Board of Directors appointed Ray 

Breun as its first executive director in 1984, to provide the necessary management for the 

operation of both education and sales programs. [16]

Specific plans for funding and support for Park Service programs were discussed after the 

renovation of the store beneath the Gateway Arch in 1985, when sales began to skyrocket. 

Executive Director Ray Breun remembered:

At the same time we began to talk at the board level of the rate of return to the 

Park Service and how to manage that. And I said "Based on my analysis . . . if 

we do it right, our cost of doing business should be no more than around 50% . . .

, the cost of supplies, bags, paper, postage, all of the rest of that." And it typically 

goes between 52 and 48%.

Now, in order to do that you have to have an active product line, where you get 

much more return, and thus we got into the videotapes, because the return is so 

substantial, and yet our cost to the visitor is less than in any other store in town. 

When you pay $29.95 for a tape, the cost to make that tape is less than five 

bucks. And so we charge basically twenty bucks — $19.95. We also needed an 

ability to throw away books that weren't selling, so we began to get the inventory 

cleaned up.

We used the approval process that had been installed in 1980 . . . Where before it 

had been kind of an adversarial process, it began to be more, "How can we make 

this work better?" for the good of the visitor. I mean everybody talks that way 

now. It wasn't that way at one time, believe me.

We established a goal of no more than 50% [for operating expenses]. Selling and 

office staff, non-donation expenses staff should not exceed 20%. So therefore 

you're talking about keeping 30%, which is going to be available for product 

development and donation expense [money given to the NPS]. Donation expense 

is viewed as an expense item. Donation expense we'd like to keep at about a 

fourth. So if you do a million dollars in business, $250,000 [goes to the Park 

Service].

. . . [A]nytime the Park Service doesn't use a buck, I can turn that dollar into a 

dollar ten. A dollar fifteen. There are various instruments that we have. In 

August, there's a lot of cash coming in, and not as much going out . . . So when 

we get into August, then we do some guaranteed investments that are very shortterm. A week, three, four-day investments, that give good return. We just 

basically view the money as a commodity, and you can make it grow. So we did 

that, and that's what pays for our accounting division. 'Cause I told our controller 

when I hired her, "Your task is to pay for yourself and your staff on interest." 

[17]
Visitors browse in the JNEHA museum shop at the Gateway Arch. NPS

photo by Al Bilger.

In addition to its direct support, which has amounted to more than $3 million since 1968, the 

association has also raised funds of nearly $2 million for exhibitions, movies, and educational 

publications. [18]

Sales Items Controversy

Despite the benefits to the park from JNEHA's activities, there were challenges made by NPS 

officials from outside the park regarding the items being sold by the association. Ray Breun 

elaborated:

We had handled T-shirts, and they were constructed to be in line with the 

postcard program. They were basically walking postcards, as far as we were 

concerned. And that's an interpretive device that's always been for sale in 

museum shops. We also had postcards and other sorts of stuff. There are playing 

cards in the museum, in the cowboy exhibit, and so one of the first things that 

was added was a deck of cards, that's one of the things that was used by all sorts
of folks in the West . . . Well, [our store was] commonly used as an example of 

what not to do by [the NPS]. [19]

A 1982 memorandum detailed many of the concerns of the Washington office:

The subject of . . . sales [items] at JEFF is not new. Jewelry sales date to the 

opening of the museum and, despite reviews and critical comments from both 

the Servicewide and Regional Coordinators, no retractions have ever been made 

by the association. Such action was in violation of the activity standards and 

guidelines prior to the Memorandum of Agreement, dated 1977, and are now in 

violation of NPS-32. [20]

Discussions (at the Servicewide coordinator level) on removing souvenir items 

date to 1974; lengthy conversations took place in the 1976 association conference 

when [JEFF] Superintendent Bob Chandler appeared on a theme-related sales 

item panel discussion. Some items were removed, most notably a glass mug with 

an "arch" decal. Unfortunately, that mug was replaced with a "higher quality" 

mug with the "arch" etched into the glass.

The most recent discussion occurred at the park in December during the planning 

of the 1982 Association Conference. The park and association staffs were 

adamant that there would be no changes in souvenir sales, "otherwise, a large 

part of the interpretive program would go down the tubes." [21]

Despite this negative assessment, a 1982 operations evaluation by the Midwest Regional

Office praised the role of JNEHA and the items they sold:

A review of sale items carried at the Cooperating Associations Museum outlet 

indicated that virtually all met NPS criteria for type and purpose. It should be 

recognized that the Arch Association has long filled a dual role of not only 

interpretive assistance but quality [sales items] which, in and of themselves, 

serve as an interpretive remembrance of one of the world's greatest engineering 

wonders. Recognizing that the Expansion Memorial (the Arch) exists as much 

for its engineering/architectural marvel as for its commemoration of western 

expansion, the sale of jewelry and T-shirts that recognize that marvel appear 

appropriate. There is, without doubt, as much of an interpretive message in a 

question about "How high is that arch on your T-shirt and how was it built?", as 

there is in "When did Thomas Jefferson effect the Louisiana Purchase?" . . . As a 

result, the evaluation team feels that the sale of such items as T-shirts and 

jewelry depicting the Arch, as long as it is done in a quality manner, is 

appropriate to the interpretive message of the historic site. It is unfortunate that 

NPS policy statements identify all T-shirts and jewelry as "unacceptable" items. 

Perhaps this policy needs some refinement. [22]

In August 1984, Jim Murfin, NPS Cooperating Association Coordinator in Washington, 

contended that a number of the items that JNEHA sold were not properly theme related — in 

fact were nothing more than souvenirs — and as such were in violation of NPS guidelines. In 

defense of JNEHA, Superintendent Schober wrote:

Mr. Murfin contends [that several sales items] are souvenirs, not theme related, 

and therefore in violation of NPS-32. Mr. Murfin, of course, authored NPS-32. It 

is now, and has been, the position of previous superintendents that the items 

contribute to the educational and interpretive theme of the park and, as approved 

by the Superintendent, are appropriate. [23]
In a 1992 interview, Superintendent Schober elaborated:

They started to press us on certain issues, and they started writing to me saying, 

"We think you guys are commercializing down there. We don't like it. We want 

to talk about problems." Well, here's my theory: I don't have problems until I 

agree to them along with you. And my response was, "I'm not talking about it 

because I don't have any problems." And so finally I find out that Stan Albright 

and . . . the head of cooperative affairs, Jim Murfin at that time, was coming out. 

They never told me. I called Region. I said I didn't think that that was the policy 

of the service, to come out to a park unannounced. [24]

Murfin proposed that the items in question either be dropped from the inventory, or that the 

association apply for a concession permit. Neither of these alternatives were attractive to park 

management. In his 1984 memo, Schober continued:

Were we to agree to the first alternative, and had it been applicable in FY 83, it 

would have meant a loss to the Association of $580,000.00 in gross sales and

$325,000.00 in profits, and ultimately $300,000.00 in donations to the National 

Park Service for the benefiting public. As regards the second proposed solution, 

were a concession permit to be applied for, there is no guarantee the Association 

could be the sole source or retain the permit when it came up for renewal after 

five years. [25]

In his 1992 interview, Superintendent Schober explained:

There were some things that Ray [Breun] had inherited some years back, when 

they probably did buy some trinkets. They didn't sell, and we tried to clear our 

inventory. I said, "Give it away, put it on cut rate." But, I sent it to the Regional 

Director, and said here's what we're going to do with it, and all of this will be 

disposed of, we're not doing anything with our T-shirts. A grandparent that 

comes in, they want something for their grandkids, and they don't want a $70 

book. But if it's something that says it's the Arch, and this is a [monument] to a 

great happening, I don't see a thing wrong with it. There's no concession here, 

we're not taking from anyone. And it turns into money that puts something even 

better back; and all of it goes here. This is non-profit; everything they make is 

turned right back to us. . . . [26]

JEFF counter-proposed "grandfathering" into the agreement with JNEHA the right to sell 

those items approved by the Superintendent, and the Regional Director agreed:

It is our belief that the Arch represents a unique situation from an interpretive 

standpoint, and to interpret NPS-32 in regard to the Arch is a difficult task. It is 

our intention to bring the association into conformance with NPS-32, but we 

have to do this by taking into consideration the past history of the association 

and the decisions made by the past and present Superintendents. [27]

As a compromise, an agreement was reached that no new items contrary to NPS-32 would be 

added to the inventory. This strategy maintained sales and support and provided time to 

develop new sales items. The issue was finally resolved when the Director of the National 

Park Service agreed with JEFF and the Regional Office, and approved the arrangement. [28] 

Superintendent Schober remembered:

I called up [Director of the National Park Service Russ Dickenson] and I said 

"Hey, I'm going to send you a memo that was sent to [Midwest Regional 

Director] Chuck Odegaard, and we're going to just put down under there, 'I agree
with the procedure,' and you just sign it if think you can." And he said, "Alright." 

He came in and looked at how the things are taken care of. And he said, "I 

concur with this," signed "the Director," sent it to Chuck, and sent it to me. Five 

months later [the Washington Office] said, "We'll be coming down to really get 

into your problem. This time it's coming from the deputy." . . . When I saw that I 

just contacted them and said, "Gee, don't you keep up with your correspondence 

and everything?" And they said, "What? . . . " And I said, "Well, the deputy and 

the associate for operations are coming down here to work on a problem that the 

Director of the Park Service says [doesn't exist]. If you refer back to 

correspondence so and so." [29]

This was the last time that sales items were challenged at JEFF. In the late 1980s and 90s, 

sales items were carefully screened and evaluated for interpretive value and historical 

accuracy. A committee consisting of the chief of museum services and interpretation, the 

historian, and the assistant superintendent of JEFF, reviewed each item sold according to an 

item selection guidelines memorandum. [30] The process was rigorous, and insured that only 

items of the highest quality and interpretive value were carried in the JNEHA stores. [31]
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER EIGHT:

The Role of the Jefferson National Expansion

Historical Association (continued)

Union Station

One of the most unique experiments tried by JNEHA was the creation of an off-site store 

which would cater to the needs of general visitors and tourists who had an interest in 

national parks, but was designed to be seen in an environment away from the parks 

themselves. The store was eventually located in St. Louis' historic Union Station, a railroad 

terminal completed in 1894 which had been abandoned in the 1970s. Refurbished as a multipurpose facility by Oppenheimer Properties through their developer, the Rouse Company, 

Union Station contained a shopping mall with more than 100 stores and restaurants, a Hyatt 

Regency Hotel, outdoor recreation facilities, railroad memorabilia, commercial office space, 

and a modern transportation terminal. Union Station was a National Historic Landmark 

located one mile west of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, patronized by 5 to 6 

million visitors annually. [32]

JNEHA Executive Director Ray Breun recalled the thought process which resulted in the

Union Station store:

When we were talking about how to reorganize this association to make it more 

of a benefit to the Park Service in '83, we were toying with the notion of having 

outlets at off-site locations. We had a request from Famous-Barr at St. Louis 

Center, and also one at Union Station with the Rouse Company. . . I was 

interested because it was quite clear to me that we have a corner on the visitor 

market, but on the local market we don't make any impact.

We were the first to do this sort of thing as far as park sites. Now, museums 

have been doing this for ages; the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York 

City, the Smithsonian, they've always had huge operations. But we wanted to get 

"off campus" as well. [33]

Superintendent Jerry Schober continued:

When we first got into it . . . there was a commercial building that came up over 

here [near the Park]. And they talked about the possible presence of some of the 

things at the Arch and [maybe] we could sell a few items. But it was something 

strictly that we did on our own. And the Director of the Park Service [Bill Mott] 

kept saying "You know, . . . I want evidence of the Park Service in places other 

than in the parks themselves." He didn't feel that we had the exposure. And you
know he was right [about that], . . . we don't market ourselves at all.

We told him, if that's what you want, it could be done here. And so we had a 

meeting one rainy day at the Clarion Hotel, [myself] and the executive director 

of Eastern National Park and Monument Association [George Minnucci], which 

is the largest [cooperating association] in the system. And George said "You 

know, we need to get some things together, do things for the Park Service and 

sell things." And . . . I said "I want you to meet Ray Breun," . . . And oh, I'm 

telling you, these two fellows, all I had to do was get out of their way, and they 

began to talk about the possibility of Union Station. [34]

Breun continued:

I'd just been hit by a car, so I was still on crutches. . . George was in town and 

we began to talk about it, and we decided to do it as a partnership. Because 

Eastern has access to the eastern parks, and because we had to deal with the 

westward movement, we could sell all kinds of park stuff. . . . We liked the idea 

of doing it here in St. Louis, because . . . it's in the middle of the country, a 

[crossroads for visitors]. [35]

America's National Parks Store at St. Louis Union Station. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Superintendent Schober added:

And so their final agreement was, that we operate it, and [Eastern National will] 

put the produce in, and we'll take care of the staff, and the rent, and all of this, 

and work their agreements out. We did not go into it to make big bucks. We 

went into it for the visibility. . . [36]

Breun recalled the planning stages of the store:

When this thing started, George [Minnucci] sent a number of his staff out to be 

helpful in terms of organizing it, . . . including the sales manager at ChattanoogaChickamauga; Bill Cole, the manager at Gettysburg, and Shelley Napier from 

Colonial. [37]
Schober continued:

So we said, hey, [visitors] don't get to see all of the parks, but what if we could 

get them the information? Now here's where we wanted to carry the idea. We 

thought it would be good to go to the concessions association and say, "Why 

don't you put one of those big computers up so we can get information out to the 

public on the parks?" If you're to visit Grand Canyon, who'll you stay with? The 

Park Service? No. If you're to visit Yosemite, who'll you stay with? The Park 

Service? No, it's the concession every time. [So we wanted a computer with 

National Park information, including accommodations and camping, to be put 

into the Union Station Store, paid for with various concessionaire's money]. . . . 

We even went and got an FTS line into the store. For who? The concessioner, so 

that the public could pick up the phone and make reservations . . . We could've 

given them all this information, and the biggest benefactor would have absolutely 

been the concessioner. [38]

Although the Union Station store was an excellent idea which brought millions of people into 

contact with National Park concepts and management objectives, concessions information 

and computerized data on the National Parks were not added during the 1980s. In fact, the 

Union Station store failed to turn a profit. The idea of an off-site store spread, however, to 

two other areas, in San Francisco and Salt Lake City. Ray Breun elaborated:

In San Francisco it's [run by the] the Park Association at Golden Gate, and in 

Utah it's Zion's association. In each case they got a better deal from the landlord 

than we did, but they're just basically following the same pattern. Eastern 

National has been talking about doing something in Washington, but there's so 

many associations that they're getting in each other's hair, so I don't know how 

that will all come out. [39]

JNEHA Executive Director Raymond A. Breun with Director of the NPS William

Penn Mott, Jr., in the America's National Parks store, 1988. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Interpretation at Union Station

In 1987, a special nationwide interpretive program, called the Union Station Urban Initiative 

pilot project, was developed at Union Station as another method of bringing the national park
concept to St. Louis visitors. A three-month trial period confirmed the great potential for 

reaching a major metropolitan audience with information on the NPS. Although visitor 

statistics were difficult to keep given the crowded circumstances in the shopping mall, the 

project made more than 9,000 significant contacts through either formal or informal 

programs. Superintendent Schober recalled:

We hit upon the idea of [representing] every region; we went to the Regional 

Directors, and said "We're going to put on demonstrations that represent other 

regions of the Park Service, and you have the opportunity, if you want to 

participate, to say, 'Ah, well, I'll just send anybody,' or, if you want your region 

to come off looking really good, you'd better send some sharp suckers down 

here." Because we found out they'd had 10 million visits at Union Station in an

18-month period.

Representatives of eight regions and twelve individual parks took part in the program 

between June and September 1987. A total of fifteen rangers came to St. Louis with a wide

range of experience, interpretive methods and styles which significantly contributed to their 

success. Their work was characterized by enthusiasm and flexibility, qualities that proved 

extremely beneficial. [40]

Under the direction of the JEFF staff, programs varied from living history, to formal 

interpretive programs, to skills demonstrations. After gaining the attention of visitors, each of 

the interpreters effectively conveyed their message on the scope and diversity of the National 

Park System. [41] Living history programs included presentations about one of Abraham 

Lincoln's neighbors; two Civil War soldiers from opposing sides, and a U.S. Dragoon from 

the 1840s. Formal programs covered such topics as the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the 

legacy of Carl Sandburg, and NPS areas in the West. Park Rangers from Carlsbad Caverns 

National Park presented one of the most effective programs of the project, rapelling from the 

rafters of Union Station in a demonstration of climbing skills. These demonstrations gathered 

large crowds for a talk on ground water quality and other resource management concerns in 

cave areas. [42]

Park Rangers Gary Candalaria and Karen Gustin tell visitors to St. Louis' Union

Station about the National Park System. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Superintendent Schober recalled:

Bill Mott said, "To do those ranger shows and all of that, I'll put up one half, 

Jerry. You and the Region put up the other half." Because this hadn't been
something we'd programmed for, that sounded reasonable. He got back to 

Washington, and they were sitting in with the then head of concessions . . . and 

they said "Oh boy, having that store as the focal point, man, the concessionaires 

are going to take you apart," and they really worked on the Director. And the 

Director never sent us any funding. But they did send one directive: Don't do 

those ranger programs anywhere around . . . your association store. Now what 

was worrying them was that it looked like you were making a profit in that store.

. . . Concessions who would never sell an association book because it didn't have 

enough mark-up, now were becoming jealous of associations. The concessions 

figured the associations were making money and that they ought to have those 

opportunities. . . . And you know what was funny? The visitors that were looking 

at it always said "Why didn't you put [your programs] on next to your store down 

there? That would sort of compliment it." [43]

Following the demise of the Urban Initiative Project on a national scale, JEFF continued with 

a program staffed with its own interpreters, working on a daily basis during the summer 

months, June 24 through September 2. This intense off-site program, coordinated with Union 

Station management, JNEHA and Eastern National Park and Monument Association, 

highlighted various areas within the National Park system through the use of special 

interpretive themes, such as wildland firefighting, hats of a park ranger, predators (including 

humans) in the national parks, and biodiversity. Rangers also assisted the public with 

questions concerning the NPS, including vacationing and camping in and near NPS sites. 

[44]

The program was expanded on several occasions for special events. On August 25-26, 1990, 

JEFF sponsored a special event at Union Station commemorating the 74th anniversary of the 

National Park Service. Programs included canoe demonstrations by park rangers from Ozark 

National Scenic Riverways, living history by a volunteer group of African-Americans 

recreating the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and a display of birds of prey by a 

local raptor research center. This project enhanced the role of the America's National Parks 

store as a source of information about the National Park System. [45]
Park Rangers from Carlsbad Caverns National Park demonstrate rapelling 

from the rafters of Union Station in 1987. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Beginning in late spring of 1991, and running through the end of the year, JEFF rangers 

expanded the program of informal interpretation at the America's National Parks Store to 

seven days a week. Programs were also conducted on weekends (when staffing allowed) 

during the off-season, and special Black History Month programs were conducted during 

February. Through these special details, rangers were able to increase public awareness and 

appreciation of the National Park Service and its mission. This aspect of the operation 

received greater emphasis when the 75th anniversary of the NPS was celebrated by rangers 

from the Grand Canyon and Ozarks. Joining the JEFF staff, these guest rangers were 

stationed at three different locations within Union Station on August 25, 1991. Nearly 28,000 

public contacts were made during 1991. [46] The intensive program at Union Station was the 

fulfillment of the original interpretive purpose of the off-site store as outlined by Director 

William Penn Mott, and the dissemination of national park information to non-traditional 

park visitors realized the original concept of Ray Breun and Jerry Schober.

The Future

Superintendent Jerry Schober summarized:

[JNEHA] has set a number of precedents within the service. They do all sorts of 

good services, and to me, these are partnerships. You talk about partnerships 

with the outside, [these are] partnerships with our association. And they should
be tools where we can use each other in a way. You might say, well, how does 

the association get anything from you? Their mere existence means they've got 

all these jobs. And all of us have some mission in life, and theirs is to raise the 

funds, so that other things can go on, and so that you can pay salaries. So there's 

a complementary thing with all of us, and yet we share that biggest mission, 

which is why there's a spark here. So I don't think we've touched the potential of 

what could be there and I don't think the Park Service knows what that potential 

is. [47]

During the 1980s, JNEHA expanded their sales operations within Jefferson National 

Expansion Memorial, opened an off-site store, funded important projects within the park and 

became heavily involved in support for educational and interpretive programs. The decade 

was a period of transition, growth and change for the organization, which became an 

essential part of the Memorial's operation. The symbiotic relationship between the park and 

JNEHA included many unique aspects rarely seen within the National Park System, and 

promised great innovation and continued experimentation during the 1990s.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER EIGHT:

Footnotes

1 Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Administrative History, 1935-1980, by Sharon A. 

Brown, JEFF, 1984, p. 129; JNEHA 25th Anniversary Report, JNEHA, 1990. See also 

Chapter 9, Interpretation, in this administrative history. The tie between JNEHA and 

interpretation at JEFF was so strong that it was extremely difficult to split the two into 

individual chapters for this document. This chapter, however, deals with the business side of 

JNEHA, while the interpretive and educational aspects of the organization are covered in the 

chapter on interpretation.

2More information on the folklife program is included in Chapter 9, Interpretation, in this 

administrative history.

3Interview with Executive Director Ray Breun, JNEHA, October 9, 1992, by JEFF Historian

Bob Moore.

4Interview with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992, by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore.

5See the section on exhibits in Chapter 9, Interpretation, in this administrative history.

6John R. Green II was the vice-president and treasurer of the JNEHA Board in 1991. His 

father, John R. Green I, was a lawyer and a founding member of JNEHA in 1961.

7Aram Mardirosian of the Potomac Group, Washington, D.C.. See Chapter 9, Interpretation, 

in this administrative history for background on the design of the Museum of Westward 

Expansion.

8Famous-Barr is a large St. Louis department store chain.

9Interview with Executive Director Ray Breun, JNEHA, October 9, 1992.

10JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 11.

11JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1985 and 1987.

12JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1989 and 1990.

13Annual Report on National Park Service Cooperating Associations, Fiscal Year 1991, copy
in JEFF File A42(710). A comparison of other comparable associations around the country 

revealed that the Grand Canyon Natural History Association took in $2,258,484 in 1991, and 

provided $438,858 in aid to the NPS; Arizona Memorial Natural History Association

$2,220,969, with $678,063 in aid; and the Parks and History Association, $2,668,442, with

$313,162 in aid. Other parks, such as Yellowstone and Golden Gate, have comparable figures 

to JNEHA, but a check of the figures puts JNEHA consistently near the top of the list 

regarding the percentage of gross sales turned back to the NPS in aid.

14The NPS permitted JNEHA to charge a fee for the film, which previously had been free, in 

order to provide the revenue to operate and maintain the theater operation and staff the Old 

Courthouse. Memos, Superintendent Jerry Schober to Regional Director Charles Odegaard, 

September 13, 1982, May 16, 1983, and September 27, 1985; Regional Director to Schober, 

May 26, 1983, all JEFF File A42. See also the revised Agreement Between the National Park 

Service and the Jefferson National Expansion Historical Association of January 13, 1961, 

especially section 2, part D, numbers 2-5; and section 4. See also the supplemental agreement 

of April 7, 1983. A copy of this document is on file in the JEFF historian's office. Programs 

and events in which JNEHA is involved, as well as the evolution of JNEHA's involvement in 

educational and interpretive programs, are described in detail in Chapter 9, Interpretation, in 

this administrative history.

15See the supplemental Agreement Between the National Park Service and the Jefferson 

National Expansion Historical Association, September 1985. A copy of this document is on 

file in the JEFF historian's office.

16Letter from Chairman of the Board Robert Murch, JNEHA, to Midwest Regional Director

Charles Odegaard, January 25, 1985, JEFF File A42.

17Interview with Executive Director Ray Breun, JNEHA, October 9, 1992.

18JNEHA 25th Anniversary Report.

19Interview with Executive Director Ray Breun, JNEHA, October 9, 1992.

20NPS-32 was a specific guideline written by the National Park Service pertaining to 

cooperating associations.

21Copy of memo from Chief, Division of Interpretation and Visitor Services, WASO, to 

Assistant Director, Park Use Operations, April 30, 1982. The memo includes a list of 

objectional items being sold by JNEHA, including charms, bolos, cast models of the Arch, 

medallions, cuff links and playing cards. See JEFF historian's files.

22JEFF Operations Evaluation, Midwest Regional Office, May 1982; copy, JEFF historian's 

files.

23Memo, Superintendent Jerry Schober to Regional Director, MWR, August 15, 1984, JEFF 

File A42.

24Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

25Memo, Superintendent Jerry Schober to Regional Director, MWR, August 15, 1984, JEFF 

File A42.
26Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

27Memo from Regional Director Charles Odegaard to Director of the National Park Service, 

October 10, 1984, JEFF File A42.

28NPS Cooperating Associations Coordinator Jim Murfin's contentions were based on a site 

visit of May 21, 1984; see Memo from Associate Director of Park Operations Stanley 

Albright to Midwest Regional Director Charles Odegaard, May 4, 1984; Memos from JEFF 

Superintendent Jerry Schober to Regional Director, August 16, 1984, September 12, 1984, 

and October 3, 1984; Memos from Regional Director Charles Odegaard to Director of the 

National Park Service, October 10, 1984, March 7, 1985 and August 25, 1986; and Director 

of the National Park Service Russell Dickenson to Odegaard, January 9, 1985, all JEFF File 

A42.

29Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992; see also the 

memo referenced, Director Russell Dickenson to Regional Director Chuck Odegaard, January

9, 1985, JEFF File A42.

30Memo, Education Director Ray Breun, JNEHA, to JEFF Staff, on JNEHA policy on 

selection of items for sale, December 15, 1987, copy, historian's files, JEFF.

31Only items which have been approved by the review committee are sold in the museum 

shops at the Old Courthouse, the Arch, and Union Station. America's National Parks store at 

Union Station was formerly allowed to sell all items approved by Eastern National Park and 

Monument Association, but in early 1991 this was changed to read only items approved by 

the committee described above.

32Union Station was purchased for $5.5 million, and restored at a cost of $150 million. 

Information from Molly Walsh of the St. Louis Union Station staff.

33Interview with Executive Director Ray Breun, JNEHA, October 9, 1992.

34Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

35Interview with Executive Director Ray Breun, JNEHA, October 9, 1992.

36Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

37Interview with Executive Director Ray Breun, JNEHA, October 9, 1992.

38Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

39Interview with Executive Director Ray Breun, JNEHA, October 9, 1992.

40JEFF Statement For Interpretation, 1987 p. 13.

42 Former Superintendent Jerry Schober recalled in an interview: "Interpreters found out; 

some had never had to draw a crowd. You know . . . the announcement says 'You will meet 

exactly at this spot, stand there and shut up and someone will come show you slides or talk to 

you.' And yet, they're really good interpreters. They found out [they had to say something 

like] 'Hey folks, you know what we're going to be doing? We're going to rapell from here . . .

' And in a little while they had crowds everywhere. It really gave an insight to those that had
never done it. It was pretty slim pickings for them. And I think, I hope, that at least, when 

they went back, they realized that was something they ought to work on. You're not always 

going to have a ready-made crowd." Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, 

September 25, 1992.

42Memo, JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober to Regional Director, MWR, February 12, 1988.

43Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

44JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 2.

45JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990.

46JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, pp. 21-22.

47Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

A young visitor touches history in the person of a life-sized statue of 

Thomas Jefferson at the entrance to the Museum of Westward Expansion. 

Visitors were originally encouraged to touch the statue as an interpretive 

experience; this was later discouraged as a conservation measure. NPS 

photo by Joseph Matthews, April 1978.

CHAPTER NINE:

Museum Services and Interpretation
The number and complexity of the interpretive themes at Jefferson National Expansion 

Memorial (JEFF) have posed a challenge to managers, historians, and interpretive rangers 

since the creation of the park. The Memorial is dedicated to the entire sweep of western 

history during the 19th century, and also focuses on life in St. Louis, the slavery issue at the 

Old Courthouse, as well as a rich history of its own involving the establishment of the 

Memorial and the building of the Gateway Arch. Throughout the years, the park staff has 

responded admirably to these challenges, and the result has been the development of a 

diverse and exciting interpretive program.

Shortly after the establishment of JEFF in 1935, proposals were made for two museums to 

interpret the country's westward expansion and the historic architecture of St. Louis. In the

1940s, historians at the Old Courthouse began conducting tours of the building and 

presenting talks on St. Louis and western history. A key component of the 1947 architectural 

competition was concerned with providing a means of interpreting the history of the 

American West, which the memorial was intended to commemorate. Eero Saarinen, in his 

winning design, included an outdoor arcade containing sculpture and paintings which would 

help tell the story of westward expansion; a campfire theater and a pioneer village for 

historical/interpretive purposes; and two above-ground museums. None of these aspects of 

the Memorial were realized due to lack of funding, but efforts to provide some sort of 

interpretation continued. Temporary exhibits, consisting primarily of dioramas produced by 

the Works Progress Administration (WPA), were opened in the Old Courthouse in the 1940s. 

[1]

As plans for the Memorial's development were altered and revised, it was decided to build a 

visitor center under the Gateway Arch which would include space for a single large museum 

dedicated to westward expansion. In the late 1950s, historians began working on research 

and exhibit plans for this underground museum, and by 1967, an interim exhibit gallery was 

opened in the visitor center lobby. Finally, in 1976, the long-awaited Museum of Westward 

Expansion was opened and became the primary interpretive feature of the park. [2]

Due to funding and support from the Jefferson National Expansion Historical Association 

(JNEHA), JEFF's interpretive division was supplemented by a staff of JNEHA park rangers. 

Dressed in brown uniforms similar in style to those of the National Park Service (NPS), this 

alternate "ranger corps" gradually took on a role which put JNEHA employees and NPS 

employees side by side, performing identical functions. In addition, JNEHA employees 

performed specialized duties, managing the park's audio-visual operations and the museum 

education program, under NPS supervision. This aspect of the interpretive division at JEFF 

was but one of many which made it a complex and unique operation within the NPS.

Interpretive Planning at JEFF

Interpretation at the Memorial received guidance from a variety of planning documents. The 

story of America's westward expansion was established as the primary interpretive theme, 

and with the addition of the Old Courthouse in 1940, St. Louis history and the building's 

involvement in the historic Dred Scott case were also emphasized. Park master plans in 1959 

and 1962 identified appropriate interpretive activities, and the 1960 interpretive prospectus 

defined the objectives of the Memorial's projected interpretive features. In 1971, an 

interpretive prospectus for the Old Courthouse was completed. [3]
Interpreter Lisa Hanfgarn greets visitors to the Museum of Westward Expansion,

1978. NPS photo.

In 1981, the National Park Service mandated a new management document called the Annual 

Statement for Interpretation (SFI). The SFI was created to adequately address changes in 

individual interpretive programs, as well as record activities and accomplishments in each 

national park area's interpretive division. The initial Statements for Interpretation prepared at 

JEFF listed four specific interpretive themes: the vision of the United States as seen by 

Thomas Jefferson and other Americans in the early 19th century, which resulted in the 

territorial expansion of the U.S.; the settling of the West, made up of the daily life, 

experiences, and adventures of frontiersmen and pioneers who explored and populated the 

American West; the role of St. Louis as a base of operations and emporium for the transMississippi West; and the architectural significance of the Gateway Arch and the Old 

Courthouse. [4] By 1987 two more sub-themes were added, which involved the history of St. 

Louis and the heritage of African-Americans, using the Dred Scott trials as a focus. [5]

Basic personal services described in the SFI during the 1980s included staffing the Museum 

of Westward Expansion through the use of both fixed stations and roving assignments; 

general public programs; museum education programs; staffing the visitor center information 

desk and the top of the Gateway Arch; orientation to and tours of the Old Courthouse; and 

special programs such as Storytelling and Black History Month. Among the non-personal 

services were publications such as the park newspaper Gateway Today, and orientation 

brochures for the Arch and Old Courthouse. The curatorial staff and a temporary exhibit staff 

were managed by the interpretive division chief as well. As the program grew, more services 

were added, including Victorian Christmas at the Old Courthouse; Boy and Girl Scout Days; 

the Union Station Urban Initiative; and the production of the informational handout, the 

Museum Gazette, primarily for in-house use. With the development of the Statement for 

Interpretation, the park gained a valuable tool for managing its interpretive program. [6]
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER NINE:

Museum Services and Interpretation (continued)

Museum of Westward Expansion

From its inception, the Museum of Westward Expansion (MWE) was intended to take an 

approach which contrasted with that of traditional museums. The objective was to create a 

museum that would " . . . impress upon the visitor the drama of the West as a personal 

experience, to depict in powerful and compelling fashion just what it meant to be one of the 

Americans who went west in the years between 1803 and 1890." To achieve this goal it was 

decided that the interpretive story should focus on the ordinary people involved in westward 

expansion. "Events" or "famous figures" were introduced only to provide the necessary 

historical context. [7]

In 1960, as the construction of the Gateway Arch became a reality, Superintendent George B. 

Hartzog, Jr., began to focus on the requirements for a Museum of Westward Expansion. 

Without a specific plan, but with a vision for the future, Hartzog asked Saarinen Associates 

to design a huge, empty underground space into the Arch construction plans. Ten years later, 

Hartzog, then serving as Director of the National Park Service, selected Aram Mardirosian 

and the Potomac Group of Washington, D.C. to design a museum to fit within that space. 

Mardirosian was an architect, not a museum planner, and therefore "was not hindered by 

tradition and preconception." [8]

The challenges were considerable, since an exhibit plan had to be devised for a pre-existing 

space which was complicated by a uniform grid of pillars, necessary to support the roof and 

earth above. The problems of designing the museum included telling the entire story of 

westward expansion while omitting less important elements and avoiding the creation of a 

typical display of artifacts, graphics and labels. [9]
Temporary exhibits on the American West were displayed in the Gateway Arch 

visitor center in the early 1970s. NPS photo.

Funding for museum construction was provided in 1974 from several sources, including 

Federal appropriations from Congress; revenue generated by the Bi-State Development 

Agency's operation of the Gateway Arch transportation system; the City of St. Louis, which 

shared one-fourth of the development costs of the Memorial; the Jefferson National 

Expansion Historical Association; and the Memorial Parking Lot, operated for the National 

Park Service by the City of St. Louis.

Museum Contract Manager Frank Phillips, a 30-year veteran of the National Park Service, 

was chosen to oversee construction and installation of the exhibits. Phillips, along with a 

committee of museum and media experts, visited potential contractors who were interested in 

the project, selecting the most qualified and negotiating a favorable contract with each. The 

Museum of Westward Expansion crowned Phillips' National Park Service museum building 

career, and he retired as planned on July 30, 1976, two years after starting the job and just 

days before completion.

The Museum of Westward Expansion was completed on August 10, 1976, with a dedication 

ceremony on August 23. The total cost of the museum was $3,178,000, [10] and when 

completed it was the largest museum in the NPS. [11] In a space nearly the size of a football 

field, twenty major themes relating to 19th-century American history were presented. Two 

hundred historic artifacts were used to illustrate the material culture of American Indians, 

soldiers, explorers, mountain men, miners, farmers, overlanders, and cowboys. None of the 

objects were labeled or explained with words. Artifacts were to be understood by association 

with hundreds of historic photographs and quotations from the people who made history. The 

museum featured huge black-and-white and color photomurals, giving visitors an immediate 

reference to the people, the environment, and the time period being discussed in a given area. 

[12]

Visitors entering the Museum of Westward Expansion were literally funneled down a short, 

narrowing corridor to stand beside a life-size bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson, which was 

at the center point, "ground zero," of the museum. From Jefferson, concentric half circles, 

each representing a decade of the 19th-century, fell away toward the distant photomurals on 

the back walls. Wedges within this huge half-circle carried the 20 major themes of the 

museum outward from Jefferson like the spokes of a wheel.
Visitors were given many options for viewing the exhibits through this museum design. They 

could choose a theme of personal interest and follow a wedge from Jefferson's Louisiana 

Purchase in 1803 to the dawn of the 20th-century. They might also choose a decade such as 

the 1840s, and follow the half circle around the museum to consider the interactions of 

various peoples during that time. Visitors might be attracted to the color photomurals, 15 feet 

high and 600 feet in total length, finding themselves suddenly immersed in the Lewis and 

Clark expedition, month by month, camp by camp. Still another visitor option was to start out 

along the history wall, a potpourri of 19th century facts arranged in the fashion of a huge 

time-line. Visitors enjoyed mounted animal specimens scattered throughout the museum, 

suddenly coming face to face with a huge bison bull, a longhorn steer, or beavers busily 

building a dam. The well-mounted skins of these and other animals gave the illusion of life, 

and portrayed some of the non-human contributors to Western history. A 21 screen audiovisual wall, 110 feet long with rear-projection screens 20 feet high, was built along the north 

side of the MWE. Approximately 750 slides were shown in a 13-minute program which gave 

an overview of Western history. [13]

Map of the Museum of Westward Expansion.
Mounted bison specimen, Museum of Westward Expansion, 1976. NPS photo.

Interpreting the Museum

The major management problem with this unique museum design was at the point where its 

strength became a weakness, as described in the original 1976 museum literature: "Visitors 

are not isolated from the exhibits by glass, walls or barriers. In this way it is hoped that they 

will become a part of their heritage. Risks are involved in this concept; too much touching 

can destroy objects. Park rangers are on duty in the museum to help remind visitors of this 

fact. Rangers also act as interpreters, providing information about individual objects as well 

as concepts and overviews of Western history." [14] This major duty was assumed by the 

interpretive division from 1976 onward. An average shift in the MWE for an interpretive 

ranger involved an unusual mix of dispensing historical information and protecting the 

resource through verbal reminders. "Roving the museum defines a fine line between 

interpretation and resource protection," said Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation 

Mark Engler. [15]

I believe our staff has struggled with this issue in the sense of wondering if we 

are interpreters or guards. This function is essential to the protection of the 

museum. I believe that good interpretation can incorporate a balance between the 

two. We have tried to stress the creative approaches to accomplishing this goal. 

We use things like puppets, and try to get the kids to "police their parents" in the 

respect of not touching items in the museum.

I am very comfortable with the wide-open concept of the museum, and would 

hate to see anything happen to it. The museum leaves room for us to expand 

upon sub-themes, as we have done with the Indian Peace Medal Exhibit. We 

will, I believe, be able to branch out in other directions. As we perform rehabs on 

the museum, we will constantly look for opportunities to tell more of the story. 

We will enhance our exhibits by preserving the artifacts in them, and expand on 

the themes to eventually include all the cultural groups involved in the settlement 

of the West. [16]

Visitor Center Rehabilitation
With visitor use patterns established in the Gateway Arch Visitor Center by the late 1980s, 

and new features such as the 70mm theater and American Indian Peace Medal Exhibit in 

progress, the superintendent and chief of interpretation began to discuss a more cohesive and 

unified design for this area. Mark Engler explained:

One of the major concerns of the people working at the Arch was the immediate 

disorientation of visitors as they enter the complex, and ways that we might be 

able to improve that situation. They felt it was important that the visitor feel a 

sense of security and orientation upon entering the building, and that the design 

should address visitor flow. We brought in Dan Quan Associates of San 

Francisco to look at the facility and create an interpretive lobby plan. The plan 

will look at general design issues, and lend an air of consistency to the entire 

visitor center. Some of the other projects discussed included the installation of a 

closed-circuit television camera at the top of the Arch, with a direct link to other 

gateway parks such as the Statue of Liberty and Golden Gate. A sign plan for the 

grounds will also be looked at, as well as new treatments for the theater 

entrances, executed in brick. The tram load zones will also receive new 

treatments, exhibits that tie humans and their environment directly together. This 

is another way of looking at management objectives, but on a much broader 

scale. We can represent them graphically in the design and layout of the Visitor 

Center. [17]

By 1991, this project was underway, with a master plan being written by Dan Quan. [18]

Old Courthouse Exhibit Galleries

Exhibits in the Old Courthouse which were created in the 1940s were revamped and 

expanded in the 1970s. A "living history fur trade room," "loom room," "pioneer cabin 

room," and an environmental education workshop-library were opened in August 1972. A 

reproduction of a 19th-century doctor/dentist's office was opened in the east wing of the first 

floor by the St. Louis Medical Society on February 5, 1975, and on June 8, 1976, the 

dedication and opening of a "St. Louis Room exhibit" took place, created with funds donated 

by the First National Bank of St. Louis. [19]

Despite these varied efforts at interpreting life in early St. Louis through exhibits, a unified 

group of displays with a common theme and design was needed for the Old Courthouse. The 

development of an Old Courthouse exhibit project began in the late 1970s, and JEFF and 

Regional Office staff members examined 12 different proposals by the end of 1978. Three of 

the firms who submitted proposals were chosen to develop preliminary plans. Of these, Aram 

Mardirosian's Potomac Group developed a design which best reflected the use of the Old 

Courthouse by making the building itself the main exhibit. In 1979 Mardirosian revised the 

plan after a staff review. [20] The 1970s era displays were removed by August 1980, leaving 

the Old Courthouse with virtually no exhibits for nearly six years. [21] As a stop-gap 

measure, Park Technician Nancy Hoppe designed a temporary display of historic photos of 

the Old Courthouse, which was installed in a room on the first floor. This display remained in 

place until the completion of the Mardirosian exhibits. [22]
Map of the Old Courthouse Exhibit Galleries.

The Old Courthouse exhibit project was completed in May 1986, when four new St. Louis 

history galleries opened. [23] In the old courtrooms of the south wing, displays with the 

themes "St. Louis: The Early Years (1764-1850)" and "St. Louis: Becoming a City (1850-

1900)" were installed. The north wing galleries presented "St. Louis: Entering the 20th 

Century (1900-1930)" and "St. Louis Revisited (1930-Present)." Photo exhibits in the rotunda 

featured the history of the Old Courthouse and close-up views of the murals in the dome. 

Exhibits concerning the Dred Scott decision were installed in the west wing on the first floor, 

where the original courtroom in which the case was heard had been located. A room was 

dedicated to the display of the top five drawings from the 1947 architectural competition, 

from which the design for the Gateway Arch was selected. The new exhibits for the Old 

Courthouse were considered to be modern and fresh in concept. They featured reproduction 

artifacts and an open design similar to that of the MWE, which allowed the exhibits to be 

viewed free from the burden and obstruction of exhibit cases and glass barriers. The 

"Prologue" or "Mississippian Gallery," which described the lifestyle of the St. Louis area's 

pre-Columbian civilizations, was opened in September 1987, completing the new permanent 

exhibit plan. Air conditioning systems were installed by May 1988, to create a suitable 

environment for the new exhibits and a comfortable working situation for employees and 

volunteers, who due to the new open exhibit design had to be stationed in the galleries. 

Primary funding for the exhibits came from the park's development fund from Bi-State 

Development Agency. As a whole, the galleries presented a panoramic overview of the city's 

history, and helped make the Old Courthouse a cultural attraction. [24]
One of the new exhibits in the Old Courthouse, "St. Louis Revisited," featured 

portions of the historic Old Rock House, built in 1818. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

To complement the new exhibits, the information/orientation room on the East side of the 

building underwent major changes in 1985, with the addition of a large wooden information 

desk and an oval display rack to accommodate the growing number of sales items. A 1/4" 

transparent scale model of the Old Courthouse was installed, allowing interpreters and 

volunteers, through the use of fiber optics, to explain the changes in the building and its 

expansion over the years. [25] Gradually, the orientation room was usurped by sales space as 

the museum shop inventory grew. Eventually, orientation programs and visitor reception 

shifted to the rotunda. [26]
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER NINE:

Museum Services and Interpretation (continued)

The Museum Education Program

Beginnings: 1977-1980

For many years, interpretation at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial was accomplished 

through non-personal services. With the exception of talks given at the Old Courthouse, 

exhibits were the primary interpretive medium employed. With the opening of the Museum 

of Westward Expansion in 1976, however, personal interpretation began to play a much 

larger role.

In 1977, attempts to expand the Memorial's interpretive efforts beyond the site and into the 

community resulted in the creation of a museum education program within the Jefferson 

National Expansion Historical Association and the hiring of Ray Breun as a museum 

education specialist. [27] The program was designed to create a learning atmosphere for both 

school children and adult groups who came to the MWE and Old Courthouse. Services 

ranged from general museum tours to specialized presentations on St. Louis history and 

architecture. [28] Ray Breun recalled:

When I [was hired] I had nothing to do with the sales division at all. . . . In June 

of 1977, Norm [Messinger] walked into my office and said I would have to start 

a museum education program, and he would oversee it and sign off on whatever 

was decided. . . After the museum opened, the word got out to schools real fast, 

and the very first year after it opened, they had 36,000 school kids. It was just 

amazing, and they were quite surprised at how many people came. . . By the 

spring of 1977, the Park Service interpretive staff said "We cannot handle any 

more kids." But they knew full well that they were going to get more than 36,000 

the coming year. So in June of 1977, . . . I went to the various universities and 

picked up [three] intern volunteers in Masters Degree programs. . . We worked 

out the type of basic program to have in this museum, and how to relate it to the 

Old Courthouse. . .

So we came up with an opening tour, and Norm wanted to know how many 

school kids I thought we would have. Now, I said based on what the other 

museums do, and the fact that we are open on Mondays, when all the other 

museums are closed, I would expect the visitation to at least triple, if not 

quadruple in one year. And it did. We ended up handling as many people in 

April and May of 1978 as we had the entire previous school year, '76-'77. . .

We worked out a basic structure that we wanted all interpreters to have
[regarding] interpretation in general, and school folks and various audiences in 

particular. Out of that came what we called the pre-test. We had a test for the 

entire interpretive staff, those that were here and any new ones who came on 

duty. They could "test out" of training [if an employee passed the test they did 

not have to attend the training session]. . . We gave the test to the existing 

interpretive staff, and it took each person a little over three hours to complete . . . 

In August we did the pre-test, in between time we had been writing our heads 

off, trying to get all those packages done, get the interpretive materials finished. 

In September we did the training for the staff, and we had two 80-hour classes; 

by the end of September, we were giving tours.

[In 1978] we handled about [92,000] school kids, so we went from 36,000 to 

about [92,000]. We also began the process of writing information sheets on 

various objects in the collection. We put together the first 19 slide packages and 

put those out by mail [to the schools who requested them as pre-visit kits] . . . 

[29]

By 1978 JEFF interpretive programs included classes, workshops for teachers, a publications 

program, and accredited intern and research programs with area colleges. During that year, 

more than 2000 groups utilized the Museum of Westward Expansion's resources. [30] 

However, the program lacked a synthesis with the curricula in the local school systems. Each 

interpreter developed his or her own themes and outlines based more on the title given to the 

individual program than on specific educational objectives. [31]

Folklife Program

After the opening of the Museum of Westward Expansion in 1976, Assistant Superintendent 

Norman Messinger realized the potential for arts programs in the new museum setting. Using 

leftover Bicentennial funds, Messinger sought the expertise of the Missouri Friends of the 

Folk Arts in the development of a museum concert series. Fifteen concerts of traditional 

music were held over a period of seven months, and were very successful. In February 1977, 

a temporary position was funded by JNEHA to coordinate folk arts activities, including music 

and crafts demonstrations, in the museum. Later in 1977 the position became permanent, with 

the program coordinator raising funds from corporations and arts endowments, organizing 

public programs, festivals and conferences, and serving as a resource person for the 

community and NPS staff. Through public programs, seminars, community contacts and 

exhibits, the Folklife Program sought to instill in visitors an appreciation and understanding 

of traditional arts. [32] Demonstrations of crafts and music such as saddle making, cowboy 

songs, quilting, storytelling, American Indian button and ribbon work, old-time fiddling, and 

basketmaking made aspects of the past come to life for visitors. [33]

Education Program, 1981-1985

In 1981 a brochure describing the museum education program's various services was 

prepared and sent out to area schools. For pre-school and kindergarten there were storytelling 

and sketching at the Old Courthouse, and exploring tours in the Museum of Westward 

Expansion. First grade programs focused on family roles and relationships. Grades 2 and 3 

explored natural and man-made communities in the West. At the 4th and 5th grade level, 

students were introduced to such topics as transportation and geography in the Museum of 

Westward Expansion, and the role of the Old Courthouse as a legal institution. Programs for 

grades 6-8 included the role of various ethnic groups in the West, an in-depth look at the Old 

Courthouse and its role in St. Louis' social history, and an introduction to the National Park 

System. For high schoolers, topics included women in the West; Thomas Jefferson and 

westward expansion; the effect of expansion on American Indians; an architectural tour of the
Old Courthouse; a tour of the Old Courthouse and Luther Ely Smith Square to discuss parks 

and the urban environment; and walking tours of the downtown area. [34]

In 1981 the program was broadened further to involve the St. Louis Public Schools' 

Partnership Program. This special school program was previously directed toward introducing 

students to business sites. Jefferson National Expansion Memorial created the pilot program 

for the participation of cultural sites in Partnership Programs. The success of this program led 

to its expansion to all the cultural museums in the St. Louis area. The Partnership Program 

was managed by three employees, hired by JNEHA, who also carried the park's Folklife 

Program into the schools. [35]

With financial assistance from the Missouri Committee for the Humanities, the JEFF Museum 

Education Office prepared a number of learning packages, consisting of slides and 

accompanying handbooks. Topics included architecture, St. Louis and Missouri history, 

women of the West, and U.S. Presidents who affected westward expansion. Yet another 

aspect of the program was the Traveling Exhibit Program, funded by the Missouri Arts 

Council, in which reproductions of paintings and photographs on a number of topics were 

offered for display in museums, galleries, schools, libraries, and other public facilities 

throughout the state. [36]

In the early 1980s, however, the Museum Education Office was, according to the park's 

annual report, "largely an outreach program for schools, small museums, scouts and nursing 

homes who can use our resources but cannot often come to the Memorial. . . . Maintaining 

this program is a bare minimum of what can be done in outreach." Most of the focus was on 

the Frontier Folklife Program and the craftspeople who were brought into the park to provide 

concerts and demonstrations. [37]

Education Program Revisions

JEFF school programs were revised in 1985 due to two factors. The first was the boost in 

support received through NPS Director William Mott's 12-point plan on the role of urban 

parks in education. The second was the passage by the Missouri State Legislature of the 

"Excellence in Education Act," which encouraged schools to justify field trips based on 

Missouri Core Competencies and Key Skills. During the summer of 1985, a Museum 

Education Program (MEP) committee, which included front-line interpreters from the 

Gateway Arch and Old Courthouse, began considering ways to strengthen the education 

program at JEFF. The committee produced several suggestions. Program requests were 

tracked to better understand the needs of area teachers, and how the park might integrate 

themes and objectives into local curricula. Work was started on producing a booklet or guide 

for MEPs to expand and revise the shorter MEP brochure. [38]

Another change which affected the Museum Education Program was the demise of the 

Folklife Program. [39] Craftspeople from the program were responsible for presenting 

Partnership Programs in the schools, demonstrating frontier skills with music and handicrafts. 

When funding for the Folklife Program ended, a 180-day seasonal employee was hired by 

JNEHA to continue the off-site portion of the Partnership Program. "The interesting thing," 

remarked Breun, "is how [the Partnership] funding comes from the Arts and Education 

Council, which solicits the money from various corporations and individuals. They give it to 

the school board, and then the school board pays us." [40]

In 1985, 60 classes took part in the four-session Partnership Programs. Pre- and post-site 

sessions conducted at the schools, as well as programs at both the Old Courthouse and the 

Museum of Westward Expansion, gave 1,800 students an in-depth look at the park and its 

resources. Both students and teachers concurred that the benefits of the four sessions were far
greater than a program based on a one-time visit. Many front-line interpreters, however, felt 

that the program lacked coordination and cohesion; whether folklife people or the Partnership 

Program's seasonal employee went out to the schools, their programs were essentially 

different and often at odds with what the interpretive staff presented when the same classes 

visited the museum. [41]

Park Rangers Cathy Pellarin (near the pillar on the left) and Eleanor Hall (in the dress 

and apron, foreground) conduct an overlander program for a group of 4th graders in 

the Museum of Westward Expansion. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Consequently, Park Ranger Rick Ziino drafted a proposal to use the contract money from the 

St. Louis City Schools to fund a year-round program rather than a 180-day seasonal 

employee, and pay the salary of a full-time education program specialist at JEFF. On June 1,

1986, a non-NPS education program specialist position was created, funded by the St. Louis 

City School System, with additional funds from JNEHA. During the summer the new 

education specialist, Sue Siller, was able to coordinate a complete revision of the Partnership 

Program in which St. Louis school classes took part, with the incorporation of new themes 

and coordination between the on- and off-site portions of the program. As a result, the 

program increased in size by 25% in 1986 over the previous year. [42]
JNEHA Ranger Tim Butler conducts an educational program on the fur trade in the

Old Courthouse, May 1990. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Education programs, previously conducted only during the traditional nine-month school 

year, were expanded to a year-round format under the direction of Siller. This began with the 

Summer Education Experiences (SEE) program, a summer school session for inner-city 

students in need of remedial attention. JEFF's education programs, with their "hands-on" 

approach, proved to be very effective in this context, and led to participation by other 

schools, day camps, and scout groups during the summer months. [43]

The education and interpretive staff developed programs which were broader in scope, 

curriculum-based, keyed to the necessary competencies and skills, and more easily adapted 

for use with all age groups. For pre-school through 12th grade general tours of the Museum 

of Westward Expansion and programs about Native Americans and the lifestyles of the 

pioneers were developed. In addition, programs about Lewis and Clark and the fur trappers 

were created for 4th through 12th grades. At the Old Courthouse, programs on transportation 

and St. Louis lifestyles were available for all grade levels. For 4th to 12th graders, there were 

also Old Courthouse tours, a "fur trading post," and mock trials in the historic courtrooms. 

Two special programs were designed to emphasize the historical contributions of AfricanAmericans and European immigrants to life in the United States. Costumes and a recreated 

naturalization ceremony helped to acquaint students with the immigration and naturalization 

process in St. Louis. [44]

JEFF also began working with local "magnet" schools on in-depth programs similar to the 

Partnership Programs. Magnet schools had narrowly focused curricula centered around such 

subjects as mathematics, performing arts, or ROTC. Even when such special resource schools 

emphasized non-social studies subjects, however, they were still required to cover a social 

studies core curriculum for their generally more talented students. [45] In 1986, a program 

was developed by JEFF with the Stix Investigative Learning Center, a magnet school for 

gifted students. Sessions were highly interactive and project-oriented. The majority of the 

programs were originally targeted for the 4th to 6th grade level, but in 1990 a high school 

and a pre-school program were introduced.

The high school program was performed in conjunction with the "World of Difference," a 

nationally recognized campaign aimed at reducing prejudice and discrimination. Park Ranger 

Eleanor Hall worked with the Theodore Roosevelt High School, a large inner-city school in 

St. Louis with a racially mixed student body. In keeping with the westward expansion theme, 

her program centered around minority groups in the West, including black and Hispanic 

cowboys, Chinese gold miners, and black homesteaders, and focused on how they overcame 

obstacles. [46] In the course of the program, Hall made visits to the school and the students 

visited the museum twice. Written assignments were required of each student about one of 

the racial or ethnic groups studied. They responded with poems, songs (including rap music), 

diary entries, and letters. A spin-off program involved a two-part presentation by another 

ranger, Jim Jackson, on early surveying techniques for math classes. The success of the 

presentation resulted in a High School Intern Program, in which three GS-1 seasonals were 

hired at JEFF and received on-going training throughout the summer and on weekends during 

the school year. [47]

A national initiative emphasizing early childhood education provided the impetus for the 

Partnership Program for preschool and kindergarten groups. Two programs were developed, 

one during the fall semester centering on holidays and one during the spring semester 

focusing on lifestyles in St. Louis during the 19th century. Students were very responsive, 

producing ornaments to decorate a tumbleweed Christmas tree and paper bonnets and
stovepipe hats as a role-playing activity to recreate life in St. Louis at the turn of the century. 

[48] The popularity and success of such special school programs continued to grow into the

1990s.

Park Ranger David Uhler conducts the off-site portion of a partnership program,

1991. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

New Directions

As the museum education program evolved in the 1980s, changes were made. Traveling 

exhibits were dropped, the slide packets were retained, and a new feature, "the traveling 

trunk program," was developed by JEFF Historian Jon James and Education Specialist Sue 

Siller in 1987. Originally called "Traveling Suitcases," the program began with containers of 

various sizes which could be mailed to those area classrooms which, due to fiscal or time 

constraints, could not make site visits. The suitcases, which were later expanded to 

footlocker-style trunks, contained "hands-on" objects such as reproduction objects and 

clothing, mounted photographs, and teacher handbooks in the form of scripts which linked 

the objects together and told a story. The trunks became extremely popular among schools, 

scout camps, nursing homes, and libraries. Videotapes were later added to the list of 

resources available in each trunk. [49]
The contents of a traveling trunk on the mountainmen reveal the educational 

potential of this unique program. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

During the 1980s, the museum education program became less dependent on outside funding 

and staffing. In September 1987, a reorganization, prompted by the program's success and 

expansion, resulted in the addition of five "education interpreters" who worked under the 

direction of Education Specialist Sue Siller. The education staff was funded entirely by 

JNEHA [50] and presented educational programs in the MWE, as well as researching and 

producing many educational resources such as traveling trunks, slide packets, video 

programs, and computer activities for the classroom. [51]

By 1988, the demand for school programs, partnership programs, traveling trunks and other 

educational services reached a level at which a receptionist was needed, along with a 

computerized reservation system. This increased the efficiency of making reservations for 

museum education programs, as well as pre-visit educational materials. A new position was 

also established for a museum education assistant. [52]

Greater teacher involvement and improved quality of programs and services marked the 

direction of the museum education program in the 1990s. By 1991, 100,000 children 

participated annually in JEFF's museum education programs. The completion of a traveling 

trunk about wolves and the enhancement of several existing trunks expanded the scope of the 

program. Pre-visit material for the Old Courthouse education program and the Dred Scott 

program was developed, and the education staff implemented a selection of special programs 

for scouts based on their handbooks and badge requirements. The programs proved quite
popular, with 1,400 scouts participating in the first three months alone. [53] An interpreter 

from Saguaro National Monument (Arizona), was invited to work with JEFF staff on 

conducting teacher workshops in 1991. In addition, JEFF was accepted into the Educator 

Career Internship Program for the summer of 1991. This program, sponsored by the St. Louis 

Schools, provided a teacher to work on-site for five weeks to produce teacher guides, provide 

staff training, and to evaluate the entire education program. [54]

The Pacific Northwest Regional Office, in cooperation with The Oregon National Historic 

Trail, requested that JEFF produce a K-12 curriculum celebrating the Oregon Trail 

Sesquicentennial. The Oregon Trail: Yesterday and Today, a product of exceptional quality, 

was produced; a second curriculum on the Columbus Quincentennial was in production at the 

end of 1991. [55]

The highlight of many educational visits to the Old Courthouse in the 1980s was the 

opportunity to act out the Dred Scott Trial in one of the building's historic 

courtrooms. NPS photo by Al Bilger.
Schoolchildren took on the roles of the JUdge, lawyers, Dred Scott and the JUIY NPS

photo by Al Edger.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER NINE:

Museum Services and Interpretation (continued)

Interpretive Programs in the Late 1980s

Interpretive talks in the Museum of Westward Expansion were offered nearly every half hour

of the day by 1986. These programs enabled all visitors to attend a personal interpretive 

service if they chose. As a result, a 69% increase in program attendance over the previous 

year was noted. A full-sized reproduction tipi was added to the permanent museum exhibits 

in 1986, and a puppet stage added variety to both public and education programs. [56]

Several changes in visitor services took place during the summer of 1988. In May JEFF 

began an entrance fee program based on the honor system and the use of special fee 

collection machines. In support of the program, interpretive park rangers furnished 

information and assistance in operating the machines, as well as help for visitors in planning 

their activities. The crush of the crowds was so hectic, however, that this added interpretive 

function lasted only through the summer of 1988. Simultaneously, a program was instituted 

consisting of a 5-to-7 minute introductory talk in Tucker Theater before the start of the film 

Monument to the Dream. It was quickly discovered that these talks were far more effective in 

informing visitors about park programs than trying to make contact in the lobby at the fee 

collection machines. The theater talks were continued after Bi-Sate assumed control of 

collecting the entrance fee. [57]

The duties of JNEHA employees were expanded to include public programs and all duty 

stations in the Gateway Arch. As a result, their productivity increased, and the complexity of 

daily scheduling was eased by fully integrating JNEHA interpreters into daily operations. [58]

In 1989, a plan was developed to convert the interpretive offices in the Museum of Westward 

Expansion into a more efficient workspace for up to 25 employees. Charles "Corky" Mayo, 

Chief of the Division of Museum Services and Interpretation at the time, recalled that when 

he arrived in the park, "the interpreters sat on the concrete floors back there with books on 

their laps." [59] Computer equipment was purchased and modular office space designed to 

serve the needs of the interpreters. [60] The new interpretive workspace was an important 

change, boosting employee morale and providing desktop areas, book and note storage, and a 

"personal space" for each interpreter. [61]

"When I got to the park," recalled Mayo, "morale was low. I thought, what can I do to help 

this situation? First, I had to empower people to have a say in what they do. I sought input 

from the staff on decisions such as the construction of the information desk. I told people, 

don't worry about what we can do, we can do whatever we want. We have to choose the 

right idea!" [62]
In May 1990, Corky Mayo transferred to the Pacific Northwest Regional Office, and Mark 

Engler of Saguaro National Monument was selected to replace him. [63] "On my arrival, I 

looked first at the personal side," said Engler.

I wanted to inspire a new level of self-confidence in the interpretive staff, giving 

them opportunities to participate in programs and activities to enhance the 

division's operation, but also to help build a solid base for their individual 

careers. I wanted to emphasize communication, developing an efficient team; I 

wanted to look at individual programs and their structure. [64]

New programs for park visitors included expanded services for the disabled. Substantial work 

in improving the park's library, the removal of architectural fragments from the 1939-42 

demolition of riverfront buildings to an off-site location, and improvements in the existing 

temporary exhibits program characterized Engler's tenure. A shift was made in the discussion 

of the major interpretive themes, moving away from an emphasis on "manifest destiny" and 

the "conquest" of the West by predominantly Anglo-Saxon Euro-Americans, toward a more 

subtle and all-embracing multi-cultural interpretation of the story. Mark Engler explained:

We try to be objective in our story lines — telling the story accurately, but 

portraying all groups of people, not just Euro-Americans. This memorial was, 

from the beginning, created to commemorate the ordinary people who settled the 

West. No one said that meant only the descendants of the Jamestown and 

Mayflower settlers. Ordinary people who settled the west included AfricanAmerican, Chinese and Japanese immigrants. Spanish settlers lived in the 

Southwestern United States before the colony of Jamestown was even founded. 

The West was settled by men and women from nearly every part of the globe. 

This memorial was also meant to include, I believe, the first settlers of the West, 

the American Indians. So we incorporate all of these groups into our interpretive 

programs, and it isn't a stretch at all. I think we present the story of the West in a 

more positive and accurate light now than if we were still talking about manifest 

destiny and accentuating only one group of people.

I think that we are lucky to have such a wide range of themes. Because of this, 

interpreters here have an opportunity to grow, to share different segments of the 

history of the West, St. Louis, and the Old Courthouse. . . . We try to include 

management objectives along with these themes in our presentations. I believe 

that our programs should do more than entertain. In this way, we can actively 

demonstrate the power of the role of interpretation. It would be hard to cut a 

program that would save $100,000 a year by simply discussing the conservation 

of objects in the museum or litter control on the grounds. So through the use of 

management objectives we can make an immediate and positive contribution to 

the public's appreciation for the park and for the goals of the NPS as a whole. 

[65]
Assistant Education Specialist Diane James conducts a Frontier Classroom program.

NPS photo by Al Bilger.

JNEHA and Interpretation

In the Operations Evaluation of May 1982, it was noted that:

The budget of the interpretive division increased $92,000 from 1979 to 1982 to a 

total of $547,600. Despite the increase, and the fact that the cooperating 

association funds almost all supplies and materials and personal service costs for 

five employees of the division, there has been a steady decrease in available 

personal services. . . . Interpretive programs as a whole are going downhill. 

There is now a $150,000 deficit between the purchasing power in 1980 FY and 

the 1982 FY allocations. Programs have been reduced or eliminated in order to 

compensate. Judgment at the park is that something else has to close in 1983 in 

order to balance operations with allocations. Alternatives seriously considered 

have been to close the programs at the Courthouse, reduce the hours of 

operation, [or] reduce maintenance programs especially on turf and grounds. [66]

JNEHA Executive Director Ray Breun remembered that there "were a variety of things that 

happened in the last days of the Carter and the early days of the Reagan administrations, all 

of which basically meant that the Park Service staff was being reduced. . ." [67] Since the 

Gateway Arch and its Museum of Westward Expansion had become the premiere attractions 

of the park, when the money crunch came in the 1980s the first alternative considered for the 

reduction in the program was the closure of the Old Courthouse. Superintendent Jerry 

Schober recalled:

I mentioned to [the Midwest Regional Office] that if my budget kept coming out 

at what it was, I could not operate the Old Courthouse, and the Old Courthouse 

had become an intricate part of the operation. Apparently they weren't receiving 

those memos. I got my [FY '83] budget . . . and it wasn't enough to run [the Old 

Courthouse]. I mentioned [this] in the squad meeting, which I know Ray [Breun] 

was always sitting in [on]. And I said, "Well, we're going to have to close the 

Old Courthouse." And that appeared in the newspaper. [68]

I presume Ray [mentioned it to the press], which I did not tell him not to do, but
the idea was, I didn't ask for it to be put in there. I know it's not kosher for a 

manager to do it, but everybody figured I probably did it. But my heavens, you 

know the press, the Post-Dispatch was in here, "Well, what are you going to do? 

"

"The only thing I know to do, I have already sent out a letter requesting 

additional FTE and funds so that I can operate this [park]." And . . . the thing 

came back like lightning before it got up to the Region. Weekly I'd be called up 

by the Post-Dispatch saying, "Well, have they responded?"

I went to the Superintendent's conference; and the director of the Park Service 

[Russell Dickenson] was there. By then this thing had hit the Washington Post, 

that the Old Courthouse in St. Louis was going to close down because we didn't 

have enough money. And he [the Director] said, "Hey, good shooting, Jerry, 

really putting the pressure on us, aren't you?" But he smiled.

And so, I got back and I got a letter, or a memo [from the Regional Office], and 

it said "This is in response to your memo to us. Number one, you're not going to 

get any additional FTE; number two, you're not going to get any additional 

money; number three, you're not going to close down any visitor use areas. And I 

thought, well, I could understand that memo real well. And the press wanted to 

know what did it say; and I told them. And they said "What are you going to do? 

" And I said "Well, you know, I was like you, I was thinking about that same 

thing, but then I thought, well maybe that's why they call me a manager. I'm 

going to have to come up with something so that I can do what my superiors told 

me to do." And they said "Alright."

So I got Ray Breun over, and he sat down, and I said "Ray, I want to keep this 

courthouse going; this is where a lot of history took place . . . with the Dred Scott 

[decision]. This is something earth-shaking. So I said, how about this: let's do an 

addendum to your [cooperative] agreement, and you run the theater down there 

[at the Gateway Arch], (it had always been free), and let's charge 50 cents a 

ticket. [Ray] felt that he could pay people who were going to do the same thing 

[rangers do] in gray and green only they're going to have a different color 

uniform. And we've already agreed that it's not "us" and "them." They'll come in, 

they are making the same money, we want to give them the same training, we 

want them to have the same commitment. There's one thing we shared: and that 

was a mission.

I had already done an agreement once before with the association at Gettysburg, 

where they did certain services for me. They did all the [custodial work], and 

they paid for it. In fact, I didn't realize it at the time, but that was the only written 

agreement an association had ever had. I didn't know it was going to come back 

to haunt me. Before long they decided hey, everybody ought to have one of 

those. So we ended up having one here [in 1982] . . . [69]

In 1985, with JNEHA-funded rangers in place at the Old Courthouse, budget cuts again 

began to affect the park with possible cutbacks in hours, this time at the Gateway Arch. 

Superintendent Schober amplified:

[In 1985] we were short money again, and we were short people. Now I had to 

go to the Region [again]. Regional Director Chuck Odegaard was there, and I 

had to sell him on the idea that I could dedicate four people during the day down 

under the Arch to provide information and make sure the artifacts were not
harmed or removed or anything like that. "Why couldn't this be a job the 

Association could do?" He said "Well . . . humph . . . " He couldn't argue with 

that because it wasn't taking more money from them. [70]

Superintendent Schober ordered this major change in staffing for the Museum of Westward 

Expansion in the fall of 1985. The responsibility for roving, interpretation/ protection duties 

in the museum switched from NPS interpreters to interpreters funded by JNEHA. National 

Park Rangers were assigned to duties at the entrance to the MWE, the information desk, the 

top of the Gateway Arch, and an occasional program. The JNEHA staff became the "guards" 

roving the museum. Park Service employees could not present school programs, JNEHA 

employees could not put on public programs. This division of duties caused dissention on the 

part of the staff, with each group wanting to perform duties delegated to the other, and an 

expressed wish to serve on a co-equal basis. [71]

JNEHA Ranger Kurt Hosna speaks with visitors in the Museum of Westward

Expansion, May 1988. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Superintendent Schober continued:

To make this a short story, [JNEHA employees] began to say "Hey Jerry, we 

stand down here, we listen to the story, we study it to be able to give 

information; we're doing the same thing the [NPS] interpreters do." And, you 

know, I'd love to tell them no, but they were. And by now, we've convinced Civil 

Service that when an opening comes, these people have been performing that job, 

why can't they be entitled to apply for it? Now . . . I have to go back to the 

Region this time and say, "They've done a great job down there, can you see a 

reason why they couldn't be interpreters?" And it would mean their grade, also, 

went up a little. . . . And you know, you've got to give it to the Region, they were 

supportive. Sometimes, I'm sure they held their breath. But they were supportive. 

[72]

In 1988, the Regional Office granted permission for JNEHA and NPS rangers to perform the 

same interpretive functions in the Museum of Westward Expansion, under NPS supervision. 

The unique situation of funds provided by JNEHA for programs and personnel eased the 

strain on the JEFF budget caused by Federal budget cuts and cost-of-living salary increases 

during the 1980s. [73] Mark Engler summarized the park's point of view regarding the
JNEHA rangers and their place in the operation:

They are essential. Without the rangers, librarian, archivist, exhibit staff, and 

projectionists we would be dead in the water. We look at these people as being 

the equals of the NPS staff and hold them to the same standards and expectations 

that we do the people wearing gray and green. The only difference is in where 

the money comes from to pay them, and the color of their uniforms. The ideal 

would be that the staff would be entirely paid by the NPS, that they would all be 

NPS rangers. This, unfortunately, is not possible because of the budget, nor is it 

likely to be possible in the future. But it shows how strongly we feel about the 

staff, and that the JNEHA people are not "auxiliaries," but considered to be fullfledged rangers. [74]

Special Interpretive Activities

Frontier Folklife Festival

In addition to the regular interpretive and museum education activities at JEFF, there have 

been a number of special interpretive programs developed over the years. Some, like the 

Frontier Folklife Festival, began in the late 1970s and ended in the 1980s. The first folklife 

festival at JEFF took place over the Labor Day weekend of 1977, an expansion of one held 

the previous year at Washington University in St. Louis. The Mississippi Valley Folk Festival 

featured American folk culture through American Indian, ethnic, Afro-American, and AngloAmerican traditions using music, dance, and crafts. The National Park Service cooperated in 

the venture with JNEHA, the Missouri Friends of the Folk Arts, the National Council for 

Traditional Arts, and the Missouri Arts Council. In 1978, the event became known as the 

Frontier Folklife Festival to tie it more strongly to the primary interpretive theme of the 

Memorial. The 1983 festival drew 60,000 people and featured 70 artists. [75]

Basket weaver at the Frontier Folklife

Festival. Photo by Norman

Messinger.

Sheep shearing at the Frontier 

Folklife Festival. Photo by Norman 

Messinger.

For seven years, the Folklife Festival was an annual summer event at the Memorial, but after

1983 funding for the program was needed elsewhere, specifically to pay the salaries of
employees hired by JNEHA to staff the Old Courthouse. JNEHA sources were also depleted 

after sponsoring a major exhibit of Charles M. Russell paintings in 1982. [76] Thensuperintendent Jerry Schober commented: "I'd had a folk festival in California [at Golden 

Gate], but I felt like folk festivals didn't have to be totally paid for by the Park Service. If 

there was that much of a following, then you ought to be able to go out and get support. . . 

Their outlay [all JNEHA funds] was about $70,000 a year, and they didn't bring anything in." 

[77] As a result of park-wide budget cuts, Schober discontinued funding, telling supporters of 

the program that it could continue if outside money could be found to pay for it. The 

cancellation of the festival caused a great deal of hard feelings on the part of supporters. 

Despite an effort on the part of the performers and folk enthusiasts to save the festival, 

alternative funding was never found for its continuance at the Arch. [78]

Storytelling

Another special cooperative interpretive event hosted by the Memorial was the annual 

Storytelling Festival. This program, jointly sponsored by JEFF and the University of 

Missouri-St. Louis, was started in 1980. The four day event was traditionally held on the first 

weekend in May, and featured 25-30 nationally and locally known storytellers each year, 

presenting public performances at the Museum of Westward Expansion and the Old 

Courthouse. Attendance at the festival ranged between 10,000-15,000 people throughout the

1980s, peaking at 20,000 in 1986. Beginning in 1987, JEFF Chief of Museum Services and 

Interpretation Corky Mayo insisted upon interpretive themes for each festival, the first being 

"Star Spangled Stories." [79] Although themes in accordance with the NPS, St. Louis history, 

or the history of the West were insisted upon, it was often difficult to make the storytellers 

understand the importance of fully tying their event to the programs at JEFF. "We have had 

an ongoing discussion with the Storytelling people about themes here at the Memorial," Mark 

Engler said. "Since our theme base is so large, we felt they could help us by telling stories 

which fit in with our themes. This has been a real battle at times, and we threatened to cancel 

the 1991 festival because of a lack of cooperation on this." [80]
Storyteller Bobby Norfolk at the 1985 festival. NPS photo by Al

Bilger.

Black Heritage Month

The Memorial's observance of Black Heritage Month made its debut in February 1980. 

During the early 1980s, Black History Month featured movies and programs in music, dance 

and storytelling, more entertaining than interpretive in structure and delivery. [81] In 1984, 

however, an original dramatic reenactment of the Dred Scott trial presented by the 

interpretive staff and local residents became the culminating event of a schedule called by the 

Washington Office "one of the most ambitious in the NPS," and pointed the way for the 

future of the program. [82] In 1986, the Dred Scott trial ran for one full week, and was 

presented in the Tucker Theater and at the Old Courthouse. [83] By 1987, entertainment 

activities were replaced with interpretive programs on the African-American role in westward 

expansion, attracting 7,146 visitors. [84] These programs were offered to both the general 

public and school groups, and led, by the conclusion of the decade, to a year-round program 

of school and public presentations on the African-American experience. [85] In 1988, to 

accommodate the overwhelming popularity of the Dred Scott trial program, its location was 

moved from a courtroom to the rotunda. An exhibit was created on African-Americans in the 

fur trade, accompanied by a sound track containing music by black composers. [86]
John Toomer portrayed York, the only African-American member of the Lewis and 

Clark Expedition, for Black Heritage Month in 1990 and 1991. NPS photo by Al 

Bilger.

Further change was noted in 1989, when in addition to presentations by park interpreters, 

outside groups were invited to participate in the January 15 through March 4 celebration. 

Company A of the 10th U.S. Cavalry, re-enactors from Fort Concho, Texas who portrayed 

the "Buffalo Soldiers" of the 1860s-90s West, were a highlight of the program. Storyteller 

Opalanga Pugh recreated such historical figures as Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. At 

the Old Courthouse, the "Freedom School" program was developed to teach school groups 

how free black children were forced to obtain their education in secret in ante-bellum St. 

Louis. The month culminated in a week of dramatic re-enactments of the Dred Scott trial at 

the Old Courthouse, and drew 9,000 visitors. [87]

The 1990 celebration was held January 14 through March 3, and was attended by 24,000 

visitors. Programs included special presentations by Robert Tabscott, a St. Louis historian 

and writer; Opalanga Pugh; and John Toomer, who recreated the thoughts and experiences of 

York, the only black member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Company A of the 10th 

Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers were again featured, and the Dred Scott Trial was performed by a 

community acting group and area choirs. Ranger-led presentations included a special week 

of "Freedom School" programs at the Old Courthouse, and "Blacks of the West" programs at 

the Museum of Westward Expansion. [88]

A new addition for the 1991 Black Heritage Month, held February 3 through March 2, 

included a series of concerts and a lunchtime lecture series with such noted authors as Dr. 

Walter Ehrlich, author of They Have No Rights: Dred Scott's Struggle for Freedom and Dr. 

John Wright, author of No Crystal Stair and The St. Louis Black Heritage Trail. [89] The 

Black Heritage Month Program continued to grow in the early 1990s, but more importantly 

evolved into a program of year-round presentations on African-American heritage in St. 

Louis and the West.

Christmas Programs

During the 1970s small Christmas programs began at the Old Courthouse, and beginning in

1981 Christmas noontime concerts were offered. "A World of Christmas" began as part of
the folklife program in the early 1980s, and included a display of 16 different international 

Christmas trees in the Old Courthouse, with performances by children in ethnic costumes. 

[90] At the Gateway Arch, holiday frontier folklore presentations were given, with choirs and 

evening tram rides to the top of the Arch. [91]

A Victorian-era Christmas celebration was launched at the Old Courthouse in 1988, with a 

more ambitious program of special concerts. By 1989 "Victorian Christmas at the Old 

Courthouse" grew to include special children's programs, noontime concerts and participation 

in evening candlelight tours involving three downtown historic homes. Extensive decorations, 

including a 25-foot tree in the rotunda, drew 13,600 people. Beginning in 1989, a display of 

international Christmas trees similar to that once held in the Old Courthouse, entitled "A 

World of Christmas" was held at the Arch Visitor Center, representing the trees and customs 

of 10 different countries. [92]

In 1990 the Christmas program was expanded to include the entire month of December and 

included a variety of special holiday programs for both school groups and the general public, 

as well as continuing the noontime concerts and an evening candlelight tour. Once again, the 

Old Courthouse was festively decorated with an artificial 25-foot tree in the rotunda and 

garlands, greenery, and bows on the lights, columns, and balconies. There were also period 

Christmas decorations and trees in three of the St. Louis history exhibit galleries to reflect 

different eras in the celebration of the holiday in St. Louis. Fourteen concerts were attended 

by nearly 2,000 people, and 67 "Christmas in St. Louis" programs attracted nearly 1,500 

visitors. [93] The program continued to grow in scope and attendance in 1991. [94]

A 25-foot tall Christmas tree adorns the rotunda of the Old Courthouse for the

Victorian Christmas celebration, 1988. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Scout Programs

In 1987, "Scout Day" was added to the interpretive programming at JEFF. Organized for area 

Boy Scout troops, the event featured eight different programs and activities in the Museum of 

Westward Expansion, the Old Courthouse, and on the Memorial grounds. By participating, 

scouts earned special badges; 1,200 scouts and leaders attended. [95] In 1988, a similar "Girl 

Scout Day" was developed. Scout days continued until 1991, the Boy Scouts meeting in the
autumn and the Girl Scouts in the spring.

Park Rangers Jim Jackson and Andy Kling present a program on mountainmen to boy 

scouts on the grounds of the Gateway Arch. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

The practice of relating school curriculum requirements to scouting programs was instituted 

in 1991, and the concepts for Scout Days were revised. A series of multi-session scout 

programs were developed dealing with park themes and fulfilling Scout handbook badge 

requirements. A special Gateway Arch scouting patch was designed and awarded for 

successful completion of badge requirements in 1989. The success of these programs was 

overwhelming. In 1987, nearly 2,000 scouts participated in less than three months. 

Attendance at Scout Days tapered off with the advent of regularly offered scout programs, 

and Scout Days were discontinued in 1991. [96] In addition to the high quality and success 

of the year-round scout program, JEFF participated in the annual encampment at nearby 

Beaumont Scout Camp in 1991. Interpreters attended stations at the camp, allowing scouts to 

participate in a variety of activities related to westward expansion. Approximately 2,500 

scouts enjoyed the two-day event. [97]

Union Station Urban Initiative Project

Another unique program, begun in 1987, was the park's Union Station Urban Initiative pilot 

project which was developed as a way to bring the National Park system to St. Louis 

residents and visitors at the new Union Station shopping mall. Nearly 30,000 public contacts 

per year were made at the Union Station store by 1991, a significant projection of the Park 

Service message outside JEFF. The project matured into a seven-day-per-week summer 

program, and continued on weekends throughout the winter months through 1991. [98] Mark 

Engler noted:

Union Station gives us the chance to inject themes outside of our immediate 

themes, such as Presidential Parks, biological diversity, and firefighting. It is a 

place to experiment, to learn new methods, and to communicate a variety of 

ideas and management objectives. Here is the perfect place to tell the public 

about the Park Service as an agency. We can tell people how their parks and 

recreation areas are being managed, and ways in which they can help preserve 

and improve their national heritage as embodied in the national parks. [99]
Victorian Fourth of July

In 1991, a new program was initiated at the Old Courthouse for the Fourth of July. 

Historically authentic decorations adorned the rotunda; handouts regarding historic Fourth of 

July celebrations in St. Louis were made available to the public; and a local band played 

popular patriotic music of the mid-19th century. Interpreters in period costume lent a special 

flair to the occasion, reading the Declaration of Independence and recreating a Frederick 

Douglass speech. The decorations were capped with a 36' by 20' United States flag of the 

pre-Civil War era, on loan from Fort Smith National Historic Site. [100]

Other Programs

Interpreters included interpretation of the U.S. Constitution in appropriate programs during 

the summer months of 1987. The traveling play "Four Little Pages" visited Tucker Theater 

for nine performances in the first part of July. A Mark Twain impersonator gave free 

programs during the locally proclaimed "Mark Twain Week" in December. [101]

A 37-star American flag hangs in the rotunda of the Old Courthouse for the Victorian

Fourth of July Celebration, 1991. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

A Fur Trade Symposium (sponsored by JNEHA) was held in November of 1989, which 

included outdoor living history activities and was attended by 20,000 people. [102]

Throughout the summer months, beginning in 1980, rangers periodically presented puppet 

shows based on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. With the acquisition of a new puppet stage 

in 1986, occasional performances were held in the Explorers Room in the Gateway Arch 

visitor center, and during an average summer day drew 2,000 visitors. They were an excellent 

way to bring the history of the park and the Park Service message to a young audience. [103] 

Regularly scheduled puppet shows began in 1990.

Women's History Week (March 11-17) was commemorated in 1990 with two special 

performances by a local theatrical troupe, the Holy Roman Repertory Company, entitled 

"Taking Heart: Women on the Frontier." Special exhibits and programs with an accent on 

women's history were employed during the early 1990s, organized by the park's federal 

women's program coordinator. [104]
Special Events

Ceremonies were held in May 1985 honoring former JEFF Superintendent and NPS Director 

George B. Hartzog, Jr., with the formal dedication and naming of the Gateway Arch visitor 

center in his honor. The dedication was attended by many of Mr. Hartzog's friends as well as 

his family. The morning of the dedication, Mr. Hartzog suffered what was believed to have 

been a heart attack and was unable to attend. William Penn Mott, who was sworn in as NPS 

director within a couple of days of the event, was present for the ceremony. [105]

25th Anniversary of the Gateway Arch

October 28, 1990 marked the 25th anniversary of the completion of the Gateway Arch. This 

milestone was celebrated with a variety of events and activities throughout the year. In 

February, Southwestern Bell distributed 2.5 million phone directories which featured a front 

cover dedicated to the Arch's silver anniversary. A student essay contest with the theme 

"Gateway Arch — Symbol of the American Pioneering Spirit" was sponsored by the 

Jefferson National Expansion Historical Association in honor of the 25th anniversary. A twoday symposium, "The River and the City: Riverfront Development in American Cities," was 

featured in October, and examined how the building of the Gateway Arch sparked the 

redevelopment of downtown St. Louis.

In addition, three special exhibits dedicated to the Arch's silver anniversary were presented. 

"Gateway Art" was conceived and built by the park's interpretive, exhibit, and maintenance 

staffs. It featured an eclectic assortment of items borrowed from local businesses and 

collectors which presented the Arch as symbol and icon for the people and city of St. Louis. 

The exhibit demonstrated the ways in which the Arch image became a pervasive part of the 

area's popular culture. The "Gateway Art" exhibit was moved from the special exhibit gallery 

at the Gateway Arch and re-assembled for display at the Old Courthouse through October

1991.

The local affiliates of the three major television networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS, featured 30-

minute to one-hour specials about the Arch on the anniversary date. National programs such 

as Charles Kuralt's CBS Sunday Morning and the ABC Evening News with Peter Jennings 

featured Arch anniversary segments. Also, Good Morning America broadcast from the 

riverfront as part of its salute to the Arch's 25th anniversary.
Logo used for the silver anniversary of the Gateway Arch, 1990

The 25th anniversary celebration culminated on October 28 with a public celebration which 

featured a "March to the Arch" ending on the riverfront. There, visitors enjoyed music 

provided by the Military Airlift Command Band from Scott Air Force base in Illinois, and a 

local band which featured music from 1965, the year the Arch was completed. National Park 

Service Director James Ridenour and local dignitaries spoke briefly about the significance of 

the occasion, silver anniversary commemorative medallions were distributed to visitors and 

participants, and the festivities ended with a brilliant fireworks display at dusk. [106]

The 75th Anniversary of the National Park Service

Great attention was given to the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the National Park 

Service at JEFF. Nine regions contributed more than 40 interpreters, and the National Capitol 

Region sent two U.S. Park Police officers to participate in this program, which coincided 

with the 1991 Veiled Prophet Fair. [107] Mark Engler recalled:

The NPS was looking for a place to showcase the National Park System for the 

anniversary. The VP Fair Foundation made an offer to NPS Deputy Director 

Herb Cables to host the anniversary showcase, which he accepted. The 

interpretive division was given the task of insuring that the NPS showcase was a 

success. We had every region except the North Atlantic Region participating, 

along with the U.S. Park Police, and Harpers Ferry Center. Almost every park in 

the country provided information, exhibits, or staff. Over 70,000 people 

participated in one of the NPS programs during the three day event. In addition, 

a new educational trunk on the NPS was developed, along with a new 

Partnership Program. [108]

Aided by large crowds who attended the fair, visitors enjoyed three days of interpretive 

vignettes representing the diversity found in parks as far away as Alaska and as close as the 

Ozarks. Four large tents housed exhibits, talks, travel information, brochures, costumed 

performances and demonstrations. [109]
The park staff conceived, designed, and built a special exhibit for the occasion entitled "The 

National Park Service: 75 Years in the Making." The exhibit featured a brief history of the 

National Park Service and emphasized its changing role and responsibilities since its 

inception in 1916. "The exhibit was opened on June 15 by Jim Fowler of TV's Mutual of 

Omaha's Wild Kingdom, and received much media attention," continued Mark Engler. "This 

was a perfect opportunity to showcase the system and the people of the NPS." [110]

As additional parts of JEFF's observance, special interpretive programs were presented at St. 

Louis' Union Station on August 24 and 25. Rangers from parks across the country were 

invited to participate. Mark Engler recalled that "The actual anniversary of the NPS, August

25, was showcased at Union Station. Stew Fritts from the Grand Canyon was here, and 

several people from Ozarks National Scenic Riverway." [111]

The NPS 75th Anniversary Symposium was held at Vail, Colorado, in 1991. Four JEFF 

interpreters were invited to attend this event, and presented costumed interpretive programs 

highlighting westward expansion topics. Their 45-minute presentation provided a glimpse of 

U.S. expansion set in the same geographic location, but at different times in history. Changes 

in the landscape were reflected through the eyes of a mountainman, frontier artist, soldier, 

and an overlander's wife. Many of the changes discussed in the program were those which 

historically prompted the creation of national parks. [112]
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER NINE:

Museum Services and Interpretation (continued)

Volunteers-In-Parks Program

Volunteers have become an integral part of National Park operations nationwide, due 

partially to budget cuts, but also in large measure due to the unique background and 

experiences they bring to their duties with the NPS. Jefferson National Expansion Memorial 

functioned in large measure because of its hard-working and dedicated volunteer corps, who 

assisted with all areas of the interpretive operation.

A relatively small volunteer program existed in the Museum of Westward Expansion up until

1984. In that year, Dan Hand, volunteer coordinator for the park, was able to bring in 68 new 

volunteers in one day. This was made possible because the St. Louis Visitor Center, a city 

visitor contact site, was moved from its location aboard the Sergeant Floyd, a riverboat on 

the levee, to an office in the Mansion House on Broadway. The obscure location of this office 

brought about an alarming drop in the one million visitors per year the organization had 

claimed. The Visitor Center asked Superintendent Schober if a facility could be built on the 

Arch grounds for their operation. Since this was not possible, options were explored through 

which most of the volunteer corps of the Visitor Center would also work at the Arch for part 

of their volunteer hours. JNEHA Executive Director Ray Breun commented: ". . . So we 

brought in 68 volunteers in one day. Our volunteer program went from maybe fifteen or 

twenty or so to almost 100." [113] Dan Hand commented that he conducted intensive training 

sessions to orient the new volunteers to the park and the NPS. It was an "equally beneficial 

marriage right off the bat," and within a year of the acquisition of this large core group, 75% 

of information desk operations were run by volunteers. [114]

The Volunteers-in-Parks (VIP) program continued to expand as the need for volunteers 

increased. In the beginning stage of a docent program, one volunteer provided interpretive 

programs twice a week at the Museum of Westward Expansion. [115] However, even a 

dedicated volunteer program did not guarantee complete coverage at a site. At the Old 

Courthouse, volunteers were used to interpret and protect the new exhibits during 1986, 

especially the artifacts in two high-security galleries which featured such items as the 1904

St. Louis automobile and Victorian era furnishings. Many VIPs complained of the extreme 

humidity and heat in the as-yet non-air conditioned galleries during the height of the St. 

Louis summer. By summer's end, absenteeism proved that complete volunteer staffing was 

not a reliable alternative to paid staffing. [116]
Volunteer Mary Reilly staffs the Arch information desk. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

By 1987, 133 VIPs provided 9,800 hours of service to the park, saving the NPS $57,225 in 

salary costs. This represented a 25% increase in volunteer hours over 1986. A VIP banquet 

and awards ceremony was held in the Gateway Arch visitor center lobby during National 

Volunteer Week in April, and an annual VIP Christmas party was introduced in December. A 

new VIP orientation manual was completed and issued during summer of 1987. [117]

The next major increase in the number of volunteers was in 1989, when 45,674 hours were 

donated, representing $338,641 in savings to the park. The number of volunteers increased by

46%, and hours donated by 22%. [118] The majority of the volunteers were involved in 

interpretation and visitor services at both the Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse. Duties 

included operating the information desks at both sites, staffing and presenting programs in 

the Museum of Westward Expansion, staffing the Old Courthouse galleries and rotunda, and 

assisting the museum education program coordinator. The greatest increase in volunteer 

activity in the late 1980s and early 1990s occurred in the new archival program, where 

sixteen volunteers contributed more than 1,500 hours. Other volunteers assisted with the 

Storytelling Festival, Victorian Christmas and the park library. The majority of the park's 

VIPs were over the age of 55, and most were women. [119] By 1991 a total of 197 

volunteers were assisting with JEFF park programs. [120]
JEFF's volunteer corps at the annual 1991 banquet, with coordinator Bill Henry

(right, in uniform). NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Collections Management

The Museum Services and Interpretation Division, in addition to interpreting the resource, 

also had charge of preserving it. This included the functions of the park library, archives, 

collections management, and maintenance of exhibits. A curator of cultural resources [121] 

oversaw the library, archives and collection, while a curator of exhibits managed exhibit 

scheduling, care, and cleaning. In each of these areas great strides were made toward 

increasing the efficiency of park operations during the 1980s.

Throughout 1985, the curatorial staff was heavily involved with the acquisition of objects for 

the permanent exhibits in the Old Courthouse, which opened the following year. A total of

259 new objects were cataloged into the park collection, and 160 books were acquired for the 

library. Eight of the park's Thomas Moran paintings were loaned to the Museum of Western 

Art in Denver for their special exhibit entitled "Thomas Moran and the Yellowstone." [122]

Between May 1986 and November 1987, a full inventory of the park's museum collection 

was completed. An inventory of this scope had not been conducted at the park for several 

decades, and consequently was a major undertaking. For those portions of the park's archival, 

architectural, and archeological collection which could not be inventoried and cataloged due 

to lack of staff and resources, special provisions were made. A loan agreement was 

negotiated with Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE) to inventory and, as 

necessary, catalog the architectural fragments stored in the Old Courthouse basement. These 

were items removed from buildings which were torn down during the 1939-1941 period to 

make way for the Memorial. The original Saarinen plan called for a museum which would 

showcase the architecture of the riverfront, but these plans were dropped over the course of 

time. Mark Engler recalled:

We were at loggerheads over that collection. It was still in the basement of the 

Old Courthouse after over a year of talking with SIUE. After months of serious 

negotiating to try to get these items moved, JNEHA was asked to donate funds to 

move the project ahead. JNEHA donations were used to have the collection 

taken out of the Old Courthouse basement by professional movers, and to
provide partial payment to SIUE students for cataloging the items. A crane had 

to be brought in to get some of the pieces out. Some of the items weighed over a 

ton. I don't think when SIUE accepted the project they quite realized the size of 

the collection, or the weight of some of the items. Storage was provided at SIUE. 

The project has resulted in a far better-protected and managed collection. [123]

An arrangement was made to transfer uncataloged archeological materials, particularly from 

the dig on the site of the Gateway Arch Parking Garage, to the NPS Midwest Archeological 

Center for storage and assessment. [124]

JNEHA agreed to hire three employees to complete a recataloging and object information 

computerization project beginning in 1988. Funding for these positions allowed the park to 

make full use of the computer which was purchased for collections management use in 1987. 

When this project was completed in 1991, all the park's accession entries and catalog cards 

were computerized. Approximately 8,000 objects which originally had been cataloged using 

obsolete systems were recataloged using the approved Automated National Catalog System 

(ANCS) format.

JEFF was one of only three parks in the Midwest Region selected to participate in the test of 

draft procedures for the Annual Inventory of Museum Collections report. The experiences 

and recommendations of the parks which participated were used to evaluate and revise the 

Annual Inventory Procedures for Museum Property, which were implemented service-wide 

in 1988. [125]

Midwest Regional Curator John Hunter and Donald R. Cumberland of Harpers Ferry Center 

visited the park in August 1988 to examine museum collection storage facilities. This was the 

first step in the preparation of a Collection Storage Plan, the first draft of which was 

completed and reviewed by the end of 1990. [126]

The Park submitted its written application for reaccreditation by the American Association of 

Museums (AAM), and the visiting committee appointed by the AAM Accreditation Office 

visited the park in November 1990. [127]

Library

JEFF collected and stored books and archival materials in its early years, but they were not 

kept in one location until 1961. At that time the majority of the books were placed in the 

interpreters' offices on the ground floor of the Old Courthouse, although some remained in 

the collection storage areas on the second floor of the building. [128]

In 1971, these materials were removed from poor storage areas for better preservation and to 

make them more accessible. These efforts culminated in 1976 in the designation of a 

specially prepared library and documentary storage area in a courtroom in the north wing 

(second floor) of the Old Courthouse. This area provided additional space and controlled 

temperature for a collection which had grown to more than 2,500 volumes. [129]
JEFF librarian Tom Dewey, 1990. NPS photo.

In 1978, Suzanne Gill of Information Resource Consultants was contracted to inspect JEFF's 

library holdings and develop a manual to guide the park staff in managing the collection, the 

majority of which was accessioned and cataloged at that time. In 1982, NPS Chief Librarian 

David Nathanson completed a study of the JEFF library and archives. His report summarized 

the status of both collections and offered suggestions for conservation, most of which were 

implemented by park staff in subsequent years. [130]

During the 1980s, the library was managed part-time by various staff members, including 

Museum Specialist Steve Harrison and Assistant Curator Kathleen Moenster. As the 

collection and need for staff research grew, it became apparent that full-time staffing of the 

library would be beneficial to the park. In 1989, Tom Dewey was hired to fill a newlyestablished librarian position funded by JNEHA. [131] In 1990, Dewey attended the NPS 

Library Management Workshop, which included information about the new NPS library card 

catalog software. Following the workshop, he revised the Library Operating Policy and began 

planning for the computerization of the park's library card catalog. [132]

Major improvements were made to the park's library in 1991. Because the library shelving 

was inadequate to hold the books owned by the park, it was removed, and new, adjustable 

shelving installed in August of that year. The new shelving provided space for future 

acquisitions. JNEHA funds were used to purchase the shelving, as well as a slide storage 

cabinet, a larger-capacity periodical rack, a dictionary stand, a library display stand, and a 

new audiovisual area including a VCR, laserdisc, color monitor, and tape recorder. A 

collection of videotapes on theme-related subjects was begun, and became the fastestgrowing section of the library. The Midwest Regional Office provided funding to purchase a 

rare book cabinet, two hygrothermographs, a freezer for nitrate negative storage, two airconditioners, and four air cleaners for improved collections storage climate control and air 

quality. [133]

Archives

The creation and accumulation of the materials that compose the Jefferson National

Expansion Memorial Archives (JNEM Archives) began with the park's establishment in

1935. As office files were deemed to be inactive they were retired to storage areas throughout 

the Old Courthouse. By the time of the JNEM Archives' formal creation in 1988, most of
these records were consolidated in the JEFF library and in the museum collection storage 

room. The records were generally in good physical condition, but since the documents were 

not arranged or cataloged, and finding aids were nonexistent, researchers were not able to use 

them. [134]

In response to the problem of inventorying and cataloging an overwhelming amount of 

archival material, JNEHA agreed to fund a park archivist position for two years, beginning in 

January 1988. This marked the first time in the park's history that a professionally trained 

archivist was on staff to evaluate, process and catalog JEFF's archival holdings. Harry G. 

Heiss joined the staff in January 1989, completed a Survey of (Archival) Collections, and 

prepared an Archives Master Plan. Volunteers were recruited to assist with processing the 

collections. One collection was completed and four others were partially processed by the 

end of the year. A computer was purchased for archives management and the preparation of 

publications, such as finding aids. New shelving and other supplies were obtained for 

improved storage and preservation of archival holdings. [135] Archival processing continued 

with the production of several finder's aids.

Formal reference room procedures were implemented during the second year of JEFF's 

archives program. All persons using the JEFF archival collections were required to complete 

a registration form, present identification, and agree to abide by established procedures for 

handling historic records. Access to archival materials was controlled and limited to Library 

and Archives personnel. The number of archives volunteers increased from four to fifteen 

people in 1989, and JNEHA funded two internships for graduate students enrolled in archives 

administration study programs. This resulted in the continuation of the processing of several 

collections. [136]

By 1990 the archives program was moving ahead rapidly. The number of volunteers 

increased to 21, and processing began on an additional 34 new projects. A major 

accomplishment was the consolidation into a single archival collection of all records 

documenting the first attempt to install a museum in the Gateway Arch visitor center in the

1960s. Two hundred and twenty-eight inquiries for information were processed, including 

many related to the 25th anniversary of the Arch. [137]

Harry Heiss accepted a position at the Library of Congress and resigned from the staff on 

April 27, 1991. Laura S. Mills, formerly an archivist at the State Archives of Michigan, was 

selected as the new archivist in what had been established as a permanent, JNEHA-funded 

position, and joined the staff on August 26, 1991. [138]

Exhibit Staff and the Temporary Exhibit Program

In addition to JEFF's permanent displays in the Museum of Westward Expansion and the Old 

Courthouse, the park has presented a great number of traveling exhibits over the years. The 

largest of these was the Charles M. Russell Exhibition, which the Memorial hosted from 

April 2 through August 29, 1982. The exhibit was sponsored by JNEHA, with support from 

the Adolph Coors Company, the Missouri Arts Council, the Missouri Committee for the 

Humanities, and the St. Louis Westerners. It was a particularly significant exhibition because 

St. Louis was Russell's hometown. The exhibit increased the park's utility costs due to the 

maintenance of a constant temperature in the exhibit galleries. Although no extra funds were 

provided for these costs, $20,000 was allocated for the required security increase. Ninetyseven Russell oils, watercolors, pen and inks, bronzes, illustrated letters, photographs, and 

memorabilia loaned from 14 collections in the United States and Canada made up the 

extensive display. The 1982 Frontier Folklife and Storytelling Festivals were tailored to fit 

the theme of the exhibit. A full-color, 105 page catalog was issued by JNEHA with text by 

Exhibit Curator Janice K. Broderick, and a documentary film was made. [139]
The Russell exhibition, as well as others throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, were 

coordinated and arranged by a curator of exhibits who worked for JNEHA. In 1982, this 

position became vacant and was eventually discontinued. From that time on, the NPS exhibit 

staff, whose primary responsibility had been the care and maintenance of the permanent 

displays, were given the duties of managing special exhibits. This staff was headed by an 

exhibit specialist, paid by the NPS.

In 1985, as an adjunct to the VP Fair, JEFF hosted the Faces of the Vatican Collections 

exhibition in the Old Courthouse from July 4 to August 26. The exhibit consisted of 65 color 

photographs of faces created by master artists in such detail that in many cases they rivaled 

the original art in emotional impact. [140]

In April 1988, the Memorial presented a special exhibit in the MWE, Ethics of the Land, 

which illustrated responsible land management techniques. In November and December, 

JEFF had the distinction of being the only NPS area to host the Arts for the Parks exhibit. 

This major exhibit showcased the top 100 paintings of a nationwide contest for images 

depicting national parks; attendance exceeded 10,000. [141]

An active traveling exhibit program was implemented in 1989, starting with an exhibit of 17

Mort Künstler paintings which drew 52,000 visitors. Toward the end of the year, a special 

exhibit, Raptor '90, offered live bird demonstrations, 40 selected paintings of birds of prey, 

and an opportunity to work with the raptor rehabilitation project. JEFF's exhibit program 

became so busy by 1989 that a calendar of future exhibits was maintained for three years in 

advance of the show dates. [142]

In addition to arranging for traveling exhibits and providing maintenance for permanent 

displays, the exhibit staff began to design and construct their own exhibits in 1989. The first 

such project was a small display regarding the history of JEFF, created as a prelude to the

25th anniversary of the Arch celebration. This was followed by a much larger effort in 1990, 

when a special exhibit entitled Gateway Art illustrated through the use of items representative 

of popular culture how pervasive the image of the Arch had become since its completion. The 

exhibit included Arch T-shirts and hats, Arch candy and china, ARCH license plates and 

shopping bags, and Arch television commercials. The commercials even led to the creation of 

a game, invented by the Rev. Scott Lohse for a church singles party, called Pin the Slyman 

Brothers on the Arch. The game was also included in the display. [143]

The success of the Gateway Art exhibit led the interpretive division to design and construct a 

special exhibit for the 75th anniversary of the National Park Service, which emphasized the 

employees who made the agency a success. The National Park Service: 75 Years in the 

Making opened in the special exhibit gallery at the Arch on June 15, 1991, amid much media 

coverage. Mark Engler commented:

Our 75th anniversary exhibit showed the experience and knowledge we had 

gained from the 25th anniversary of JEFF exhibit. For an in-house project, it was 

spectacular. It interpreted the story very clearly, and shared with the visitor the 

NPS system and the people who make that system work. [144]

Calendar year 1991 saw a total of twenty special exhibits. Among the most impressive were 

Arts for the Parks 1990 and Arts for the Parks 1991. Inland Waterways: The Way West 

featured huge paintings by Gary R. Lucy depicting historic Missouri and Mississippi River 

scenes, 1804-1880. The Victorian Christmas display at the Old Courthouse won an honorable 

mention for the park and $500.00 (in the category of best small interior display) from the St. 

Louis Convention and Visitor's Commission. [145]
A 63-page document, Exhibit Program Special Operating Guidelines, was completed in late

1991. Intended as a working manual, the document assisted the exhibit staff in the planning, 

acquisition, and fabrication of special exhibits. Included in the manual were gallery floor 

plans, sample letters, checklists, park guidelines, and other related information and forms. 

This document was the first of its kind in the Park Service. [146]

In addition to installing temporary exhibits, maintaining the Museum of Westward Expansion 

and the Old Courthouse exhibit galleries was a full-time task. Due to the design of both 

museums, which had few barriers around the artifacts, objects on display were susceptible to 

damage, especially during periods of high visitation. Many objects required repair and in 

some cases, replacement. A concerted effort was made to substitute reproduction items 

whenever possible. Major repair projects included the buffalo-hide tipi located in the MWE, 

which suffered water damage in the autumn of 1990. The exhibit was restored with help from 

Harpers Ferry Center. In 1991, two of the large photomurals along the Lewis and Clark wall 

were damaged as the adhesive on their backing began to fail and they peeled away from the 

wall. These were also repaired with aid from Harpers Ferry Center. [147]

To provide for better general care of the museum, maintenance personnel were given special 

training in the cleaning of exhibits in 1989. In addition, two special contracts were awarded 

to rehabilitate particular exhibits. The grizzly bear display was redesigned to better safeguard 

it from visitor damage, and 48 of the photographs in the MWE which had been damaged or 

worn were replaced. Further, a new system of plexiglas plates was developed to facilitate 

repair of the museum prisms, which display exhibit text labels. [148]

The exhibit operation was computerized in 1992, enabling the production of professional 

quality exhibit text labels through the use of state-of-the-art technology. Exhibit Specialist 

Dan Swift saw exhibit design as an "active communication art, comparable to public speaking 

or filmmaking." [149] The tools of the exhibit designer were the media employed — the use 

of graphics, text, images and objects to tell a story. The exhibit staff at JEFF were interested 

in doing more than just "making cute displays." It was their task to educate the visiting public 

using the techniques of strong graphic design, meaningful and succinct text, and judicious 

choices of representative objects. Displays had to be attention-getting but not gaudy, 

informative as well as interesting, entertaining without being shallow. This was the delicate 

balance to be achieved by exhibit designers in their work, and the challenge was met by a 

talented team. [150]
Exhibit Specialist Dan Swift and Park Ranger David Uhler hang a 

temporary exhibit in the Old Courthouse, 1991. NPS photo by Al 

Bilger.

The quality of special exhibits hosted by Jefferson National Expansion Memorial increased 

dramatically between 1985 and 1990. By 1991, JEFF was credited with having the largest, 

best organized, and most active exhibit program in the National Park Service. [151]

American Indian Peace Medal Exhibit

In December 1985, the Museum of Westward Expansion acquired by donation the largest 

privately-owned Indian peace medal collection in the United States. As a condition of the 

donation, the park agreed to put the collection on permanent display for the benefit of the 

viewing public. [152]

Produced in silver for presentation to American Indian chiefs and warriors, peace medals 

represented a fascinating and little-known part of American history. They included an 

important group of images depicting United States Presidents, from George Washington to 

Benjamin Harrison, and became an integral part of the government's relations with Native 

Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries. The history of the policy of the United States 

Government toward the Native American people could be traced through the designs used on 

the medals. [153]
For American Indians, the medals were cherished possessions to be worn on important 

occasions. A large number of Native American chiefs wore their peace medals with pride in 

portraits and studio photographs of the 19th century. Medals were given to chiefs on such 

occasions as the signing of a treaty, a visit to the national capital, or a tour of an Indian 

nation by a Federal official.

Peace medals originally served as tokens of diplomatic authority between the United States 

and independent American Indian nations. Eventually, the government stopped making 

treaties with Native Americans, who were expected to live on reservations of land set aside 

for them. Beginning in 1861, peace medals were minted specifically for Euro-American 

collectors as well as Indians, although many non-Indians began to collect medals before this 

date. During the last phase of their use, peace medals were given to "good Indians" who 

moved to reservations or convinced others to do so. The last use of peace medals, in 1896, 

signified the end of an era.

Park officials decided to display the medals against the north wall of the museum. This area 

provided ample room for visitors to view the exhibit. The north side of the museum was 

formerly occupied by a multi-screen image wall. [154] In 1989, a contract for the 

architectural/engineering (A/E) work was negotiated through non-federal funding with the 

architectural firm of Hellmuth, Obata, & Kassabaum (HOK), and discussions began 

regarding construction and costs. [155] The Museum Services and Interpretation division, 

using the A/E contractor's design as a base, developed a package of suggestions regarding the 

potential interpretive content of the exhibit. Viewing the project as an excellent opportunity 

to interpret American Indian policy from 1787-1890, the staff also compiled historical 

background materials and recommendations concerning particular aspects of the exhibit's 

design. [156]

Progress continued into 1990, when the exhibit design and construction plans for the exhibit 

were completed and reviewed by the Midwest Regional Office. Due to the sensitivity of the 

story to be told by the medals, the Washington office requested that the park coordinate the 

graphic and interpretive aspects of the exhibit with American Indian groups. Accordingly, the 

American Indian Center in St. Louis was contacted for assistance. A sum of $300,000 was 

donated from private sector funding for planning and construction of the exhibit. [157]

In late 1991, an exhibit text was outlined, which focused on the complex relations between 

the United States and Native American nations, using the symbolism included on peace 

medals issued between 1789 and 1896. Forty medals were selected for display. In addition, 

four life-size anamatronic figures were planned to represent William Clark during the period 

he served as an Indian agent, an African-American cavalry soldier, the Lakota chief Red 

Cloud, and medalmaker Charles Barber. These animated figures were designed to "tell" the 

story of American Indian/U.S. relations from different viewpoints. Design work for the first 

phase of the project was completed by HOK, and Innovative Systems, Inc. was responsible 

for construction. [158]
American Indian Peace Medal Exhibit. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Publications

Over the years, JEFF enjoyed many special advantages because of its partnership with 

JNEHA. The additional funding received from the Association made it possible for the 

interpretive division to develop a number of significant projects, including the park's 

publication program. Although many changes were made over the years, the program 

continued to be an important aspect of the interpretive effort, providing information for the 

staff and the visiting public.

The publications program began in 1979, when the first two volumes of a projected 

"Gateway Series" were produced. Dan Murphy resigned his position as supervisor of visitor 

services to become editor of the JNEHA publications project. Murphy related that the new 

books were to be a "fresh telling" of the westward expansion story and were intended to 

reach a wide popular audience. Noted western historians Ray Allen Billington and Robert 

Utley were invited to author the first two books, Westward to the Pacific and Indian, Soldier, 

and Settler. Two short books about Thomas Jefferson and Lewis and Clark were written by 

Dan Murphy. In addition, JNEHA also published a book on the history of the Old Courthouse 

by historian Donald Dosch. The series gained distinction for their use of the new publications 

design system, the "unigrid format," developed by the NPS.

Despite the positive impact of these publications, by the early 1980s the practice of 

publishing books was discontinued, and the interpretive division began producing a 

magazine. In 1983, the premiere issue of Westward Magazine, a quarterly chronicle of 

America's westward expansion, was published. [159] The park historian [160] served as 

editor of subsequent issues, which featured such topics as Lewis and Clark; steamboating on 

the Missouri River; the Oregon-California Trail; Fort Scott, Kansas; Ste. Genevieve, 

Missouri; and Bent's Fort, Colorado. With the second issue in the spring of 1983, the name 

was changed to Gone West! Although popular, the magazine was discontinued in 1985 due to 

budgetary restraints. [161] Ray Breun commented:

That was originally part of an attempt to do a membership program. There were 

two conflicting views on membership. Jerry [Schober] had one view and people 

in interpretation had another view. Jerry wanted a kind of small membership, not 

unlike what they have in Philadelphia. Interpretation wanted to have a big
membership to keep costs down. And that Gone West! was seen as a means of 

having a publication for the membership program, but also something that could 

be sold to other parks, that's why there's one on Bent's Fort, and one on Fort 

Clatsop. After three years of experimenting it was obvious there were conflicts 

within the Park Service itself, and the [JNEHA] board just said, "Let's stop that." 

So we just bought out of it. The Gone West! we still own, we're now using it 

more on the computer side of the house and we may eventually go back to doing 

more publications. [162]

Another feature of the publication program was a park newspaper. The park began printing a 

newspaper with general information for visitors in 1978, due to the fact that there were such 

a large number of features to the park that no one brochure could adequately cover them. The 

paper was known at first as Gateway, and was only four pages in length. In 1982, the name 

was changed to Gateway Guide, and it was expanded to 12 pages, with some space devoted 

to advertising by local businesses. The advertisers paid the costs of layout and printing, 

which was performed through the city's alternative newspaper, The Riverfront Times. This 

advertising agreement made the JEFF newspaper unique in the NPS. By 1983, Gateway 

Guide was coming out as a winter and summer issue and expanded further to 22 pages, 

although a third of the issue was devoted to advertising. In 1986, the paper became known as 

Gateway Today and was printed twice a year. [163]

Most of the information in the paper remained unchanged during the late 1980s, and served 

to provide orientation to visitors about available services. Articles focused on the history of 

westward expansion and St. Louis, as well as highlighting special events. In 1985, 

information was expanded to include other sites of interest in downtown St. Louis. The 1990 

issue of the paper featured articles about the Arch's 25th anniversary, and in 1991 the theme 

was the 75th anniversary of the National Park Service. Regardless of its name or format, the 

newspaper served an important function in the Memorial's visitor services program. [164]

Throughout the decade JEFF produced a wide variety of other publications, including exhibit 

catalogs, brochures, calendars, and site bulletins. In August 1988 the interpretive staff began 

printing a one page monthly bulletin called the Museum Gazette. "Our problem was that we 

had a big museum, and a small amount of knowledge about each object and topic within it," 

recalled former Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation Corky Mayo. "We thought 

about what we could do to get more information to the staff about the exhibits, and decided a 

periodical publication might work best. Each would present a single focus issue on a single 

sheet, front and back, with the same format each time. We held a competition among the 

staff for the banner, which was won by Sue Siller." [165] Designed to provide information on 

topics of interest related to the themes of the park and objects in the museum, individual 

Gazettes were written by the historian and front line interpreters. By 1991, issues had been 

produced on such diverse topics as the 1904 St. Louis automobile, the Spanish caretta, 

women in the west, the overland wagon, Robert E. Lee in St. Louis, the mountainmen, the 

stagecoach, Victorian Christmas, steamboats, the 1904 World's Fair, the sod house, the 

grizzly bear, and the player piano. In addition to those available for the public, the 

distribution list for the Gazette grew to include the Midwest Regional Office, the Pacific 

Northwest Regional Office, the Western Regional Office, the Chief Historian in the 

Washington Office, and the 33 parks of the Midwest Region. [166]

Other accomplishments in the area of publications during the 1980s included a unigrid folder 

for the Old Courthouse, with one side printed in large type for sight-impaired visitors, in

1989. In 1990 this brochure was also translated into German and French. [167]

In 1991, the Division of Museum Services and Interpretation purchased Ventura Desktop

Publishing computer software with the aim of developing the capability to produce
interpretive literature in-house. In April, nine employees attended a one day workshop given 

by the University of Missouri — St. Louis to learn the basics of the program. Employees 

began to create site bulletins, special events folders, and a curriculum guide for nationwide 

use on the Oregon Trail. The foray into desktop publishing was an immediate success, and 

saved the park a great deal of money in layout and design costs for publications. [168]

Conclusion

The interpretive program at JEFF was one of the largest in the National Park System during 

the 1980s. The huge facility, large staff, and multitude of programs made the position of 

chief of interpretation a challenging one. Former chief Rick Wilt felt that it was the "best 

interpretive job in the entire National Park Service because of JNEHA — there were no limits 

on funds, only on your imagination." During the 1984-85 period, JEFF had the second largest 

interpretive budget in the NPS, behind Independence National Historical Park, due to the 

generous donations and staffing support of JNEHA. In addition to funding, the park had very 

broad interpretive themes, which contributed to a nearly unlimited spectrum of programs and 

tours. Due to the large staff, there were many training and collateral duty opportunities at 

JEFF which would be impossible at a small site. The St. Louis area itself presented many 

opportunities, combining the cultural advantages of a city with the ability to get into the 

countryside to live or recreate easily. [169]

In contrast to these advantages, however, the staff was challenged by "burnout," which 

became the best-known (or most reported) aspect of working under the Gateway Arch. 

According to long-time employee Rick Ziino, "several factors contributed to employee 

burnout. There was no mental break during the course of the year, because one busy season 

led into another. The month of January was the only slow time, and business picked up in the 

spring with large numbers of school children. The busiest months were during the tourist 

season in the summer, which also included the bustling VP Fair. Autumn brought more 

school kids, the day after Thanksgiving (traditionally one of the most hectic of the year), and 

Christmas special events. A tight duty schedule, with thousands of visitors to meet and greet 

daily, led to repetition at duty stations and an overload of public contact." [170]

Despite these factors, morale generally remained high and the staff seemed to thrive on the 

fast pace of work under the Arch. Creativity was at an all-time peak during the early 1990s, 

with employees becoming involved in areas of personal interest, including partnership 

programs, puppet shows, historical research, collateral duties on Equal Employment 

Opportunity committees, assignments to special projects such as writing the Annual 

Statement for Interpretation, or health and safety issues. JEFF traditionally served as a 

"training ground" for young GS-5 rangers, who, just as with the Law Enforcement division, 

were able to gain permanent positions with the NPS by coming to St. Louis. As the 1990s 

began, however, the demographics of the staff changed. A broader spectrum of employees, 

composed primarily of people from the St. Louis area, shifted the staff to a more permanent 

group of local residents, and seemed to eliminate the "revolving door" principle. Retirees 

from other occupations, hired as interpreters, made significant contributions to the staff. 

Education Assistant Eleanor Hall represented the quality work these more experienced people 

contributed to the interpretive program. In 1992, Ms. Hall was honored with the Regional 

Freeman Tilden Award for excellence in interpretation, for her creation of the curriculum 

guide The Oregon Trail: Yesterday and Today. [171]

The Interpretive Division looked forward to the challenges of the future in the early 1990s, 

preparing for the eventual acquisition of an East St. Louis site and assisting with the creation 

of an interpretive program at the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. With its extensive 

education program, traveling trunks and unique partnerships with local schools, JEFF was on 

the "cutting edge" of urban park education. Publications such as the Oregon Trail curriculum
guide benefitted the entire country, not just the St. Louis area. The creation of the permanent 

American Indian Peace Medal Exhibit linked high technology exhibit design with cultural 

sensitivity to tell a powerful story to the visiting public. As the 1990s began, following a 

decade of extensive growth and diversification, there was no sign that the interpretive 

program at JEFF was slackening its pace in a headlong rush toward the future.

JNEHA Ranger Carolyn Buckner conducts a "mock trial" program in the Old

Courthouse, May 1990. NPS photo by Al Bilger.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER NINE:

Footnotes

1See Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Administrative History, 1935-1980, by Sharon 

A. Brown, JEFF, 1984, p. 85. The WPA dioramas continued on display in the Old Courthouse 

exhibit galleries into the 1990s.

2For more on the Museum of Westward Expansion, see JNEM Administrative History, 1935-

1980, by Sharon A. Brown, pp. 170-180; and "Museum of Westward Expansion, A Preview 

for Members of the Press," August 1976, part of an NPS press kit issued for the opening of 

the MWE, 3 pages, JEFF historian's files. See also the section on the Museum of Westward 

Expansion in this chapter.

3Interpretive Prospectus: Old Courthouse, 1971. This document specified that the themes of 

St. Louis history, architecture and the history of the building itself were appropriate and 

suggested interpretive uses for the structure.

4JEFF Statement for Interpretation for 1981. Statements for interpretation for the years 1981 

and 1985-1991 are on file in the JEFF historian's office.

5JEFF Annual Statement for Interpretation, 1987.

6By enumerating and quantifying visitor services, funds could be allocated to successful 

programs, visitor use patterns could be charted to allow for a more informed seasonal hiring 

schedule, and the importance of special projects requiring funds from the Regional Office 

could be demonstrated. See JEFF Annual Statements for Interpretation, 1981-1991. Each of 

the programs and services mentioned are described in detail below.

7Interpretive Prospectus JEFF, 1960, p. 16b; JEFF Administrative History, 1935-1980, by

Sharon A. Brown, pp. 170-171.

8"Museum of Westward Expansion, A Preview for Members of the Press," August, 1976.

9"Museums for Today," Architectural Record, July 1972, copy, JEFF historian's files.

10Ibid., and JNEM Administrative History, 1935-1980, by Sharon A. Brown, pp. 170-177. 

Memorandum, Superintendent Robert Chandler to Office of Public Affairs, WASO, August

4, 1976, JEFF historian's files.

11The MWE, with 42,000 square feet of exhibit area, became the second largest museum in
the NPS when the Museum of American Immigration opened on Ellis Island in 1990. The 

immigration museum is roughly twice the size of the MWE.

12A fascinating, lengthy oral history interview with former Supervisory Park Ranger Dan 

Murphy, recalling many important details of the development stage and installation of the 

museum, is on file in the JEFF Library and the JNEM Archives.

13"Museum of Westward Expansion, A Preview for Members of the Press," August 1976.

14Ibid.

15Mark Engler was hired as chief of Museum Services and Interpretation in the summer of

1990.

16Interview with JEFF Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation Mark Engler, by Bob

Moore, JEFF historian, January 25, 1993.

17Ibid.

18JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1992.

19 JNEM Administrative History, 1935-1980, by Sharon A. Brown, p. 180.

20Ibid., pp. 178 and 180.

21During this same period, extensive rehabilitation work was being conducted on the Old 

Courthouse. See Chapter 5, on the Old Courthouse Restoration and Rehabilitation, in this 

administrative history.

22Telephone interview with Rick Wilt, who served as JEFF chief of museum services and 

interpretation, 1980-1987, conducted on December 17, 1992, by JEFF Historian Bob Moore. 

The so-called "Hoppe Room" was located in what later became the park's conference room.

23JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986.

24JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 4; and 1987, p. 11. The Mississippian 

Gallery was later overshadowed by the construction of a modern visitor center/museum at the 

Cahokia Mounds State Park in Illinois. The Mississippian Room was closed and the exhibit 

dismantled in 1990.

25JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985.

26Information from Tom Richter, former supervisory park ranger at the Gateway Arch.

27Ray Breun, hired for this position by JNEHA in 1977, described the background of this 

decision in Chapter 8, JNEHA, in this administrative history.

28JNEM Administrative History, 1935-1980, Sharon A. Brown, p. 178.

29Interview with Ray Breun, Executive Director, JNEHA, October 9, 1992, by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore.
30JNEM Administrative History, 1935-1980, by Sharon A. Brown, p. 180; "Gateway Arch 

aids in education," Hannibal, Missouri Courier-Post, February 9, 1979; "Museum Education 

Office At Arch Will Loan Slide Program Packages," North St. Louis Community News, 

January 16, 1979; "Teacher's workshop," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, February 21, 1979.

31Interview with JEFF Education Specialist Sue Siller, December 18, 1992, by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore.

32See "Folklife Program: Guidelines; Jefferson National Expansion Memorial," prepared by 

Folklife Program Coordinator Jane Grosby-Bergey, pp. 8-10, attachment, 1981 JEFF Annual 

Statement for Interpretation; "JNEHA Annual Report, October 1, 1981 - September 30,

1982," pp. 4-6; and press releases on folklife activities, April 10, June 16, and July 28, 1980, 

copies, JEFF historian's files.

33JEFF Museum Education Brochure 1983-1984, copy in the education specialist's files, 

JEFF. See also Gateway, the JEFF park newspaper, Summer, 1980, which lists many of the 

Folklife Program's special events, held throughout the summer in the MWE, including 

cooperage and butter churning, concerts, ceramics, broom-making, and American Indian 

dancers; also The Gateway Guide, [the re-named park newspaper], Fall 1984, p. 3; copies, 

JEFF historian's files.

34Museum Education Brochure, 1980-1981, attached to the 1981 JEFF Annual Statement for

Interpretation, copy, JEFF historian's files.

35For more on the Folklife Program, see the section below on JNEHA Interpretation.

36Museum Education Brochure, 1980-1981, attached to the 1981 JEFF Annual Statement for

Interpretation, copy, JEFF historian's files.

37"JNEHA Annual Report, October 1, 1981 — September 30, 1982," p. 4, copy, JEFF

historian's files; interview with JEFF Education Specialist Sue Siller, December 18, 1992.

38The Bi-State Development Agency printed the 10-page brochure at no charge to the NPS, 

in sufficient quantity to be made available to all area schools; JEFF Superintendent's Annual 

Report for 1985.

39This program ended because it was directly tied to the annual Folklife Festival, and JNEHA 

funds for both programs were cut in 1984. See the section on the Folklife Program under 

Special Events in this chapter.

40Interview with Ray Breun, Executive Director, JNEHA, October 9, 1992, by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore.

41JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985; interview with JEFF Education Specialist

Sue Siller, December 18, 1992.

42JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986.

43Interview with JEFF Education Specialist Sue Siller, May 1991, conducted by former JEFF 

Historian Mike Capps.

44Museum Education Brochure, 1989-1990, copy attached to the 1989 Annual Statement for
Interpretation, JEFF; interview with JEFF Education Specialist Sue Siller, May 1991, 

conducted by former JEFF Historian Mike Capps.

45JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986.

46Eleanor Hall, "The High School Program at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial,"

Interpretation Summer 1990, 10-12.

47Ibid; interview with JEFF Education Specialist Sue Siller, May 1991, conducted by former

JEFF Historian Mike Capps.

48Ibid.

49The traveling suitcase program initially produced two projects, one on American Indians 

and the other on mountainmen. Response from the community was immediate and 

overwhelming, and preparations began for three additional trunks soon afterward. Museum 

Education Brochure, 1989-1990; JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 11; JEFF 

Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 11.

50JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 13; for 1988, p. 11.

51JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 13.

52JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 10.

53JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 18; see also the section on scout 

programs in this chapter, below.

54Interview with JEFF Education Specialist Sue Siller, May 1991, conducted by former JEFF 

Historian Mike Capps.

55Ibid, p. 21.

56JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 4. As an example of volume, 3,259 

programs were given for 75,141 visitors in 1987; see JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report 

for 1987, p. 11.

57Interview with Interpretive Specialist Tom Richter, Midwest Regional Office, by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore, September 4, 1993. See also Chapter 7, Entrance Fees, in this 

administrative history for further details.

58JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 10. See also the section on JNEHA

interpretation, below.

59Telephone interview with former Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation Corky

Mayo, October 4, 1993, conducted by JEFF Historian Bob Moore.

60JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 14.

61Interview with JEFF Education Specialist Sue Siller.

62Telephone interview with former Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation Corky
Mayo, October 4, 1993.

63JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 18.

64Interview with Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation Mark Engler, by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore, January 25, 1993.

65Ibid.

66JEFF Operations Evaluation Report, Midwest Regional Office, May 1982, p. 1.

67Interview with JNEHA Executive Director Bay Breun, October 9, 1992; "Carter's Budget

Denies Funds For Arch, Courthouse," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 20, 1979 p. 1.

68"Closing? Old Courthouse May Be Shut," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 18, 1982, pp. 1 

and 5. Replies were immediate in the "letters to the editor" sections of the local papers. "To 

close the Old Courthouse is unthinkable!" wrote one local resident, "To do this would be like 

doing away with Mom, apple pie, and the American flag." St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April

2, 1982, p. 13A.

69Interview with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992; see also

Appendix E, JNEHA Legislation, in this administrative history.

70Ibid.

71JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985; interview with JEFF Education Specialist

Sue Siller, December 18, 1992.

72Interview with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

73Interview with JEFF Education Specialist Sue Siller, December 18, 1992.

74Interview with Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation Mark Engler, January 25,

1993.

75JNEM Administrative History, 1935-1980, Sharon A. Brown, pp. 178 and 180; Gateway, 

JEFF park newspaper, Summer, 1980 p. 4; copy, JEFF historian's files; "Mosey on over to 

Frontier Festival at Gateway Arch, St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 20, 1982; "Thousands 

Sample Frontier Life At Festival," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 18-19, 1983; "Frontier 

Folklife Festival at the Arch," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 23-24, 1983, p. 8B.

76See the section on JEFF's Exhibit Program, in this chapter, below.

77Interview with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992. Several 

people (who wished to remain uncredited) who worked in the park prior to 1984 recalled that 

the Missouri Friends of the Folk Arts could be demanding and arrogant. Crowds which 

attended the festival were, in the opinion of some observers, drawn primarily from the 

visitors who would ordinarily have come to the site; there was a relatively small percentage 

who came specifically to see the festival. It was determined by Superintendent Schober that 

the entire community was not being served by a rather costly annual event. In addition, 

JNEHA was having problems with its cash flow at this time, caused by the expenses of the 

Charles Russell exhibit, and could ill-afford to support the program. Scrapping the annual
festival also brought the program of weekly folklife programs in the Old Courthouse and 

Museum of Westward Expansion, discussed earlier in this chapter, to an end. However, this 

decision was controversial, and remained a point of dissention among many who worked at 

JEFF in the early 1980s. Employees who supported the festival felt that it had been usurped 

by the VP Fair, and continued to lament its demise.

78"Money Shortage Imperils Folklife Festival At Arch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November

13, 1983, p. 5D; "Frontier Folklife Festival at Arch canceled for lack of sponsor," St. Louis 

Globe-Democrat, February 15, 1984; "Letters From Readers," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 

February 14, 1984. The 1984 festival was held, on a reduced basis, at Faust Park in 

Chesterfield, Missouri. See "Frontier Folklife Festival is Endangered No Longer," St. Louis 

Post-Dispatch, June 12, 1984 p. 4A.

79JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1987, p. 12; for 1990, pp. 20-21; for 1991, p. 21.

80Interview with Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation Mark Engler, January 25,

1993. The 1991 Storytelling Festival took place as scheduled, after this dispute was settled.

82"Black History Month Offers Music, Drama," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 5, 1984.

82JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985; "A Historic Trial Re-Enacted," St. Louis

Post-Dispatch, March 15, 1984, p. 2S.

83JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 4.

84JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 12.

85JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 12.

86JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 11.

87JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, pp. 15-16.

88JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, pp. 20-21.

89JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 22.

90"Tree-Decorating Party Opens Display At Old Courthouse," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 

December 4, 1983; Press Release, "A World of Christmas Decorating Party," November 28,

1983; "What's Happening," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 1, 1987.

91Press Releases, JNEHA, November 21 and 28, 1983, copies, JEFF historian's files.

92JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, pp. 15-16.

93JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, pp. 20-21.

94JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 23.

95"Scouts Find Gateway To Old West Lore Under Arch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September

27, 1987.
96JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1987, p. 12; 1988, p. 10; 1989, pp. 15-16; 1990, 

pp. 20-21; 1991, p. 21; and interview with Education Specialist Sue Siller, May 1991. Scout 

patches were given away free of charge after the successful completion of requirements, but 

due to the large volume of scouts participating, the patch was sold beginning in 1991.

97JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 21.

98See Chapter 8 on the Jefferson National Expansion Historical Association in this 

administrative history for more on the Union Station Urban Initiative Project; and also JEFF 

Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1987, pp. 1-2; 1990, pp. 20-21; 1991, pp. 21-22.

99Interview with Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation Mark Engler, January 25,

1993.

100JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 22.

101JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 12.

102JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, pp. 15-16.

103JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, pp. 20-21; Gateway, JEFF park 

newspaper, Summer, 1980, copy, JEFF historian's files.

104Ibid.

105JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985; "Arch visitor's center to bear George B. 

Hartzog's name," St. Louis Globe Democrat, May 11-12, 1985 p. 6A; "Sudden illness keeps 

honoree from Hartzog museum naming," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, May 13, 1985 p. 7A.

106JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 1.

107JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 9.

108Interview with Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation Mark Engler, January 25,

1993.

109JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 21.

110Interview with Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation Mark Engler, January 25,

1993.

111Ibid.

112Ibid.

113Interview with JNEHA Executive Director Bay Breun, October 9, 1992.

114Interview with the Gateway Arch's Chief of Visitor Services, Dan Hand, August 31, 1993, 

by JEFF Historian Bob Moore.

115JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985.
116JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986.

117JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 14.

118JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 2. Volunteer statistics marked an 

increase of 104 to 152 people between 1988 and 1989, and a jump from 8,443.5 to 10,331.75 

hours donated.

119JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 16.

120JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 21; and 1991, p. 23.

121Kathryn Thomas, hired in May 1981, was the first person to hold this position, and served 

in this capacity throughout the decade.

122JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985.

123Interview with Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation Mark Engler, January 25,

1993.

124JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1986 and 1987; see also Chapter 1 on the Arch

Parking Garage in this administrative history.

125JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, pp. 13-14.

126JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 12.

127Ibid. JEFF's Museum of Westward Expansion was the first museum in the National Park 

System to seek and receive accreditation by the AAM, in 1979. Interview with JNEHA 

Executive Director Ray Breun, October 9, 1992.

128"Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Library Operating Policy, May, 1989," JEFF File 

K22. The information summarized in this administrative history comes largely from an 

unidentified park report, discovered by former JEFF Historian Mike Capps in the JNEM 

Archives, which was the only source concerning early JEFF library history to be found.

129Ibid.

130Ibid.

131Ibid.

132JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990. See also "Jefferson National Expansion

Memorial Library Operating Policy," May 1989, JEFF File K22.

133JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 24.

134JNEM Archives Annual Report, 1989.

135JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 12; "Jefferson National Expansion

Memorial Archives Annual Report for 1989," and "Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Archives Annual Master Plan, March 1988," copies, JEFF library.

136JNEM Archives Annual Report, 1989; JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p.

15.

137JNEM Archives Annual Report for 1990.

138JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 24.

139JNEHA Press Releases and Press Kit, March 29, 1982, JEFF historian's files; "JNEHA 

Annual Report, October 1, 1981 - September 30, 1982," copy, JEFF historian's files.

140Memorandum, JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober to Midwest Regional Director Charles

Odegaard, November 15, 1985, JEFF File A2621.

141JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, pp. 10-11.

142JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 14.

143The Slyman Brothers sold washers and dryers in television commercials which made them 

appear to be sitting on the top of the Arch. See "Exhibit Invites Arch Comments," p. 4 in 

"Arch of Triumph — The Gateway Arch At 25," St. Louis Post-Dispatch Magazine, October

28, 1990. See also "Gateway Arch 25th Anniversary, An Exhibit in the Making," October 28,

1990, prepared for the American Institute of Architects Convention, JEFF historian's files.

144Interview with Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation Mark Engler, January 25,

1993.

145JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 20.

146Ibid., p. 21.

147JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p.18. For more on museum security, see 

Memorandum, Acting Superintendent Gary W. Easton to John Sowl, Midwest Regional 

Office, December 4 and 18, 1991.

148JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1989 and 1990.

149Interview with Exhibit Specialist Dan Swift by JEFF Historian Bob Moore, September 25,

1992.

150Interview with Exhibit Specialist Dan Swift, December 21, 1992. The goals of the exhibit 

staff were enhanced by the efforts of Sylvia Coleman, who created and expanded the 

program between 1988 and 1992, and whose work was continued by Dan Swift.

151JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 20.

152Deed of Gift, donor to NPS, December 27, 1985, JEFF Accession File #930; "Indian 

medals a clue to settling of nation," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 21, 1986.

153JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985, File A2621, JEFF Files. The historical 

information in this chapter on Indian Peace medals was compiled from several sources:
Bauman L. Belden, Indian Peace Medals in the United States, 1789-1889, (reprint of 1927 

edition) New Milford, Connecticut: N. Flayderman and Company, 1966; Melvill Allan 

Jamieson, Medals Awarded to North American Indian Chiefs, 1714-1922, and to Loyal 

African and Other Chiefs in Various Territories Within the British Empire London: 1936; 

Margo Jester, "Peace Medals," American Indian Traditions, Vol. 7 No. 5; Francis Paul 

Prucha, "Peace and Friendship, Indian Peace Medals in the United States" (exhibition 

catalog) Washington, D.C.: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 1985; Francis 

Paul Prucha, Indian Peace Medals in American History, Madison, Wisconsin 1971; and 

Francis Paul Prucha, The Great Father: The United States Government and the American 

Indians, Volume I, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1984.

154The "image wall" was completed in 1976 when the Museum of Westward Expansion 

opened, but its complicated slide/film program never seemed to function properly. As early 

as 1982, the Regional Office noted during an Operations Evaluation: "[It] has been out of 

service for a considerable period due to apparent problems with its 'sophisticated' program

'computer'. Staff expertise apparently does not exist to undertake the required repairs. Since 

problems with the 'wall' are long-standing, management should make the decision to either 

discontinue the program and release its numerous projectors for use elsewhere . . . or keep 

[the system] operational." See the JEFF Operations Evaluation Report, Midwest Regional 

Office, May 1982. A major renovation project in 1985 involved retro-fitting power units, 

balancing for equal air flow across each 1000 watt bulb, and reprogramming the 20-tray 

program. The decision to remove the wall came after years of frustration with a museum 

exhibit that rarely functioned properly, which created unacceptable utility costs for cooling 

the projectors. Interview with JEFF Education Specialist Sue Siller, December 18, 1992.

155JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 1.

156Memo, Chief, MS&I to Superintendent, February 20, 1990.

157JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, pp. 3-4 and 24. Jerry Schober knew the 

Director of the American Indian Center, Evelyn Voelker, personally. This St. Louis-based 

group represented over 50 tribes.

158JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, pp. 1 and 26.

159The premiere issue was edited by Supervisory Park Ranger Tom Richter.

160The position of a park historian at JEFF evolved from the need for the preparation of an 

administrative history covering the years 1935-1980. Sharon A. Brown, an interpretive ranger 

with an MA in history, was hired by Assistant Superintendent Norm Messinger to write this 

history, on a one-year appointment. Upon completion of this task, Ms. Brown arranged for a 

one-year leave of absence to obtain a Ph.D. Upon her departure for another position as a 

historian with the NPS, Jon James was hired as park historian. Chief of Interpretation Rick 

Wilt hired James not as a research historian, but as a subject matter specialist who would 

serve not only an expert on the administrative history files and be familiar with the history of 

westward expansion, but would also conduct training courses, edit publications, review 

potential sales items, and audit staff programs for historical content. Telephone interview 

with Rick Wilt, December 17, 1992.

161JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985.

162Interview with JNEHA Executive Director Bay Breun, October 9, 1992.
163Copies of the 1980 and 1984-1992 newspapers may be found in the JEFF historian's files.

164Ibid.

165Telephone interview with former JEFF Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation

Corky Mayo, October 4, 1993.

166JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 12; see also Annual Reports for 1989, p.

15; 1990, p. 18; and 1991, pp. 23-24.

167JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 15, and 1990, p. 18.

168JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991.

169Telephone interview with former JEFF Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation Rick

Wilt, December 17, 1992.

170Interview with JEFF Education Specialist Sue Siller and Supervisory Park Ranger Richard

Ziino, December 18, 1992.

171Ibid.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

Ranger Cortez Holloway speaks to a member of the press from horseback,

1991. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

CHAPTER TEN:

Division of Law Enforcement and Safety

The role of the Division of Law Enforcement and Safety at Jefferson National Expansion
Memorial (JEFF) evolved dramatically during the 1980s, expanding from a neglected and 

under-utilized function to a major component of park operations.

In the late 1970s, the "Protection Division" at JEFF was small and its duties were limited to 

the role of security guards. Ivan Tolley was brought to JEFF from Isle Royale as the Chief 

Ranger in 1979. "Jerry Schober created the position for me," recalled Tolley. "When I arrived 

there were five guards, GS-5s, unarmed, all working under the chief of interpretation. There 

was no funding of us as a protection division — all the money came from other divisions." 

[1] A report by the Regional law enforcement specialist in 1980 noted that of 150 employees 

at the park, only four were involved in protection, and they were usually kept busy with other 

duties. The report went on to say:

A review of criminal activity at JEFF indicates a need to improve our visitor 

protection program. The Superintendent and his staff realize that criminal activity 

is a problem that has to be dealt with, and have taken steps to reorganize the 

protection division. Although this step has been taken, the process will take some 

time before the program is in effect. In the meantime, criminal activity is 

increasingly taking its toll on visitors in the park. . . . [2]

Chief Ranger Ivan Tolley, June 29, 1984. Photo courtesy John Weddle.

The Arch is located in a downtown, highly-urbanized, metropolitan area. Its 

landscaping projects include shrubbery, trees, reflecting pools, etc. Criminal 

activity found in this type of urban setting will continue to be prevalent within 

the boundaries of the park unless we make a firm commitment to provide the 

quality of protection necessary to establish and control the activity that occurs in 

the park. Crime prevention will require higher visibility of protection personnel 

operating with professional guidance within a well-designed visitor protection 

program. . . .

The park is under proprietary jurisdiction and the St. Louis Police Department 

has the authority, but not the primary responsibility, to enforce laws within the 

park. . . .
Our rapport with the City Police is good; however, they are also restricted 

because of limited manpower and budget restraints. . . .

Our experience with contract protection (guards) left much to be desired. This is 

due mainly to the qualifications of personnel found on most guard forces. 

Usually personnel are given minimal training and the standards are expected to 

be low. In general, guards are not law enforcement officers and their response to 

criminal activity is usually limited to notifying the professional officer. The cost 

of this limited service is high and would not be appropriate for the needs at 

JEFF. [3]

The combination of large numbers of visitors and an urban environment resulted in a 

situation far beyond the capabilities of four protection rangers. Few of the rangers had law 

enforcement training. A ranger spent the night in the Old Courthouse, traveling from key 

station to key station with a security clock. Chief Ranger Deryl Stone [4] assessed the 

situation in a 1992 interview:

When anything [happened] other than a drunk or a derelict who had to be 

escorted out of the park — if they had any criminal activity, in other words —

they notified the city police department, and they came down and handled it. The 

stolen cars were all handled through the city police. At a time in the early '80s, 

we had a significant number of stolen cars, and that was before the Arch parking 

garage [was built, when an open lot was located in the same area]. [5]

To deal with this situation, the protection division was reorganized, additional employees

were hired and given expanded duties. Approximately 20 positions were filled in 1981 and

1982. By April 1982, 24-hour per day coverage was being provided by protection rangers, 

and modern surveillance techniques were being employed. [6] Funding for these changes 

often came at the expense of other park functions, but park management considered the need 

great enough to warrant a redistribution of monies. [7] A 1982 Operations Evaluation praised 

the direction in which law enforcement was moving at JEFF:

The Supervisory Park Ranger, Division of Protection and Safety [Ivan Tolley], is 

to be commended for his development of a highly professional organization that 

has, in the past year, grown to a 24-hour per day operation utilizing modern 

surveillance techniques to monitor the museum structure for illegal activity. This 

organizational development would not have been possible without the support of 

park management in general. [8]

Chief Ranger Deryl Stone said of Ivan Tolley:

Ivan was a very dynamic, aggressive person, and, by hook or crook, forced the 

changes to be made; he mandated it, demanded it. . . Ivan was the moving force 

who brought this park into the twentieth century. [9]

Concurrent jurisdiction was ceded to the United States Government for Jefferson National 

Expansion Memorial by Missouri House Bill 1768, signed into law on June 16, 1982 and 

accepted by the director of the National Park Service on February 3, 1983. [10] This meant 

that JEFF was given the primary responsibility for the protection of the grounds, buildings, 

and visitors to the Memorial. Chief Ranger Stone outlined the need for the Park Service, at 

JEFF, to maintain a professional law enforcement staff of their own:

First, our true park visitor . . . has the expectation of seeing, meeting and dealing 

with National Park Service employees, in this case rangers. The second reason is 

the mentality of the enforcement person. A city police officer is a city police
officer. He's a cop, he thinks like a cop, he acts like a cop. We're not saying that 

is bad, however we do have somewhat of a different style, a different philosophy 

in dealing with people. No matter what we find them doing, within parameters, 

we treat them as a park visitor, with the "Yes, sirs" and No, sirs" and the "Yes, 

Ma'am" and "No, Ma'am." . . . So I think that it's important that we maintain the 

Park Ranger image, and that we do it by performing the law enforcement 

ourselves. If we had the city doing all of the law enforcement here we would 

have 95% reactive law enforcement. That means they would come when they 

were called, only when something went wrong. [11]

Park Rangers issue a warning at the VP Fair. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Although the protection staff was expanded, criminal activity continued on the grounds of the 

Gateway Arch, especially after dark. Reports of these crimes in the local newspapers made 

the Arch seem like an unsafe place, and represented the highest form of negative publicity. 

[12] By 1985, the total division staff numbered 18, with five people working each of the three 

shifts. Two GS-6 Lead Park Rangers were chosen, and seven employees were certified as 

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Ivan Tolley was again commended for his 

development of a highly professional team. [13]

A new law enforcement responsibility for the protection division began in May 1986 with the 

opening of the parking garage on the grounds. Coverage was provided on a 24-hour, sevenday-a-week basis. [14] It was not a task which the division was prepared to handle. "We 

were naive about the impact of the garage on our operation," recalled Criminal Investigator 

John Weddle. "We were in no way prepared, staff-wise or support facilities-wise, to handle 

what we got. Within the first 12 or 14 days of the opening, there were several major felonies 

committed. We had no training, and no computer tie with other law enforcement agencies." 

[15]

In addition to the new garage, the division handled approximately 200 special events that 

year, ranging in size from small press conferences to weddings, dinners, banquets, and the

1985 World Series Party sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, with approximately 1,500 people 

including sports and TV personalities. Missouri Governor John Ashcroft, U.S. Attorney
General Edwin Meese, FBI Director William Webster, and foreign dignitaries attended events 

in the park, and were protected by the division. [16] Growing drug-related problems were 

noted on the grounds, and Ivan Tolley remarked that "drug-related crime has increased 10-12 

fold this year." Additional staffing, over and above the 1986 increases, was requested to 

adequately patrol the grounds. [17] The division staff increased to 21 employees during 1986, 

including a division secretary; 10 employees were qualified EMTs. [18] A REJIS (Regional 

Justice Informational Service) computer terminal was installed in the fall of 1986, and the 

park's operations center was created. [19]

In 1987, the division was decimated by the coincidental transfers, resignations, and 

terminations of staff members, reducing the force to nine law enforcement officers and the 

chief. With no replacements forthcoming, JEFF experienced the worst criminal activity of the 

decade during calendar year 1987. [20]

In a move prompted by the Midwest Regional Office, designed to enhance JEFF's operation, 

the Division of Visitor and Resource Protection underwent a major reorganization in October

1987, which nearly doubled the number of commissioned law enforcement rangers. Twelve 

new employees were hired and four patrol teams were created. A major reason for this 

expansion was to more adequately cover the Arch Parking Garage on the Gateway Arch 

grounds. Supervisory positions were established for the operations center and for the two 

additional patrol teams, and the lead Park Ranger positions were abolished. With the 

increased staff and patrolling activity, a decrease in the number of larceny and robbery 

incidents was recorded, accompanied by a 300% increase in written warnings, citations, and 

arrests. This trend continued during the last three years of the 1980s. [21]

In 1988, for the second year in a row, crime statistics decreased, primarily because of the 

increased staff and revised patrol procedures. Arrests were up, as were citations. This was 

due in large part to an emphasis on larceny and robbery suspects coupled with the 

REJIS/NCIC terminal, which was the major factor enabling such arrests. [22] Chief Ranger 

Stone elaborated:

Give me a person's name, and I can start a background check on warrants. The 

more information you give to me on them, the more I can find out about them in 

almost no time flat. . . Anyone encountered in a law enforcement mode, we run a 

check for wants and warrants. Last year [1991] alone we arrested 98 people on 

outstanding warrants from other jurisdictions. So far this year, (we still have 2-

1/2 months to go this year), we have arrested over 140 people on other people's, 

(other jurisdiction's) warrants. Probably 70% of them are insignificant, but we've 

so far arrested people on warrants for bank robbery, murder, rape, and narcotics. 

[23]

On June 2, 1989, Ivan Tolley retired as chief ranger of the Visitor and Resource Protection 

Division. Supervisory Park Ranger Deryl B. Stone transferred to JEFF from Pictured Rocks 

National Lakeshore on June 6, 1989, as division chief. [24] He recalled:

When I came here, in '89, [Jerry] Schober was Superintendent, [Gary] Easton 

was Assistant Superintendent. We sat down and they said, "It's your division, you 

do what you need to do, get it so it is your operation." . . .

The original name when I came here was the Division of Visitor and Resource 

Protection. I didn't feel that adequately identified what we were or who we were 

at that time, or what we were going to become. So I asked for the name change 

to the Division of Law Enforcement and Safety. Those are the two primary 

functions of my division . . .
Chief Ranger Deryl Stone (center, with glasses), flanked by St. Louis city police 

officers and Park Rangers Chuck Carlson, Keith Temple and Chris Cessna. NPS 

photo by Al Bilger, courtesy Division of Law Enforcement and Safety.

One of the things that I felt was going to be needed here because of the size of 

the park and the number of the safety-related items we had and visitor injuries, 

was a safety officer. Also, we had a law enforcement specialist in the 025 series, 

and I thought that was inappropriate, that what we really needed was a criminal 

investigator in the 1811 series criminal investigation division, so we reorganized 

it. . . . [25]

Chief Stone changed the structure of the working shifts in his division:

When I came on we were on a two-team concept [in place from January 1989], a 

day shift and a night shift. Each shift is responsible for all their coverage, so 

you'll have people coming in early, people coming in mid-shift, etc . . . We may 

someday go over to the three-team concept, especially when we get East St. 

Louis, but right now the two-team concept works. Instead of having the 

supervisors in charge of a district, like you'd have in a traditional park, the 

supervisory rangers here are in charge of a time frame [day shift or night shift]. .

. . The team that's on nights right now will be on nights for four months, and 

every four months they rotate between day shift and night shift, the entire team 

shifts over. We've done it that way, on a four month's time frame, so you're not 

always going to be at the same time of the year on the day shift or the night shift.

. . Our transition is also set up to coincide with the semesters at the local colleges 

here, so if the person was on night shift and they wanted to take some day 

classes at college, they could, or [vice-versa], . . . and continue with their 

education without having to go through great contortions to manage their 

schedule around their school schedule. . . I think that's something that's originated 

here. I don't know of any other parks that have the same set-up as far as days and 

nights as we do, and I think this is the only park that has tried to set it up so that 

we could coordinate with the college system. They may do it [at other parks] on a 

one-person basis for special needs, but we've tried to do it here across the board 

for everybody. [26]

Safety
In 1990, a great deal of progress was made in the areas of safety and fire prevention due to 

the new fire/safety officer position. The position was created in response to the unique 

character of the Arch and its concentrated area of visitation, and as a result of NPS safety 

and OSHA regulations, which were becoming more complex. The park's Documented Safety 

Program was rewritten and a "Safety Awards Program" developed. To comply with OSHA 

standards, all 175 fire extinguishers in the park were replaced. Emergency exit maps were 

installed throughout the Old Courthouse to facilitate evacuations. [27]

Shortly after his arrival, Chief Stone identified the presence of hazardous asbestos material in 

the Gateway Arch complex. Prior to the removal of the asbestos-containing material from the 

ceiling at the Arch entrance and the tram load zones in 1990, extensive air quality monitoring 

was conducted. The testing showed that the park had not reached the maximum allowable 

limits of asbestos fiber in the air sampled. Samples were taken in both public and non-public 

areas of the Arch complex. [28]

All of the park's Emergency Operations Plans were rewritten during 1990. This was due, at 

least in part, to a heightened awareness of the potential for a major earthquake in the area, 

caused by predictions of such a disaster played up by the media. While the earthquake along 

the New Madrid Fault did not occur in November 1990, the Division of Law Enforcement 

and Safety took necessary precautions, such as purchasing and stockpiling emergency 

supplies and materials to provide for at least 50 people for three days. Two cellular phones 

were also acquired for emergency communications. Every member of the park's staff 

attended one of the four two-hour emergency earthquake preparedness training sessions. [29]

Chief Ranger Deryl Stone commented on the revamping of the Emergency Operations Plans

(EOPs):

There had never been any EOPs done up until about '86, '87. They just kind of 

slogged along and dealt with things as they came up, and then of course the 

system started mandating emergency operations plans, emergency evacuation 

plans. . . We've taken the earlier ones and refined them even more, and of course 

now having a staff specialist, a safety officer, he's [made] those into a lot more 

useful tools, taking out the bureaucratic things and [making them] flexible for 

the future. [30]

Emergency Medical Services System

In 1986, the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system was implemented at JEFF. A 

coordinating doctor was responsible for park activities, and Emergency Medical Technicians 

(EMTs) were on duty at all times. Half of the law enforcement staff were required to be 

qualified Emergency Medical Technicians; the other half were First Responders. The other 

divisions helped with the responsibility by training First Responders as well. The majority of 

the interpretive staff were CPR qualified, due to possible health emergencies at the top of the 

Arch. The division worked closely with the city EMS to coordinate emergency plans for such 

situations. [31]

Emergency preparedness proved invaluable on several occasions. At the 1990 VP Fair, for 

example, two rangers provided emergency CPR to a heat victim and were credited with 

saving her life. Each ranger was awarded the National Park Service's "Exemplary Act 

Award." [32]

Hazardous Duty

The duties of a law enforcement ranger were difficult and sometimes dangerous. This was
especially true in an urban area such as St. Louis, where violent crimes continued to escalate 

during the 1980s. One of JEFF's law enforcement rangers was assaulted on the grounds 

during 1990 with a dangerous weapon, a Ninja Key Ring. The ranger received numerous 

cuts, puncture wounds, contusions and abrasions, which affected his ability to make the 

arrest. The weapon used was featured in the "Unusual Weapon" section of the FBI's monthly 

bulletin, from information submitted to them by JEFF. [33] The first protective vests were 

purchased for law enforcement personnel in 1986, and all law enforcement rangers had vests 

by 1990. [34] A request from Chief Ranger Stone to allow law enforcement personnel to 

carry their weapons off duty was denied by Superintendent Schober, although Stone himself 

retained this privilege. [35]

On July 1, 1991, three cars of a 77-car train derailed 100 feet above the ground on an 

overhead approach to the Mississippi River, just south of the park. Since the cars of this 

freight train contained potentially lethal chemicals, the St. Louis Fire Department requested 

that the Arch, museum, and grounds be evacuated. One of the derailed tank cars was empty, 

but contained 3% propane (an extremely explosive mixture), and the three cars just ahead of 

the derailed cars were each filled with 16,000 gallons of Nitric Acid, and were in danger of 

falling from the trestle. The Incident Command System was implemented, and an estimated

7,000 people (visitors and non-essential employees) were evacuated from the Gateway Arch, 

museum, and grounds in an orderly and efficient manner. The park and surrounding areas 

remained closed for 2-1/2 hours, until the hazard was mitigated, before visitors were allowed 

to return. [36]

Law Enforcement activities increased in 1991 over the previous year, with 95 persons 

arrested for outstanding warrants from other jurisdictions. A total of eight robberies occurred 

within the park, five with firearms, and one with a knife. Drug incidents doubled to 44 cases, 

with $10,546 in drugs seized. DUI arrests also nearly doubled from the previous year. 

Twenty-eight drunk driving arrests were made, and an increase was noted in the possession 

of weapons such as guns, knives, brass knuckles, and clubs. [37]

The VP Fair

A major responsibility of the Division of Law Enforcement and Safety during the decade was 

assuring visitor protection at the annual Veiled Prophet Fairs. Ivan Tolley was initially 

opposed to the idea. "I thought it was a travesty. It's not the kind of place for that kind of 

event. It was set up poorly, and very hard to get VIPs and support systems in and out. The 

traffic situation was very bad. It also led to friction among the staff." [38] Because of the size 

of the crowds, the JEFF staff was supplemented each year by Special Event Teams (SET) 

from other parks. In 1985, for instance, seven teams representing the Western Region, the 

Southwest Region, the Rocky Mountain Region, the Midwest Region, the Southeast Region, 

and the U.S. Park Police provided assistance. [39]

Chief Ranger Stone assessed the participation of the Law Enforcement Division in the VP 

Fairs in this manner:

They started professionalizing [the Regional SET teams] here with the onset of 

the VP Fairs on the grounds. They started bringing in commissioned rangers 

from other areas, and taking more of an active part in the law enforcement 

activities.

For the earliest fairs, I think for the first three fairs, they had no prohibition of 

bringing in alcohol. You could either buy it here, or you could bring it on. . . . 

Minor drinking ran rampant. Chaos led to pandemonium. . . . It was more like the 

meeting of the Friday night knife and gun club . . . because there were lots of
fights. Each year the VP Fair was, I think through the efforts of the police 

department, the National Park Service, and the VP [Fair Foundation], organized 

in a more orderly fashion and became more of a family affair. . . .

Last year, on the end of the VP Fair critique, one of the special event team 

members said that the fair was not nearly as much fun as it was in the formative 

years, because [during] the last two fairs he had never pulled his nightstick out 

once, and had not broken up any fight larger than two people, where in the 

formative years, you would have thirty to thirty-five combatants going at it at 

one time. So, they said it's getting awfully dull, and awfully routine. Now, dull 

and routine is fine, but when you look at the number of people we have here 

during the VP Fair, there's always the potential for something, so we [must] 

maintain a high-level presence . . .

SET team rangers at the VP Fair. Courtesy John Weddle.

We use four special events teams, with seven persons per team. Three midwest 

special events teams, plus one special event team from another region. . . . We 

bring them on before the fair, stagger them in, then have all four of them on 

during the fair, then stagger them back out, so we have people here during set-up 

and during take-down, plus we have the maximum available during the fair itself. 

My staff goes on two weeks of 12 hours on and 12 hours off. We have a team 

that covers from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m., and then the other team comes from 11 

p.m. until 11 a.m. John Weddle acts as Deputy Incident Commander, and runs 

the park from 11 at night to 11 in the morning, while I get it from 11 in the 

morning until 11 at night.

The first year I was here [1989], we had some St. Louis Police Department 

people working on a secondary detail. They were off-duty, but were in uniform, 

and were being paid by the VP Foundation, instead of one of my SET teams. 

Again this year, we hired off-duty police officers, to replace one of the special 

events teams, ostensively because it's a little less expensive to hire them, even
though their overtime rate's a little bit higher, but they don't have to pay travel 

and per diem for a team while they're in here. The rationale was that we could 

hire city policemen . . . [and] we would form some lasting friendships and build a 

camaraderie between the National Park Service patrol officers and the city 

police. In theory it sounds outstanding. In reality we had some problems with it. .

. . They have a reactive mentality, and that is, stand off to the side, wait for 

something to happen, and then go up and get in the middle of it. Our way of 

doing it is, if it looks like something is going to occur, we go get in the middle of 

it before it occurs, and most times we can prevent it, instead of cleaning up after 

it. [40]

The dispatch center under the Gateway Arch. Courtesy John Weddle.

People think that the VP [Fair Foundation] is getting quite a bargain, and I guess 

in some ways they are. They pay for the transportation of the special events 

teams, they pay for the per diem for the special event team members, they pay 

for all the overtime for my folks working above eight hours, and they pay for the 

command staff that stay downtown for the fair. The National Park Service, 

however, pays the basic eight hours of all of our employee's salaries; only 

overtime is paid for by the VP Fair.

The work of putting on a fair starts out the day after the fair is over, that's when 

the planning starts for the next year's fair. So we're never out of the fair mode . . .

. It's a long, arduous grind, and of course it gets more and more chaotic the closer 

the fair gets. . . .

We escort, or assure the safety, of getting the entertainers onto and off the 

grounds. Once they're in the safety of the compound and the stage, there's city 

police and security in there . . . At times we get them in and out in vans, and 

other times on foot, because there was no way to get them on the grounds in a 

vehicle. So we had to walk them on, which gets your pulse rate going a little bit 

higher. When you're walking with . . . Willie Nelson and Waylon [Jennings], and 

they've got a bunch of rowdy fans that all want to come up and touch them and 

you're trying to keep the crowd back and keep these people moving, it gets kind 

of interesting . . . . [41]
Rank Identification at the VP Fair

At my first VP fair [1989], we had some problems with some of the city officers 

that did not know . . . who we were as far as our rank structure. I had a few of 

my senior staff being told off by patrolmen from the city. And so the next year I 

had my staff go out and buy [military] shoulder or collar insignias . . . I bought 

"bird colonel" insignias. I did not like that at all, and ended up buying insignias 

that simply say "chief" in gold on them that I wear on my collar. John Weddle, 

my criminal investigator, is the principal second-in-command, and I had him 

wear captain's bars. My shift supervisors wear lieutenant's bars, and the senior 

park rangers and SET team leaders wear sergeant's chevrons. When we started 

wearing rank insignia, attitudes changed and the police department's 

understanding of us changed, because now we had something that they could 

visually see that equated to their rank structure. This "everybody wears the same 

uniform" didn't make any sense to them.

So we thought that [wearing visible rank insignia] was important here, and we've 

done it. We still wear them on specific occasions; if it's going to be a meeting 

with outside agencies or anybody else, we go ahead and wear them. Or when we 

have something special on the grounds where we have other agencies coming on, 

we wear them. Now, there is some consideration [in the Park Service] . . . of 

starting to authorize officially the rank insignia, because they see the benefits of 

it. [42]

Arch Parking Garage

Chief Ranger Stone assessed the division's role in maintaining protection for and a Park

Service presence in the Arch Parking Garage:

[When] the parking garage opened, [the Bi-State Development Agency] paid for 

part of the Law Enforcement and Safety Division's ranger's salaries. They pay for 

seven positions, plus part of our NCIC Law Enforcement computer system. 

Basically, it's on a donation basis; they reimburse us each quarter for that 

expenditure for that time. And it's done on a budget, so I know how much I can 

spend. [43]

From the outset, the Bi-State Development Agency and the National Park Service agreed that 

a law enforcement ranger would be on duty in the parking garage at all times. They especially 

wanted to avoid the problems that had occurred in the open parking lot on the north end of 

the grounds, which preceded the garage. These problems included a high rate of stolen cars. 

Constant surveillance of the garage reduced this number to zero, and decreased breaking and 

entering into cars dramatically. Chief Ranger Stone continued:

Although our agreement calls for one-person, 24-hour-per-day coverage, in 

reality we have more than that in the garage, because of the proximity of 

Laclede's Landing. [44] [The Garage] is a very popular parking place for people 

going to Laclede's Landing because it offers undercover, sheltered parking, and .

. . protection for their vehicle and their property. . .

[In the beginning on] a Friday night they would have one, maybe two rangers in 

the parking garage. The next day it would take the Bi-State folks maybe half a 

day to clean up the broken glass, the beer cans and all the litter in there. We've 

taken a very aggressive stance on that sort of stuff. If you break a bottle, throw a
beer can out the window, we will cite you for littering. If you drive in that garage 

drunk or impaired, we will stop you. . . . We have prosecuted people that we 

have found breaking into cars. We try to maximize law enforcement to make it a 

very safe family environment, and by and large the greatest majority of people 

that are repeat visitors on weekend nights are appreciative of seeing us out there.

We have had some identity problems doing law enforcement, especially in the 

Arch Parking Garage, because [local residents] perceive the only people who are 

going to do law enforcement in downtown St. Louis are blue-uniformed city 

policemen. When we come up and have to take an enforcement action, the first 

thing out of their mouth is, "You can't do anything to me, 'cause you're a security 

guard!" Well, we endeavor to explain to them that we are not security guards, 

and by the time we get them down to the city jail, which we use as a holding 

facility, and the sergeant down there explains that we are Federal Officers, then it 

starts dawning on them, but it takes quite a while.

The interesting thing about that parking garage is our single largest law 

enforcement problem is under the refuse and sanitation section of 36 CFR, and 

that is public urination. When they built the parking garage they purposely did 

not put any bathrooms in there, because it is my understanding that they felt 

bathrooms draw undesirables. I think what they were saying without saying it is 

that they did not want public bathrooms where they might have sexual activity 

going on. Our biggest single ticket is public urination, and we issue a dozen of 

them a week. They go over to the Landing, drink copious amounts of beer, walk 

back to the car, and by the time they get in the parking garage they have got to 

go to the bathroom. And so they just stand there and look around, and urinate 

right there. And 20% of the violation notices are issued to females. . . So that's 

our biggest single problem . . . We're not talking about bums, but people driving 

new Trans Ams and all, this is an upper middle-class, young group going over 

there.

Anyhow, the Parking Garage has been a real asset, it takes up less space and it's 

less visually obtrusive than the old parking lot up there, it has created some 

additional paid park ranger jobs here. . . We have the high visibility; we want to 

be seen, we want to prevent things from occurring vs. investigating them after 

they occur. [45]

The Staff

The Division of Law Enforcement and Safety has maintained an average staff size of 26 

people by 1990, divided between the Chief Ranger's Office, Operations Center, and Patrol 

sections. [46] In a 1992 interview, Chief Ranger Deryl Stone discussed the evolution of the 

staff during the 1980s:

I don't think many people appreciate the number of rangers that come and go 

through this park. We are . . . one of the "back doors" into the [National Park 

Service]. We hire off the OPM register, we have a large number of [permanent] 

GS-5 rangers, and our job is year-round, so we don't have any seasonals. The 

vast majority [of people we bring into these jobs] have four-year college degrees, 

and have two to four years of Park Service experience elsewhere. So they come 

here, not because they are enamored with St. Louis or westward expansion, or 

the Arch itself, but because it's a way into the Park Service.

Initially when they started coming in, the first thing that was done was they were
sent to FLETC, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center . . . As soon as 

they got done with FLETC, that made them very desirable for other parks to hire, 

and they were coming and going at a too rapid a rate. What I've done now is, 

when we hire a person they must have their seasonal commission. We make 

them wait their full year probationary period, using only their seasonal 

commission, and then send them to FLETC, understanding once they come back 

from FLETC they're going to be here less than six months. So at least I've gotten 

one full year out of them before they go to a traditional National Park where they 

wanted to be in the first place.

Our constant turnover of personnel creates some problems; but also we do things 

right here. We instill some good things into the rangers so that when they leave 

here we hear good reports from the parks they go to. I've heard chief rangers say 

that the rest of the rangers in their park are mad at me because [a former JEFF] 

ranger came in and writes such good reports that that's going to be the new 

standard, and so that gives us a little pride here. . . We also give them enough 

experience in a year and a half or two years here in an urban area, that when they 

go to a smaller or more traditional park where there is less activity, what those 

small parks think is a major crisis was a day-to-day activity here, and it doesn't 

get the ranger flustered at all. He's dealt with the VP Fair. When Waylon and 

Willie were onstage and we had 250,000 people out in the audience, that's pretty 

intimidating. If you go to a traditional park and see what they consider hectic 

and crazy, that's nothing compared to what they've seen here. So they're better 

equipped to deal with whatever might come along in a career. The rangers here 

are sought after and almost every one of them has left here going to a GS-7 

promotion. So that says a lot about our operation, I think. [47]

The Gulf War

In early 1991, the Division of Law Enforcement and Safety had to respond to a rather unique 

situation. When the United States went to war with Iraq in January, there was a reasonable 

potential for terrorist attacks against official federal government facilities. The national parks, 

as some of the most visible of these areas, were likely targets. In response, many national 

park areas began taking special precautions. At JEFF, these took the form of limiting access 

to the Old Courthouse and the Arch visitor center, and monitoring visitors as they came in. 

Pro- and anti-war activists were issued permits for small demonstrations on the grounds. 

Special "Law and Order Funding" was used to support the increase in security during the 

Gulf War. [48] Chief Ranger Stone recalled:

When the Gulf situation started warming up, shortly after Iraq invaded . . . 

Kuwait, we anticipated that there was going to be some kind of response by the 

U.S. or a coalition, and we started looking at security here at the Arch. I had a 

meeting with the SWAT team coordinator for the City of St. Louis, and we 

jointly looked over the Arch, the facilities, and the site. . .

Just prior to . . . Desert Shield going to Desert Storm, we had a meeting with the 

FBI, talking about a scenario of what could happen here. It was decided that 

sabotage by Middle Eastern covert operations was a minimal concern; however, 

one of the concerns was a takeover by either anti-war factions, similar to what 

we saw during Vietnam, or by Middle Eastern factions trying to make a political 

statement. It was determined that if someone ever got into the top of the Arch, 

and barricaded themselves in, that it would be almost impossible to get them out. 

High profile protests such as hanging banners from the Arch just made 

everybody shudder.
We had some basic contingency plans set up, and the minute the air war started 

over there, we applied for emergency law and order money, and ordered handheld magnetometers, along with walk-through magnetometers. We got the handheld magnetometers very quickly. We were back-ordered on the walk-through 

magnetometers, but got the U.S. Park Police to provide us with one, and a Park 

Police operator, and got him out here for the first three weeks of the Desert 

Storm operation. At that time they were removing asbestos from the ceiling of 

the Arch [Visitor Center], so we were able have one side of the Arch completely 

closed off, ramps and everything, so luckily we had . . . a controlled entrance at 

one point. Anybody that came into the Arch initially was magnetometered by 

hand, women's purses were checked. After about three weeks we got our 

shipment of walk-through magnetometers. . . . We had the cooperation of the 

interpretive division, who primarily did the screening of the purses, [49] and the 

commissioned law enforcement rangers did the walk-through magnetometer, the 

secondary checking, and the checking for weapons. Surprisingly, we had no 

visitor complaints about the security system. It seemed to be one of those things 

that they took in stride. The ones that never even asked why were the Europeans. 

Of course, the Europeans are very used to a higher level of security that we have 

here, going into anyplace. They didn't even realize that we had gone to a higher 

level of security. We had a number of people that started down the ramp, saw the 

magnetometers, and turned around and left. We did not follow them out of the 

building, that was their choice, we don't know why they turned around. However, 

we have a pretty good idea. We made some 20 narcotics cases during that time 

frame. People walked through the magnetometer with brass, one-hit bongs or 

pipes on them, or narcotics wrapped up in aluminum foil. We also ended up with 

several people walking through the magnetometer with guns, and knives, and 

brass knuckles. . . . One lady walked through with a six-shot .22 pistol, and she 

thought "Oh, it's a small gun so it won't register."

We continued on with the magnetometer operation for an extended period of 

time, until the ground war ended. . . . We spent around $60,000 on overtime. . . 

But it was all covered out of Washington on special law and order account 

money, because the FBI felt that here in the Midwest we were high profile. I did 

a lot of talking with my counterpart at the Statue of Liberty. They were looking 

at the same scenario there, and went to a much higher profile.

This was a situation that I looked at myself, thinking about my experience in the 

Park Service, about working special law enforcement details at Ellis Island, and 

at the Statue, at potential takeover times. I took my concerns to the 

Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent, laid out where we were at, what I 

thought we needed to do, and got 100% support from them. I took it to Region, .

. . and they felt that we were the highest threat in the whole region. You know, 

taking over Perry's Victory to make a political statement didn't seem to be very 

high on anybody's list, but taking over the Arch did, so they concurred, and we 

went in for the special funding. [50]

These measures remained in effect until March 15, 1991, after the Gulf War had ended. On 

March 14, Chief Stone met with Bill Frances, agent-in-charge of the domestic section of the 

St. Louis Field Office of the FBI, and advised Superintendent Schober:

We discussed our continued operations of screening visitors by way of the 

magnetometers (metal detectors). Agent Frances advised that activities in the 

local Arab-American community are non-existent and no known threats exist at 

this time. He felt that there was "no compelling reason to continue the high level
for security" which we implemented at the start of Operation Desert Storm.

It is also my recommendation that we discontinue the use of magnetometers at 

this time, however, all law enforcement personnel will continue to be extra 

observant for any unusual activities or suspicious persons. [51]

The magnetometers were taken out and the experience of visiting the Gateway Arch returned 

to normal. The lessons learned from this successful high-level security experience were ones 

which will hopefully never again have to be employed, but they were tested and seem to 

work. If high-security screening of visitors is again needed, the division would be able to 

implement proper measures quickly and efficiently. [52]

Dispatch

The dispatch operation grew and became more professionalized during the course of the

1980s. The dispatch center, located in the Gateway Arch complex, served as the information 

center for the park. It was a safety lifeline for the rangers. "If they have a problem dispatch 

can get help out to them right away, whether it be our own people or additional city police," 

Chief Stone elaborated. "They also are the emergency incoming line, that answer the 

telephone calls coming into the Arch. They monitor the closed-circuit television system that 

covers the inside of the Arch itself both day and night, as well as the intrusion and fire alarm 

systems for grounds maintenance, the Old Courthouse, and now for the Ulysses S. Grant site. 

The dispatch center is not a very glamorous job, fairly low paying at GS-4, and yet really at 

the heart of our operation. Without them, I'm sure the people would have a lot less 

enthusiasm to go out and do their job, knowing that they didn't have the backup." [53]

Horse Patrol

Planning began in 1991 to implement a horse-mounted law enforcement program at JEFF. 

The program was designed to reinforce the image of the National Park Service as horsemounted rangers, and to increase visitor and resource protection. The ability to respond to 

law enforcement or emergency situations quickly was increased by the ability of the horsemounted rangers to travel throughout the open area of the 91-acre Gateway Arch grounds, 

rather than being limited to the park's sidewalks and roads as in vehicle patrols of the same 

area. [54]

Three horses were transferred to JEFF by the U.S. Park Police in Washington, D.C., and the 

program was in place by July 2, 1992. "By removing some of our law enforcement rangers 

from the marked vehicle they traditionally use for patrol and putting them on a horse we 

make them more visible and more accessible to the public in general, and our visitors in 

particular," said Superintendent Gary Easton. The horses were stabled at the St. Louis 

Carriage Company, which ran horse and carriage tours of the downtown area, a convenient 

six blocks from the park. [55] Chief Ranger Stone described the program with obvious pride:

We developed the horse patrol here for several reasons. One is recognition and 

approachability. . . You put a ranger or a city policeman on a horse, the only 

thing you have to worry about is getting stepped on by all the people running 

over to pet the horse and talk to the ranger. And so, public relations was one of 

our goals, and that's been an overwhelming success. Number two is just 

visibility. We have bad guys. They can see our ranger. He sits tall in the saddle, 

he can be seen at a great distance. So this is a visual deterrent to crime. And 

mobility; the ranger is extremely mobile. So we've accomplished everything that 

we set out to do by having the horses, and they're extremely popular. [56]
The horse patrol at JEFF, 1991; Keith Temple, Cortez Holloway, Todd Roeder. NPS

photo by Al Bilger.

Bicycle Patrol

A "Bicycle Patrol Program" was initiated in 1991, using two mountain bikes found chained to 

park trees and never claimed. Patrolling on mountain bikes was not only fast, but an effective 

mode of transportation on the Gateway Arch grounds, and environmentally sound. The park 

received very positive reactions from the public regarding the bike patrol program. [57] Chief 

Stone commented:

[In the Fall of 1991] I had a couple of enthusiastic young rangers come up and 

suggest that we start a mountain bike patrol on the grounds, not as a total 

separate unit, but as part of the operation. Right now we have a patrol car that is 

primarily used for the transportation of prisoners. We have a four-wheel gas 

patrol Cushman, and we have an electric cart that's used in the garage itself for 

moving around in there. But they felt that so much of the grounds patrol is being 

done on foot, and that it takes so long to respond from any point, that they 

needed to have a little faster mode of transportation, and also one that was a little 

more environmentally conscious. So I said that I would be open to it. 

Immediately they found two mountain bikes that we had stored in our lost and 

stolen property section. They were unclaimed property, and so Ranger Jim 

Hjelmgren wrote an SOP, and we came up with a usable plan, using the Las 

Vegas and Seattle models. The only change in uniform was that you could wear 

a black athletic type shoe vs. our standard dress uniform shoe. You needed to 

wear the rest of the dress uniform, and a pants clip for your pant leg.

Instead of being on foot patrol, the ranger has the option of doing the same thing 

on a mountain bike. The visitors find the rangers much more approachable, have 

some common ground to start a conversation with, and seeing them on a bicycle 

makes them a little more human, a little more approachable. Not quite as 

approachable as a horse patrolman, because they can't pet the bicycle, but at least 

it does make them a little more approachable. Also it's a much quicker form of 

transportation for the ranger, and also very quiet compared to the gas Cushmans 

running around, polluting the air with gas fumes.

Violators are not attuned to seeing anybody in law enforcement approaching on a 

bike, and they never even give a bike a second glance. We've made quite a few
narcotics cases with the bicycle. The patrolman rides right up onto a group using 

illegal substances and . . . takes appropriate action. So it's been well-received, it's 

done a good job here. . . . A couple of the other parks have used mountain bikes, 

but for more traditional uses, search and rescue on trails and that sort of stuff, 

where we've used them here in an urban setting. They've worked out very well 

for us.

I think that the mountain bike patrol and the horse patrol in an urban area sets the 

stage for our park being one of those that is willing to do whatever we need to do 

to get the job done in an urban setting, doing less-than-traditional things. The 

administration here has always been willing to accept changes very readily, to try 

new things to get the job done. And it's exciting to be in that kind of a park. [58]

During little more than a decade, the Division of Law Enforcement and Safety grew from a 

staff of four security guards to a "round the clock," professional law enforcement operation, 

deterring crime in an increasingly complex urban environment. It is a credit to Ivan Tolley, 

and the foresight of park management, that the division was expanded and revamped when 

change was needed. Deryl Stone continued this process, modernizing and streamlining the 

operation enlarged by Tolley. The division was transformed from a staff which was 

dependant on outside law enforcement agencies to one which was self-sufficient and capable 

of handling huge events, natural disasters, and heightened security situations.

Mark Thompson and Jim Hjelmgren on bicycle patrol at JEFF, 1991. NPS photo by

Al Bilger.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER TEN:

Footnotes

1Telephone interview with former JEFF Chief Ranger Ivan Tolley, conducted by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore, October 3, 1993.

2Examples were cited in the report, showing that during the period from January 1 to 

November 20 of 1980 there were 64 auto break-ins, 28 thefts, 8 stolen autos, 9 instances of 

armed robbery, and 32 cases of vandalism.

3Memo to Regional Director, Midwest Region from Regional Law Enforcement Specialist, 

December 4, 1980, JEFF File W34. The memo advocated the immediate increase of the 

employees on the protection staff. It is interesting to note the long-range recommendations, 

which included training a Park Technician as a criminal investigator, the implementation of a 

horse patrol unit, and the protection of the parking lot by NPS employees, in light of 

subsequent developments during the 1980s. Further details on the guard services employed 

by JEFF, and their drawbacks, may be found in the Memorandum, Superintendent Robert 

Chandler to Midwest Regional Director Merrill D. Beal, February 10, 1978, JEFF File W34.

4Deryl B. Stone became Chief Ranger at JEFF in June, 1989. His predecessor, Ivan Tolley, 

was the first chief of the protection division at JEFF (1979-1989).

5Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992, by JEFF Historian 

Bob Moore; former chief Ivan Tolley, in a telephone interview, concurred with the statements 

of Stone.

6Ivan Tolley recalled: "We had an upward mobility program, and brought people in as GS1s. Every 90 days they were promoted until they reached the GS-4 level, when we sent them 

to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Georgia. They could rise to the 

level, after time-in-grade and having met minimum requirements, of GS-5." Telephone 

interview, October 3, 1993.

7JEFF Operations Evaluation, Midwest Regional Office, May 1982, copy, JEFF historian's 

files. Funding for visitor protection increased by $102,200 between 1979 and 1982.

8Ibid., p. 21.

9Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.

10See the memorandum, Acting Superintendent Charles A. Ross, JEFF, to Regional Director,
Midwest Region, November 27, 1981 and enclosures (file code W30); and letter, Director of 

the NPS Russell E. Dickenson to Governor Christopher S. Bond, February 3, 1983, JEFF 

historian's files.

11Ibid.

12Crimes included assault, battery, theft, and rape. See "County Girl Raped Near Gateway 

Arch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 8, 1985, p. 5A; "2 men sought in rape of girl on Arch 

grounds," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 8, 1985 p. 12A.

13Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985, JEFF Files A2621.

14See also the section on the Arch Parking Garage in this chapter, below; and Chapter 1, on 

the building of the parking garage, in this administrative history.

15Interview with JEFF Criminal Investigator John Weddle, October 3, 1993, by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore.

16JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986.

17Memorandum, Acting Superintendent Gary W. Easton to Midwest Regional Director

Odegaard, October 24, 1986, JEFF File W34.

18JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986.

19Interview with Park Ranger Keith Temple, December 6, 1993.

20Ibid.

21JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 1. For statistics, see annual reports for 

subsequent years, and the table included in the appendix of this administrative history. See 

also the section of this chapter devoted to the Arch Parking Garage.

22A reduction in larceny, robbery, and vandalism were of paramount importance, and this 

goal was accomplished in spite of a large wildfire call-out which left the division critically 

short-staffed during peak visitation periods. See JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for

1988, pp. 12-13; Letter, Acting Superintendent Gary W. Easton to Service Analyst Sare

Lanzafame, REJIS Commission, April 20, 1987, JEFF File A7215.

23Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992. Twenty-nine persons 

were arrested by law enforcement rangers on warrants from other jurisdictions during 1990. 

These included two especially noteworthy arrests: one of an individual wanted by the FBI for 

bank robbery, and one of a suspect wanted for homicide. See JEFF Superintendent's Annual 

Report for 1990, p. 30.

24JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989. New positions created were a Staff Park 

Ranger (Fire and Safety) GS-025-5/7/9, along with the introduction of GS-025-07 Senior 

Park Rangers. GS-7 shift supervisors were upgraded to GS-8s.

25Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.

26Ibid., and interview, September 15, 1993.
27JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 30. See the 1991 Annual Safety and 

Health Report Summary, JEFF File A7615, and the remainder of File A7615 for general 

information on health and safety at JEFF.

28Ibid. See also Chapter 4, Maintenance, in this administrative history; Memorandum, 

Regional Director Donald Castleberry to JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, Asbestos 

Abatement Statement, December 7, 1989; Memo, Superintendent Schober to JNEM Division 

Chiefs on asbestos removal, February 23, 1990, both JEFF File A7615. See Memorandum, 

Superintendent Schober to Midwest Regional Director on the Asbestos Management Control 

Program, June 1, 1990, JEFF File A7619.

29JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 30; Memorandum, Associate Regional

Director for Operations, Midwest Region, to Superintendents, Midwest Region, March 31,

1986, JEFF File A76; Memo, Physical Security Coordinator, Midwest Region, to JEFF 

Superintendent Jerry Schober on Earthquake Preparedness, March 22, 1989, JEFF File 

A7615; Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone to Superintendent Schober, Report of the St. Louis 

Earthquake Task Force, Field Trip to San Francisco of November 25 - December 1, 1989, 

December 27, 1989, JEFF File A7615; memos, Superintendent Schober to all JEFF 

Supervisors, January 13, 1989 and February 7, 1989, Emergency Operations Plans, JEFF File 

A7615; Emergency Operations Plan memo, December 17, 1990, and plan, copy #10, JEFF 

File A7615.

30Interview, JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.

31Ibid. See also JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 30; Annual Emergency 

Medical Services Reports, for 1988, January 24, 1989; for 1989, February 13, 1990; for 1990, 

February 17, 1991; for 1991, February 19, 1992, JEFF File A7615; Memo of Understanding, 

JEFF and the City of St. Louis Department of Health and Hospitals Emergency Medical 

Services, December 3, 1990, JEFF File A7615; Memo, Acting Superintendent Gary W. 

Easton to Supervisor, JEFF Training, April 4, 1989, JEFF File A7615; Critique of EMS 

Document by JEFF Assistant Superintendent Norman Messinger, December 26, 1986, JEFF 

File A7623.

32JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 30.

33JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 30; FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 

November, 1990.

34Memorandum, Superintendent Jerry Schober to Midwest Regional Director Castleberry, 

July 16, 1990, JEFF Files A76.

35Memorandum, Chief Ranger Stone to Superintendent Schober, May 10, 1991; Schober to

Stone, June 3, 1991, JEFF File A76; and Schober to files, February 13, 1991, JEFF File W34.

36JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 25.

37Ibid.

38Telephone Interview with Ivan Tolley, October 3, 1993.

39JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985. See also Chapter 3, on the VP Fair, in this
administrative history.

40For more on the composition of SET teams, see (as an example) SET Team Request for 

Assistance, Memorandum, JEFF Acting Superintendent Gary W. Easton to Midwest Regional 

Director Donald Castleberry, April 10, 1991, JEFF File W34.

41Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.

42Ibid.

43Ibid.

44Laclede's Landing is a refurbished "old town" district on the northern boundary of JEFF. It 

includes many popular bars, cafés, and night spots with live music.

45Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.

46JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 31.

47Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.

48JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 25.

49The interpreters also directed the visitors through the security station, and responded to 

questions. Interpretive staff was diverted from other duties for this security detail, thus 

impacting visitor service operations.

50Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992. See also 

Memorandum, Superintendent Jerry Schober to all JEFF Employees, on "Heightened 

Awareness During Times of Increased World Tension," January 16, 1991; and a Memo on 

the special emergency funds, Acting Superintendent Gary W. Easton to Midwest Regional 

Director Donald Castleberry, Special Law Enforcement Funding Report, October 7, 1991, 

both JEFF File W34.

51Memorandum, Chief Ranger Deryl Stone to Superintendent Jerry Schober, March 15, 1991, 

JEFF File W48.

52JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 25; Memorandum, Chief Ranger Deryl

Stone to Superintendent Jerry Schober, March 15, 1991, JEFF File W48.

53Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.

54JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 2.

55Press Release, JEFF, June 30, 1992, "Superintendent Introduces Bicycle and Horse Patrols

At Jefferson National Expansion Memorial," JEFF File K3415.

56Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992. Stone had previously 

attempted to implement a horse patrol at JEFF; such a program was first recommended for 

the park in 1980. See Memo to Regional Director, Midwest Region from Regional Law 

Enforcement Specialist, December 4, 1980, JEFF File W34. See also Memo, Assistant 

Superintendent Gary W. Easton to Law Enforcement Ranger John Sherman, regarding
Sherman's novel request for a voluntary donation program to support a horse patrol program 

at JEFF, December 31, 1990, File A76.

57JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 25.

58Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

This 2-1/2 story Victorian mansion at 219 North Delaware Street in Independence, 

Missouri, was the home of Harry S Truman, 33rd President of the United States. 

Truman lived in the house, (which belonged to his mother-in -law until her death in

1952), from 1919 to 1972. The home became the Harry S Truman National Historic

Site in 1982. NPS photo, courtesy Harry S Truman National Historic Site.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

Two New Parks Are Created: The Ulysses S. Grant 

and Harry S Truman National Historic Sites

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial assisted in the birth of two new historic sites during 

the 1980s. The Harry S Truman Home became a National Historic Site in 1983, and Jefferson 

National Expansion Memorial rendered assistance to the site in the early months of its 

existence. White Haven, a St. Louis farm and home once owned by Ulysses S. Grant, was 

designated the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site (ULSG) in 1989 through the assistance 

of JEFF, and was officially administered through JEFF into the 1990s. Both sites received 

tremendous advantages through the personnel and/or financial assistance JEFF was able to 

render.

The Harry S Truman National Historic Site
Mrs. Bess Truman, widow of former President Harry S Truman, died in October 1982. Her 

will gave the Truman home in Independence, Missouri to the National Archives and Records 

Administration, which was not prepared to restore and administer such a property. Secretary 

of the Interior James Watt signed a proclamation on December 8, 1982 under the Historic 

Sites Act, which brought the Truman Home unofficially into the National Park System. The 

proclamation was an emergency measure giving the Park Service authority to protect the 

property until Congress officially passed a law providing enabling legislation for the site. [1]

A person was needed to oversee the administration of the new site until a superintendent and 

staff could be appointed. Tom Richter was a ranger trainee at JEFF, working directly for the 

office of the superintendent. Jerry Schober recalled: "I sent Tom, a young intake employee at 

that time, to take care of the Truman site. I told him that this was going to be the hardest job 

he'd ever have. He had to meet everyone in the community, be presentable, noteworthy, 

acceptable, yet make no commitments to anyone." [2]

Richter recalled that "early in January of 1983 I was officially offered the job by Jim 

Dunning, the regional director in the Midwest Region of the National Park Service in Omaha. 

And ten days later, I was on my way over — Well, actually, even quicker than that. 

Superintendent Schober and I came over in early January and met with Andy Ketterson, chief 

of the cultural resources management branch, Midwest Regional Office, and Lee Jameson, 

who was a restoration specialist from the Midwest Regional Office. We met with Dr. 

Benedict K. Zobrist, the director of the Truman Library, and Pat O'Brien, the historic 

preservation officer for Independence. That was mainly an orientation visit, and then ten days 

later I was over here permanently as the first person to be assigned right to the site." [3] 

"[M]y immediate supervisor was Superintendent Jerry Schober," recalled Richter, ". . . and 

Mr. Schober in turn then reported up to the Regional Office. But in practical terms, a lot of 

my communication went directly to the Regional Office, particularly to people like Andy 

Ketterson and Lee Jameson and Ron Cockrell, the regional historian. . ." [4]

From January to September 1983, Richter was the sole employee at the Truman site. His 

mission was to keep an eye on the home for resource preservation, put the plan devised by 

Andy Ketterson into effect on security issues, (which included upgrading a poor smoke alarm 

and security system), and conducting a public relations campaign, "showing the flag" and 

letting people know about the National Park Service presence in Independence. Dr. Zobrist of 

the Truman Library donated the use of an office, a photocopier, and the assistance of a 

secretary in their facility, and was tremendously supportive. [5]

JEFF set up an imprest cash fund so that Richter could make cash purchases for small items 

such as hedge clippers and paying the man who mowed the lawn. Richter was given special 

authority to sign his own time cards. [6] JEFF maintenance foreman John Patterson made a 

trip to the site to make a quick overview of the house's needs. [7] "Our concern in the 

beginning was certainly just the physical condition of the building," said Richter. "We had 

problems with leaks suddenly erupting. Because of the primitive smoke alarm system, we 

were very concerned about the threat of fire, so we had the [security guards] make patrols 

every hour through the building. . . [We] improved the lighting system at the home, and put 

up a couple of modern light fixtures on the garage building to improve the lighting at night." 

[8] The Park Service trimmed the shrubs and fixed the roof. The executor of Mrs. Truman's 

will had hired a guard service to protect the house, but better protection was needed by a 

group more aware of the sensitive and unique nature of the historic site and its important 

artifacts. Andy Ketterson worked out a temporary agreement with the Federal Protective 

Service, the law enforcement arm of General Service Administration (GSA) for the protection 

of the site, until GSA could hire contract guards. Tom Richter supervised the guards 

stationed at the house. [9]
Richter had to deal with the physical problems of the resource, as well as the political 

factions in Independence, Missouri. "Independence has so many little rival interest groups 

and it is very difficult to keep on the good side of all of them, particularly in a town like 

Independence where public affairs are discussed so openly, and sometimes twisted around by 

different groups to suit their purposes." [10] Groups included preservation and antipreservation groups, infighting in the Jackson County Historical Society, pro and antitourism groups, religious groups such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and 

the reformed sect of that church, as well as the Baptists, whose property lay in the 

neighborhood of the Truman Home and might be impacted by large numbers of visitors. In 

addition, a lot of animosity continued to exist in Jackson County toward the Federal 

Government, left over from a Civil War round-up of people by the Union Army who would 

not take the loyalty oath. [11]

Tom Richter poses with an artifact. Courtesy Harry S Truman National Historic Site.

"I would say overall it was sort of a 'show me' kind of attitude," remembered Richter. "They 

were a bit apprehensive, to be quite frank, with their experiences with the Truman Library, 

which did not have good public relations with the community. There was some fear that, 'Oh 

no, here comes another one of those federal agencies that's going to act sort of above the 

community and above community interests.' Certainly, there was concern over how the 

Truman home would impact their tourism program. The city officials were very strongly 

interested in that. There was concern that we would just align ourselves with the Truman 

Library, perhaps through a shuttle, and thereby attract visitors only to the Truman home and 

Truman Library and sort of ignore the rest of Independence. The attitude also in this 

community . . . is that the Truman home really belongs more to Independence than to the 

nation, that there was sort of a feeling of, 'What are these outsiders coming in?'" [12] Tom 

Richter had a very difficult mission to accomplish during those first few months of the site's 

history, and according to Jerry Schober, surpassed all expectations. [13]
Repairs to the exterior of the Truman site. Courtesy Harry S Truman National

Historic Site.

Richter also had to win over the President's daughter, Margaret Truman Daniel. "At first 

Margaret told everyone that she was going to remove all the furnishings, but she later 

changed her mind," recalled Jerry Schober. [14] Tom Richter added: "[Mrs. Daniel's] first 

visit in May of 1983 was very important, because that was really the first opportunity the 

National Park Service had of direct contact with her, talking about our plans and showing the 

home. She was very reluctant to even have the home open to the public. Her idea at first was 

we simply would preserve the home without opening it to the public, because she felt the 

house could not withstand the wear and tear of all these visitors. We used our powers of 

persuasion to convince her that we would do whatever was necessary to preserve the home as 

well as show it to the public. . . . It was sort of a winning her over process. Each meeting was 

more beneficial as she got used to us." [15]

The Harry S Truman National Historic Site was officially established on May 23, 1983. Tom 

Richter took an extremely complex and potentially volatile position and turned it completely 

to the advantage of the Park Service. The job presented a number of headaches and personal 

restrictions. "[E]ssentially I was on call 24 hours a day," remembered Richter. "If I wanted to 

go off on a little trip somewhere, I'd have to leave word as to where I could be reached, and 

so that was a little difficult." [16] Despite its official designation, the site continued to be 

overseen by Richter for four more months.

A hectic nine months as a solo employee came to an end for Richter in the fall of 1983. 

"Around the first of October, Norman Reigle was hired as the superintendent of the park, 

which then made me the chief of interpretation and resource management. Shortly thereafter, 

we hired Joan Sanders as our administrative technician. . ." [17] With the formation of a park 

staff at Truman, JEFF's involvement in the site came to an end. Tom Richter stayed on as 

Truman's first chief of interpretation. JEFF assisted the site in several ways, but its assistance 

was limited due to its distance from Independence. Its involvement with the Ulysses S. Grant 

site would be far more extensive.
White Haven, home of Ulysses and Julia Dent Grant. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site

To properly appreciate the significance of the Dent/Grant property in south St. Louis County, 

and the work that culminated in its addition to the National Park system, it is necessary to 

briefly review its history. [18]

Early Years and Development: 1796-1821

In 1796, Hugh Graham obtained a Spanish grant for a tract of land consisting of 800 arpents 

(789.66 acres) on the Gravois Creek. On September 6, 1799, he certified before Daniel 

Boone, Commandant of the District of Femme Osage, that he had deeded this property to 

James Mackay in exchange for land on the Missouri River. Mackay was a Scots fur trader 

who moved to St. Louis from Canada about 1793. Mackay served as commandant for the 

Spanish government at St. Andrew and St. Charles, Missouri. [19] After the purchase by the 

United States of the Louisiana Territory in 1803, Spanish land grants were evaluated by the 

new government, and confirmed or denied. Mackay's grant was confirmed by the U.S. Board 

of Land Commissioners for the Louisiana Territory on December 12, 1808, as Survey 9, 

Township 44 North, Range 6 East. By that date he had already sold a portion of the tract to 

his brother-in-law, William L. Long. [20]

William Lindsay Long was the son of Capt. John Long of Virginia. In 1794 the family 

moved to Kentucky and from there in late 1796 to the Bonhomme district in northwest St. 

Louis County. In 1807 the family moved to the vicinity of James Mackay's land grant on 

Gravois Creek. The following year Long married Elizabeth Sappington and bought Mackay's 

property. William Long began construction on the primary portion of a frame house (which 

still stands on the estate) for his growing family sometime prior to 1818.

In 1818 Long sold the property to Theodore Hunt, a former naval captain who came to St. 

Louis in 1813 in his capacity as an agent for the American Fur Company. Hunt married Anne 

Lucas on June 24, 1814; she was the daughter of Jean Baptiste Charles Lucas, a former U.S. 

Congressman from Pennsylvania, a member of the Board of Land Commissioners for the
Louisiana Territory, and a judge. The Hunts moved to the Gravois Creek property following 

the death of Anne's brother, Charles, in a duel with Thomas Hart Benton in 1817. Anne Hunt 

wanted to leave St. Louis "for fear she might encounter Colonel Benton in some of her 

walks." The Hunts stayed in their new home for two years before moving to the Lucas family 

estate, "Normandy." [21]

The Dent Family and Ulysses S. Grant at White Haven: 1821-1860

In 1820 or 21 (the deed is not clear on the date), the Hunts sold their property on Gravois 

Creek to "Colonel" Frederick Dent, a St. Louis attorney and businessman. Dent rented a 

home in St. Louis but intended the Gravois Creek property to be a summer residence. It also 

gave him the opportunity to assume the role of a gentleman plantation owner. Dent named his 

farm "White Haven" after a plantation his family once owned along the Mattawoman Creek 

in Maryland. The plantation was operated through the efforts of one dozen to three dozen 

slaves owned by the Dents.

It was during the Dents' residence at White Haven that Ulysses S. Grant first became 

associated with the family and the property. Grant was born April 27, 1822, at Point Pleasant, 

Ohio, and grew up in nearby Georgetown, Ohio. He received an appointment to the United 

States Military Academy at West Point in 1839, graduating 21st in his class of 39. As a 

young second lieutenant assigned to St. Louis' Jefferson Barracks in 1843, Grant began 

visiting White Haven to see the family of his West Point classmate, Frederick T. Dent. It was 

on these visits that Grant met Frederick's sister, Julia Dent, and after a happy courtship at 

White Haven, the couple were engaged. Ulysses S. Grant and Julia Dent were married on 

May 22, 1848.

Grant served in the 4th U.S. Infantry throughout the Mexican War, winning commendation 

for his conduct at Monterrey and in the final assault on Mexico City. Following the war Grant 

was assigned to military posts at Detroit, Michigan; Sacketts Harbor, New York; Oregon; and 

in 1853 to Fort Humboldt, California. This last assignment was especially hard on Grant, 

since he was separated from Julia and his growing family (the Grants eventually had four 

children). In 1854 he resigned from the army and returned to White Haven.

Ulysses S. Grant and his family lived with the Dents in the main house and at "Wish-tonwish," a house owned by Grant's brother-in-law on the White Haven estate. In October 1856 

the Grants moved to Hardscrabble, a log house that Grant built with his own hands. The 

Grants moved back to the main house at White Haven in February 1857, to help Col. Dent 

following the death of Julia's mother. During this period, Grant planted crops for himself and 

managed the farm at White Haven for Col. Dent. The economic panic of 1857, coupled with 

illness in the Grant family and among their slaves, hindered the success of the plantation. In

1859 Grant sold his livestock and moved to St. Louis. From 1859 to 1860, Grant worked as a 

real estate agent and customs house collector in St. Louis. These ventures were unsuccessful, 

and in 1860 the Grant family moved to Galena, Illinois, where Grant assisted his brothers in 

a leather goods store owned by his father. One of Grant's brothers was dying of tuberculosis, 

and Grant was probably expected to take over the operation of the business in the quiet 

Illinois town. [22]
Second Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant; photo of an 

engraving. Courtesy NPS.

Grant's War Years: 1861-1865

The United States Civil War provided Ulysses S. Grant with the opportunity he needed to 

become a success. From his appointment as a colonel in June 1861 to his triumph as a 

lieutenant general commanding all of the Union armies in 1865, Grant sprang from obscurity 

to become a national hero during the war. Grant also attained a level of financial security 

previously unknown to him, with a substantial annual salary. During the war, Grant's family 

was either near him in the field or at White Haven. Grant dreamed of the day when he could 

return to a quiet life of farming, and toward that end began purchasing White Haven from his 

father-in-law and brothers-in-law. In October 1865 Grant returned to St. Louis for a brief 

visit, and received a tumultuous welcome. Whether or not he visited White Haven on this 

trip is unknown. [23]

Grant Owns White Haven: 1866-1885

By 1868, Grant consolidated all of the former Dent land holdings and obtained clear title to 

the White Haven site. He renovated the main house on the estate, hired a superintendent, and 

readied the farm as a place to raise championship horses in his retirement.

Grant was elected in 1868 to the first of two terms as President of the United States. 

Throughout his presidency, Grant held title to White Haven, although the early 1870s were 

not profitable years for farming. By 1874, Grant began contemplating the sale of White 

Haven.

Although personally popular with the public, Ulysses Grant's presidential administrations 

were marked by scandals. In 1875 and 1876, the Whiskey Ring tax evasion scandal broke in 

St. Louis, and although the President was never implicated, the trials held there may have
made White Haven a less attractive potential retirement home.

When his second term ended in March 1877, Grant did not appear to be ready to retire to the 

life of a gentleman farmer. His name remained at the forefront of the American political 

scene, and the potential for another try at the Presidency in 1880 remained. [24]

White Haven in the Post-Grant Years: 1885-1979

After his presidency, the Grants embarked on a two year, around-the-world tour. Upon their 

return, they decided to settle in New York City, where Grant entered a business partnership 

with his son, Ulysses Jr., and Ferdinand Ward in a Wall Street brokerage firm. Ward engaged 

in illegal activities that drove the business to the edge of financial disaster. In an attempt to 

save the enterprise, Grant obtained a loan of $150,000 from his friend William Henry 

Vanderbilt. Despite this effort, the firm collapsed and Grant lost his money. To repay the 

loan to Vanderbilt he signed over his ceremonial Civil War relics, the treasures given to him 

by heads of state on his world tour, and a substantial quantity of property, including White 

Haven. Grant was diagnosed as having cancer of the throat in 1885, and in a last attempt to 

provide for his family after his death, spent his final months in writing his memoirs. He died 

in a small cottage at Mount McGregor, New York, on July 23, 1885, having just completed 

his autobiography. [25]

In 1888, William Vanderbilt sold White Haven to Luther H. Conn, a native of Kentucky who 

moved to St. Louis in 1867 and made a fortune in mining and real estate. He renamed the 

estate "Grantwood" and began to raise thoroughbred horses there. Conn was proud of owning 

the former president's home and took special care to preserve the house in its original 

condition.

In 1903 Conn sold 217 acres of the estate to Adolphus Busch, who built a palatial residence 

there called "Grant's Farm." By June 1905 Conn sold the fifteen acres surrounding the main 

house to a development company for an amusement park, and subdivided the remainder 

among individual purchasers.

Fortunately, the amusement company's plans did not materialize, and in 1913 St. Louis 

realtor Albert Wenzlick purchased the central 15-acre portion of the former Grant estate. 

Wenzlick used the house as a summer home and showplace for visitors. In 1937 his son 

Delbert inherited the property and decided to make White Haven his permanent home. In

1940 he had the main house and adjacent buildings recorded by the Historic American 

Buildings Survey, then restored and modernized them. Delbert Wenzlick lived at White 

Haven until his death in 1979. Due largely to the efforts of Wenzlick prior to his death, and 

to the St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation, White Haven was placed on the 

National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

Creation of a National Historic Site: 1980-1991

After Delbert Wenzlick's death the White Haven property was placed in trust as part of his 

estate; his son, H.A. ("Bill") Wenzlick, acted as agent. Some members of the Wenzlick 

family hoped to sell the property to the Busch family or to a developer for condominiums, 

and toward that end they formed the corporation "U.S. Grant's White Haven." Throughout the 

early 1980s Bill Wenzlick continued his efforts to sell the estate, either to be maintained as a 

historic property or to be razed for extensive development. [26]

In response to these efforts, those concerned with the preservation of White Haven began 

working to bring the site and the danger of its destruction to the attention of congressional 

politicians. In December 1984, Representative Richard Gephardt and Rob McDonald (a staff 

member of Senator John Danforth), along with JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober and St.
Louis County officials, toured the site and considered strategies for keeping it out of the 

hands of developers. At that time, Gephardt expressed a hope that private interests would 

purchase the property. [27]

Increasing interest in preserving White Haven led to the creation of a preservation 

organization, Save Grant's White Haven, Inc., in 1985. [28] In addition, St. Louis County 

formally requested that the National Park Service consider White Haven for designation as a 

National Historic Landmark. In June 1986, JEFF was directed to develop alternative 

management strategies for the site and to undertake an assessment of its significance. [29] In 

July, Senators Danforth and Thomas Eagleton, and Rep. Gephardt asked Interior Secretary 

Donald Hodel to direct the National Park Service to undertake a feasibility study of White 

Haven as a potential unit of the National Park System.

White Haven during the Wenzlick years. Courtesy Ulysses S. Grant National Historic

Site.

The study was completed in September 1986, and suggested four basic alternatives: the 

acquisition and restoration of White Haven by the Save Grant's White Haven group, which 

would turn it over to a responsible entity to be managed as a historic site; some sort of 

cooperative administration by the federal government and a private interest, such as Save 

Grant's White Haven, Inc.; a combination of federal and county or state administration; and 

administration solely by the federal government. [30]

In October 1986, St. Louis County purchased the house and 10 acres of property for

$510,000. Half the money came in the form of a loan from the Missouri State Department of 

Natural Resources; the remaining funds were obtained through a bond issue that had been 

passed in August. [31] The Save Grant's White Haven group stated that it would continue 

raising money to help restore the house and repay the loan. By July 1987 the county was 

ready to begin restoration. [32]

Even though White Haven had been saved from the threat of developers, interest in making it 

a part of the National Park System continued. In December 1987, NPS Chief Historian 

Edwin C. Bearss recommended that the property be included in the system because of its
national significance, and proposed that it be administered by JEFF. [33] Bearss elaborated 

upon the importance of the White Haven site:

First and foremost, White Haven is intimately associated with the life and career 

of one of the great captains of military history and 18th President of the United 

States, Ulysses S. Grant. Grant is one of those rare individuals that had four 

careers: He was a failure as a farmer and a businessman; was plagued by a 

scandal-ridden Presidency; while racked by cancer of the mouth, he authored 

[one of] the classic military memoirs of the English language deemed by critics 

as comparable to Caesar's commentaries; and an outstanding military leader and 

soldier, whose philosophy of war as practiced by the U.S. Army characterized 

our nation's strategy that brought victory in World Wars I and II. White Haven 

was the setting for Grant's crucial pre-Civil War years. According to Grant 

scholars John Y. Simon, Bruce Catton, and Allan Nevins, the latter two Pulitzerprize winning historians, it was during this time that Grant's strength of character, 

which carried him to victory at Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga, on 

the road to Appomattox and the Presidency, was forged in the fires of adversity. 

The comparison has even been made by scholars that White Haven was to Grant 

what Mount Vernon was to Washington, Monticello was to Jefferson, and the 

Hermitage was to Jackson.

White Haven was also the home of members of old and prominent St. Louis 

families, ones that played instrumental roles in our nation's expansion westward 

and in the early growth of St. Louis. Former White Haven owner Theodore Hunt 

was an agent for the powerful American Fur Company established by John Jacob 

Astor, a company that dominated the western fur trade for many years. Hunt's 

wife, Anne, was the daughter of John B.C. Lucas, who came to St. Louis in 1805 

after being appointed a land commissioner and judge of the Louisiana Territorial 

Court by President Jefferson.

Architecturally, the southwest wing of the main house at White Haven is 

regionally significant because it is one of the nation's few surviving examples of 

a French colonial structure. The rest of the main house features excellent 

examples of an early Missouri frontier residence. [34]

On March 21, 1988, Rep. Richard Gephardt introduced legislation in the U.S. House of 

Representatives for the inclusion of White Haven in the National Park System. That 

particular measure failed to pass because it was introduced so late in the session, but in 

March 1989, Senators Danforth and Christopher Bond introduced Senate legislation to create 

the White Haven National Historic Site. Gephardt also introduced similar legislation in the 

House. The Director of the National Park Service, William Penn Mott, supported the 

acquisition of White Haven "as a National Historic Site by Secretarial Order with Congress 

enacting a Statutory Authorization for operating funds." [35]

In April 1989, White Haven was officially declared a National Historic Landmark by 

Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan. [36] In May, Gephardt's legislation gained the 

approval of the House Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands despite objections 

from NPS Deputy Director Herbert Cables, who wanted to conduct a management study 

before accepting the property. [37]

In June, the House passed the legislation with one modification — White Haven would be 

known as Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. The Secretary of the Interior was 

authorized to accept the property from St. Louis County and a provision was made for annual 

appropriations necessary for maintenance. [38]
Further progress was made in August 1989 when the Senate Committee on Energy and 

Natural Resources approved identical legislation. In September, the full Senate gave final 

congressional approval to the bill. On October 3, 1989, President George Bush signed Public 

Law 101-106, which gave the Secretary of the Interior authority to accept White Haven and 

establish it as a National Historic Site. The legislation also authorized the Secretary to acquire 

by donation or purchase with donated funds personal property associated with White Haven 

or President and Mrs. Grant for the purposes of the site. Thus the Ulysses S. Grant National 

Historic Site (ULSG) was created. [39] JEFF funding was earmarked in the FY 91 budget to 

establish an NPS presence, provide site protection and preventative maintenance, and initiate 

the planning process. [40] Effective January 14, 1990, Park Ranger Denise Stuhr was 

reassigned on a not-to-exceed one year detail to the Superintendent's office, to develop offsite programs associated with Ulysses S. Grant, and to familiarize herself with the NPS 

planning process to advise interested parties on the progress of the site. [41] Plans were made 

to prepare planning documents, including a Historic Resource Study, Historic Structure 

Report, and a General Management Plan. Guidelines for potential sales items representing the

site were drawn up by JEFF Historian Mike Capps. [42]

The property was purchased from St. Louis County and the State of Missouri through the use 

of non-federal funds on May 30, 1990, and donated to the National Park Service for inclusion 

in the National Park System. [43] Executive Director Ray Breun of the Jefferson National 

Expansion Historical Association, who purchased the site, recalled:

What we did was buy the county's debt to the State . . . [T]he state had agreed 

through its historic preservation fund to help the county get this property from 

the old owners, the Wenzlicks, and had lent some money to the county at a really 

good interest rate — like none — for the first three or four years (it was a ten 

year program). For the first three, four years you don't pay any interest, then it 

goes up to a couple percent, and then the last few years you have to pay it all 

back. So at one point when Jerry [Schober] began to bring me into those 

discussions . . . I said, "Could we buy the county's debt to the state, get the state 

out of it, . . . and we'll agree to pay back the money, guarantee it, as long as we 

can do it our way. . . "

In August of . . . 1988 we mailed a letter, and what we agreed to do was I wanted 

my interest out of it. [The JNEHA] board's secretary suggested "Can we buy the 

state an annuity?" And that started me thinking about that side of it . . . So we 

agreed to buy the county's debt with a series of certificates of deposit. I took

$168,000 and bought $200,000 worth of certificates. My whole donation to the

Park Service was $200,000, for which I paid $168,000. The other part [a sum of

$35,000] that was over and above that $200,000 for which we just bought [White

Haven], I said "We'll give you that right now. That's our earnest money."

In order for the state to deal with it, we had to establish a trustee. So I had one 

member on the [JNEHA] board, on the executive committee, who agreed to act 

as the trustee. The money went into the trust fund when the certificates matured. 

I bought a set of four certificates, each worth $50,000. One for one year, one for 

two, one for three, one for four. Each time you get a better interest rate. It's to the 

point that I got $32,000 in interest, as a donation, and we also got a piece of 

property. So what was supposed to cost me a quarter million, I got for a lot less. 

The original agreement between the county and the state was ten years, but the 

state got their money back in four. And they're happy. The county is happy 

because they don't have the debt anymore — I bought their debt. I got the state 

to agree to hold them harmless . . . [No other cooperating association has ever 

started a new NPS historic site through purchase] . . . [44]
The official transfer of the site to the National Park Service took place at White Haven on 

June 12, 1990, in a ceremony attended by county, state, and federal representatives. [45] Jill 

York O'Bright, former regional historian for the Midwest Region, was chosen as the first 

superintendent of the site and began to hire a staff. JEFF had given birth to a new park.

The Grant site was composed of a tract of land of approximately 9.65 acres located southwest 

of St. Louis in an unincorporated portion of St. Louis County. The estate was surrounded by 

a heavily wooded, suburban residential neighborhood known as Grantwood Village, and by 

Grant's Farm, a 281-acre estate owned by Anheuser-Busch, which included an animal 

preserve and a theme park open to the public. [46]

There were five historic buildings on the property. The main house, built in the early 1800s; a 

possible former slave quarters or kitchen of an unknown era; a storage shed built around

1910; a small building which may have been used as a smokehouse, springhouse or icehouse, 

built about 1875; and a barn dating to the 1870s. [47]

The National Park Service acquired the site with the intent of restoring and preserving the 

significant buildings, enhancing the site with collection acquisition and management, 

permanent and special exhibits, education programs, special events, and information for 

public tours and interpretive literature. FY91 funds were appropriated for a Historic Resource 

Study and Historic Structure Report. Private and ONPS funds were used to renovate a former 

caretaker's cottage (a non-historic structure) into a functional park headquarters building. [48]

The Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site looked toward the 1990s as an era of planning 

and preparation, to open the grounds and doors of White Haven to the people of the United 

States. Due to the efforts of a concerned community, congressional cooperation, the Jefferson 

National Expansion Historical Association, and the interest of Jerry Schober and the NPS, a 

gap in telling the story of the history of the United States — illustrating the character, 

achievements and career of Ulysses S. Grant — was filled.

An interpretive program conducted by Park Ranger Carolyn Buckner at Ulysses S. 

Grant National Historic Site.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

Footnotes

1Telephone interview with former JEFF Chief Ranger Ivan Tolley, conducted by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore, October 3, 1993.

2Examples were cited in the report, showing that during the period from January 1 to 

November 20 of 1980 there were 64 auto break-ins, 28 thefts, 8 stolen autos, 9 instances of 

armed robbery, and 32 cases of vandalism.

3Memo to Regional Director, Midwest Region from Regional Law Enforcement Specialist, 

December 4, 1980, JEFF File W34. The memo advocated the immediate increase of the 

employees on the protection staff. It is interesting to note the long-range recommendations, 

which included training a Park Technician as a criminal investigator, the implementation of a 

horse patrol unit, and the protection of the parking lot by NPS employees, in light of 

subsequent developments during the 1980s. Further details on the guard services employed 

by JEFF, and their drawbacks, may be found in the Memorandum, Superintendent Robert 

Chandler to Midwest Regional Director Merrill D. Beal, February 10, 1978, JEFF File W34.

4Deryl B. Stone became Chief Ranger at JEFF in June, 1989. His predecessor, Ivan Tolley, 

was the first chief of the protection division at JEFF (1979-1989).

5Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992, by JEFF Historian 

Bob Moore; former chief Ivan Tolley, in a telephone interview, concurred with the statements 

of Stone.

6Ivan Tolley recalled: "We had an upward mobility program, and brought people in as GS1s. Every 90 days they were promoted until they reached the GS-4 level, when we sent them 

to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Georgia. They could rise to the 

level, after time-in-grade and having met minimum requirements, of GS-5." Telephone 

interview, October 3, 1993.

7JEFF Operations Evaluation, Midwest Regional Office, May 1982, copy, JEFF historian's 

files. Funding for visitor protection increased by $102,200 between 1979 and 1982.

8Ibid., p. 21.

9Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.

10See the memorandum, Acting Superintendent Charles A. Ross, JEFF, to Regional Director,
Midwest Region, November 27, 1981 and enclosures (file code W30); and letter, Director of 

the NPS Russell E. Dickenson to Governor Christopher S. Bond, February 3, 1983, JEFF 

historian's files.

11Ibid.

12Crimes included assault, battery, theft, and rape. See "County Girl Raped Near Gateway 

Arch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 8, 1985, p. 5A; "2 men sought in rape of girl on Arch 

grounds," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 8, 1985 p. 12A.

13Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985, JEFF Files A2621.

14See also the section on the Arch Parking Garage in this chapter, below; and Chapter 1, on 

the building of the parking garage, in this administrative history.

15Interview with JEFF Criminal Investigator John Weddle, October 3, 1993, by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore.

16JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986.

17Memorandum, Acting Superintendent Gary W. Easton to Midwest Regional Director

Odegaard, October 24, 1986, JEFF File W34.

18JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986.

19Interview with Park Ranger Keith Temple, December 6, 1993.

20Ibid.

21JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987, p. 1. For statistics, see annual reports for 

subsequent years, and the table included in the appendix of this administrative history. See 

also the section of this chapter devoted to the Arch Parking Garage.

22A reduction in larceny, robbery, and vandalism were of paramount importance, and this 

goal was accomplished in spite of a large wildfire call-out which left the division critically 

short-staffed during peak visitation periods. See JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for

1988, pp. 12-13; Letter, Acting Superintendent Gary W. Easton to Service Analyst Sare

Lanzafame, REJIS Commission, April 20, 1987, JEFF File A7215.

23Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992. Twenty-nine persons 

were arrested by law enforcement rangers on warrants from other jurisdictions during 1990. 

These included two especially noteworthy arrests: one of an individual wanted by the FBI for 

bank robbery, and one of a suspect wanted for homicide. See JEFF Superintendent's Annual 

Report for 1990, p. 30.

24JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989. New positions created were a Staff Park 

Ranger (Fire and Safety) GS-025-5/7/9, along with the introduction of GS-025-07 Senior 

Park Rangers. GS-7 shift supervisors were upgraded to GS-8s.

25Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.

26Ibid., and interview, September 15, 1993.
27JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 30. See the 1991 Annual Safety and 

Health Report Summary, JEFF File A7615, and the remainder of File A7615 for general 

information on health and safety at JEFF.

28Ibid. See also Chapter 4, Maintenance, in this administrative history; Memorandum, 

Regional Director Donald Castleberry to JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, Asbestos 

Abatement Statement, December 7, 1989; Memo, Superintendent Schober to JNEM Division 

Chiefs on asbestos removal, February 23, 1990, both JEFF File A7615. See Memorandum, 

Superintendent Schober to Midwest Regional Director on the Asbestos Management Control 

Program, June 1, 1990, JEFF File A7619.

29JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 30; Memorandum, Associate Regional

Director for Operations, Midwest Region, to Superintendents, Midwest Region, March 31,

1986, JEFF File A76; Memo, Physical Security Coordinator, Midwest Region, to JEFF 

Superintendent Jerry Schober on Earthquake Preparedness, March 22, 1989, JEFF File 

A7615; Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone to Superintendent Schober, Report of the St. Louis 

Earthquake Task Force, Field Trip to San Francisco of November 25 - December 1, 1989, 

December 27, 1989, JEFF File A7615; memos, Superintendent Schober to all JEFF 

Supervisors, January 13, 1989 and February 7, 1989, Emergency Operations Plans, JEFF File 

A7615; Emergency Operations Plan memo, December 17, 1990, and plan, copy #10, JEFF 

File A7615.

30Interview, JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.

31Ibid. See also JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 30; Annual Emergency 

Medical Services Reports, for 1988, January 24, 1989; for 1989, February 13, 1990; for 1990, 

February 17, 1991; for 1991, February 19, 1992, JEFF File A7615; Memo of Understanding, 

JEFF and the City of St. Louis Department of Health and Hospitals Emergency Medical 

Services, December 3, 1990, JEFF File A7615; Memo, Acting Superintendent Gary W. 

Easton to Supervisor, JEFF Training, April 4, 1989, JEFF File A7615; Critique of EMS 

Document by JEFF Assistant Superintendent Norman Messinger, December 26, 1986, JEFF 

File A7623.

32JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 30.

33JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 30; FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 

November, 1990.

34Memorandum, Superintendent Jerry Schober to Midwest Regional Director Castleberry, 

July 16, 1990, JEFF Files A76.

35Memorandum, Chief Ranger Stone to Superintendent Schober, May 10, 1991; Schober to

Stone, June 3, 1991, JEFF File A76; and Schober to files, February 13, 1991, JEFF File W34.

36JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 25.

37Ibid.

38Telephone Interview with Ivan Tolley, October 3, 1993.

39JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985. See also Chapter 3, on the VP Fair, in this
administrative history.

40For more on the composition of SET teams, see (as an example) SET Team Request for 

Assistance, Memorandum, JEFF Acting Superintendent Gary W. Easton to Midwest Regional 

Director Donald Castleberry, April 10, 1991, JEFF File W34.

41Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.

42Ibid.

43Ibid.

44Laclede's Landing is a refurbished "old town" district on the northern boundary of JEFF. It 

includes many popular bars, cafés, and night spots with live music.

45Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.

46JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 31.

47Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.

48JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 25.

49The interpreters also directed the visitors through the security station, and responded to 

questions. Interpretive staff was diverted from other duties for this security detail, thus 

impacting visitor service operations.

50Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992. See also 

Memorandum, Superintendent Jerry Schober to all JEFF Employees, on "Heightened 

Awareness During Times of Increased World Tension," January 16, 1991; and a Memo on 

the special emergency funds, Acting Superintendent Gary W. Easton to Midwest Regional 

Director Donald Castleberry, Special Law Enforcement Funding Report, October 7, 1991, 

both JEFF File W34.

51Memorandum, Chief Ranger Deryl Stone to Superintendent Jerry Schober, March 15, 1991, 

JEFF File W48.

52JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 25; Memorandum, Chief Ranger Deryl

Stone to Superintendent Jerry Schober, March 15, 1991, JEFF File W48.

53Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.

54JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 2.

55Press Release, JEFF, June 30, 1992, "Superintendent Introduces Bicycle and Horse Patrols

At Jefferson National Expansion Memorial," JEFF File K3415.

56Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992. Stone had previously 

attempted to implement a horse patrol at JEFF; such a program was first recommended for 

the park in 1980. See Memo to Regional Director, Midwest Region from Regional Law 

Enforcement Specialist, December 4, 1980, JEFF File W34. See also Memo, Assistant 

Superintendent Gary W. Easton to Law Enforcement Ranger John Sherman, regarding
Sherman's novel request for a voluntary donation program to support a horse patrol program 

at JEFF, December 31, 1990, File A76.

57JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 25.

58Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl B. Stone, October 13, 1992.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER TWELVE:

The East Side Expansion: Taking the Dream Across 

the River

The construction of the Gateway Arch and the development of Jefferson National Expansion 

Memorial sparked a renovation of downtown St. Louis, which was hailed as a magnificent 

success. Many people believed, however, that such development and success should not be 

limited to the west bank of the river. For 30 years, plans for reviving the East St. Louis 

riverfront were proposed by a variety of groups and organizations, and the National Park 

Service was heavily involved. [1] In fact, the original concept for the memorial involved the 

incorporation of areas on both sides of the river into the plan. [2] In architect Eero Saarinen's 

words:

We would hope that this side of the river could be developed so that it, too, 

would become part of one great composition. We see it as another green area. 

Besides being part of the whole composition — with the Park and the cityscape 

framing the green oasis of the Park — it would provide a vantage point from 

which to view the Arch and the Court House and the levee buildings and the 

boats; it would make a pleasant backdrop across the river to look at as one sits in 

the restaurant or on its terraces or walks through the park; and it would provide 

additional areas of pleasure for St. Louis citizens and the nation's visitors. [3]

The plan called for forested green spaces, museums, a marina and boat basin, formal gardens 

and landscaping, and an amphitheater along the water's edge, with parking, a grassy 

recreational area, access roads, and a sports stadium on the periphery. [4] Unfortunately, 

obtaining sufficient funds for the west bank development proved to be difficult, and 

Saarinen's plans for the east side were never implemented.

Over the years, however, the idea of an east side park continued to surface. Some proposals 

were motivated by commercial interests. As part of a "Gateway Memorial City," a 12-story 

hotel and private boat dock were suggested for the area. A subsequent plan proposed a 

shopping center, 1,000-room hotel, art museum, museum of science and industry, theater, 

replica of a historic river town, convention hall, and fairgrounds. [5]

A master plan prepared in 1960 for the City of East St. Louis Planning Department called for 

a narrow park surrounded by industrial facilities, and at one point the East St. Louis planning 

department proposed a black heritage museum. In 1966, PACE (Progress and Action 

Through Citizens' Efforts) plans outlined an educational park, transportation museum, and 

athletic fields surrounded by industrial and high density residential areas, with estimated costs 

totalling $750 million. [6]
Official National Park Service (NPS) interest in the study area began in December 1967 

when United States Representative Melvin Price (D-23rd Congressional District, IL) asked 

for an investigation of the historic value of the East St. Louis riverfront as a first step toward 

the creation of a national park. The positive results of the investigation were submitted to 

Secretary of the Interior Walter Hickel on April 24, 1969. In July 1969, Secretary Hickel 

instructed the Park Service to conduct a suitability and feasibility study for such a national 

park. [7]

The East St. Louis landscape as seen from the top of the Gateway Arch. NPS photo 

by Al Bilger.

The result of the NPS study was a proposal for the development of a portion of the East St. 

Louis riverfront. This proposal was submitted to the State of Illinois, which happened to be 

in the process of preparing a proposal for NPS development of a portion of the Shawnee 

National Forest. [8]

The East St. Louis proposal received strong political support from U.S. Senators Adlai 

Stevenson III (D-IL) and Ralph Smith (R-IL) and Representatives Kenneth Gray (D-W. 

Frankfort, IL) and George Shipley (R-Olney, IL). As a result, numerous proposals for 

potential riverfront development were generated by various organizations and agencies, 

including the Metro-East Journal, the Gateway Center of Metropolitan St. Louis, Inc., the 

Regional Industrial Development Council, and the Bi-State Development Agency. [9]

In a 1970 study, the Park Service proposed four alternatives for the east side: a city park; a 

state park; an extension of JEFF; and a national urban demonstration park. [10] The first two 

alternatives were eliminated due to lack of local funding. [11] In 1972, the NPS completed a 

Statement for Management and Planning (Management Objectives), based on the idea of an 

extension of JEFF to serve as an urban demonstration park. In 1974 a draft of a master plan, 

based on the same concept, was prepared for the NPS under contract by R.W. Booker 

Associates of St. Louis. [12] After a review, NPS officials reported that the plan had serious 

flaws and did not adequately justify Park Service involvement. At the same time, however, 

they were careful to explain, especially to Congressman Price, that they were still willing to 

work toward an acceptable solution. Accordingly, the master plan was further enhanced by 

NPS planners at the Denver Service Center. [13]
In January 1975, a furor arose when a national citizens' advisory committee to the NPS 

decided against the plan to expand JEFF. Citing the prohibitive costs of relocating the 

railroad tracks and grain elevator which stood on the east side property, the committee stated 

that the east side was "not suitable for park purposes." This decision brought a storm of 

protest from local proponents of the plan and renewed commitments from Rep. Melvin Price 

to push legislation through Congress. [14]

In response, the NPS maintained that the citizen's committee was purely advisory and that no 

final decisions had been made. In a meeting between NPS officials and Price, the 

congressman conceded the NPS' position regarding the inadequacy of the Booker plan. The 

NPS, for its part, assured the congressman that work would continue. [15]

To make good on that promise, the NPS prepared yet another special study of the east side in

1975. It recommended that a 55-acre area between the Eads Bridge and the Poplar Street 

Bridge, along the riverfront, be acquired; that there be strong cooperation with other current 

area planning; and that a cross-river transportation system be utilized. It was also 

recommended that no NPS development take place until the railroads and industrial facilities 

were acquired or relocated by other parties. The Park Service was still unwilling and unable 

to take on those two formidable projects. [16]

Support for the project grew among politicians and local businesses, however, and Rep. 

Melvin Price refused to give up. In May 1978, he advised the NPS Regional Office in 

Omaha, Nebraska, that the Federal Railway Administration was involved in a gateway 

restructuring plan which could result in removing the railroad facilities. By 1980 this study 

was nearing completion and the project began to attract the attention, once again, of state and 

federal officials. [17] In 1983, Price introduced a bill in Congress that authorized the 

Secretary of the Interior to enlarge JEFF by approximately 350 acres. [18]

Meanwhile, a non-profit, private group called the Gateway Center of Metropolitan St. Louis, 

Inc. was acquiring land which might adjoin a proposed national park site on the east side. It 

was hoped that the NPS would eventually purchase this land as the East St. Louis extension 

to JEFF. Plans for the 50 acres of land included a Museum of Science and Industry, an 

extension of the Museum of Westward Expansion, a Cinerama dome which would show 360 

degree movies, and a geyser jet fountain based on the Jette d'Eau in Geneva, Switzerland, 

which would erupt "to half the height of the Arch at least twice daily . . . " [19] 

Superintendent Jerry Schober remembered the east side project as one of the first issues he 

had to address upon his arrival in St. Louis in 1979:

[The] Regional Director came to me and said, "Jerry, you know they're looking at 

introducing . . . the legislation for the east side. There have been many studies, 

and the Park Service's position has been fifty acres, and I was wondering how 

you felt."

And I said, "Well, I would certainly not support it. . . . Not fifty acres, fifty acres 

would give you a headache. You're gonna have something the size of a thimble 

sitting right in the middle of all sorts of aggravation, it could do only one thing 

and that is to cost the Federal Government big bucks."

And he said, "What would you suggest?"

And I said, "A minimum of two hundred and fifty to three hundred acres. That 

way it takes you back to the berm, it takes in everything over there, not 

necessarily what you've got to buy, but you need to be at a place where you're 

your [own] neighbors." [20]
The prime mover of the Gateway Center project for the east side was St. Louis lawyer 

Malcolm Martin, who met with Illinois Representative Paul Simon on February 13, 1983. 

Simon pitched the idea of a museum of cultural heritage for the site, "patterned somewhat 

upon the famous National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City." Martin liked the idea, 

which received strong congressional support. [21]

As part of the planning effort, $100,000 was authorized by President Ronald Reagan on 

November 5, 1983 for the Park Service to conduct a feasibility study for a Museum of 

American Culture and Anthropology. [22] The study was prepared by the NPS' Denver 

Service Center and the Washington Office Park Planning and Special Studies Division. This 

coincided with Price's latest legislation and was meant to determine if East St. Louis was an 

appropriate location for the proposed museum. [23] The NPS opposed the plan. Richard 

Briceland, acting director of the NPS, told a House subcommittee on November 15, 1983 that 

the East St. Louis riverfront was "not of significant historical value to warrant the creation of 

a national park site," according to St. Louis newspapers. "He also said the plan would be too 

expensive . . . 'The development and cleanup of the East St. Louis waterfront is a worthwhile 

local or regional goal,' Briceland said. 'However, we do not encourage the donation of land to 

the National Park Service, as we understand some have proposed.' His comment drew sharp 

rebuttals from numerous regional officials, as well as five members of Congress from the St. 

Louis area." [24]

On August 24, 1984, President Reagan signed Public Law 98-398, the Jefferson National 

Expansion Memorial Amendments Act, which authorized the enlargement of Jefferson 

National Expansion Memorial to include up to 100 acres on the east bank of the Mississippi 

River in East St. Louis, Illinois. The act was signed despite objections from the Department 

of the Interior. [25]

The decision to expand the park came in recognition of the historical links between the east 

and west riverbanks during the period of United States westward expansion, and because of 

the broad national and international significance and appeal of the Gateway Arch, situated 

directly across the river. An addition to JEFF would complete the "Gateway to the West" 

represented by the Mississippi River and its east and west banks at East St. Louis and St. 

Louis. [26]

To bring a broad cross-section of financial and human resources to this project, Congress 

created the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Commission, and charged it with overall 

responsibility for the development of a plan for the East St. Louis addition to JEFF. 

Accordingly, the NPS submitted a charter for such a commission to the Secretary of the 

Interior. [27] The formation of the commission was delayed while its charter was reviewed, 

and it was not until October 8, 1985 that Secretary of the Interior Donald Hodel appointed 20 

members representing the local, state, and national jurisdictions with an interest in the 

monument and the East St. Louis waterfront. This group contracted with the National Park 

Service to provide technical planning assistance, but decision-making authority remained 

vested in the commission. [28] The commission was mandated by Congress to complete a 

management and development plan to extend JEFF to the East St. Louis riverfront. 

Legislation provided $1 million for land acquisition not to exceed 100 acres in fee; $750,000 

for a visitor center; $350,000 for operating costs; and $500,000 for landscaping and 

renovation to be matched on a dollar by dollar basis with non-federal funds. [29]

Congress specified that the plan address the following topics: the preservation of any historic 

properties or significant natural resources within the area; a determination of how the east 

bank addition should be developed; the capacity of the site to accommodate visitors; any 

potential boundary modifications; commitments to ensure compatibility between 

development, management, and operation of the Illinois and Missouri units of JEFF;
commitments to cooperative activities and funding from federal, state, and local agencies and 

the private sector; and ways of increasing local participation in management. Throughout the 

scope of the plan, Congress called for cooperation between government and the private sector 

in the development of the East St. Louis addition, and for the commission to address the 

larger topic of the aesthetic and economic rehabilitation of the East St. Louis waterfront. 

Costs were borne jointly by the Park Service, state and local agencies, and the private sector. 

Federal funding for the project was limited to $1 million for land acquisition, $750,000 for 

development, and $500,000 for landscaping, providing that the funds were matched dollar for 

dollar with non-federal funds. Congress went on to specify that no plan for the East St. Louis 

site could be approved unless it included "binding commitments" for all non-federal funding 

needed to implement the plan. [30]

Superintendent Schober recalled some of the struggles involved in making the Department of 

the Interior understand the importance of the site:

We [found] out how much commitment Interior was going to have toward [East 

St. Louis] by seeing that it took the Secretary's office almost seventeen months to 

accept the representatives, and yet the planning commission had two years by the 

legislation to get its plan out. When we had our first meeting . . . the 

representative for the Secretary of the Interior was P. Dan Smith. The Park 

Service [felt] two things for him: feared him or hated him. And Danny was 

recognized by the Park Service as a hatchet man. I personally liked him. Danny 

got things done. I had no problem convincing Danny even when he thought he 

was right if he really wasn't. I don't know, maybe he and I just hit it off. Anyway 

Danny came down. Based only on what I'd heard, after listening to him I felt that 

he was going to put an end to [the east side expansion idea] right quick.

And so after the first day's meeting we went out and we looked at the land, and it 

was on a gloomy, gray day, cold, misty. Sure wasn't anything over there that 

would excite you about complementing the park on the west. And yet in the 

hearings, the chairman of the subcommittee on parks was Rep. John Seiberling, 

and his pitch was that there's nothing prettier to see from the east side than to 

look at St. Louis, the Gateway Arch, and the cityscape, it's just beautiful. He said 

that it's just a dang shame that when the west looks to the east, they can't get the 

same picture. And he could see where this small enclave of land would be a 

welcome addition, so he supported it. So we got Danny here with the team, 

representing the Secretary of the Interior, and I think the first thing that we did 

that morning was to take him up in the Arch and let him look out from the 

observation deck at the east side. . . . It looked so dismal, and so gray, and so 

bad; and then we went over there to the east side and experienced it first-hand. I 

said to them, "What you see over here is what you would have seen in the 1940s 

and 50s in St. Louis. That Arch was the catalyst for stopping a departure of 

business from the city, and was the beginning of a great era of development; it 

started with a hundred million dollars and by the time I got here it was one 

billion dollars invested right here in this enclave on the west side. You can see 

what a catalyst the Arch can be; what can happen to a piece of land that looked 

just like the east side at one time."

I didn't know what headway I'd made. We had a cocktail party right after we 

spent the day on the east side. We went to the Holiday Inn, and I could hear 

Danny going to each one of them, saying "I think we ought to have an election."

. . . And so I'm trying to follow him. And he was working the crowd. He was 

great. He never slept. He was always working. That's what I really admired about 

him. And all of a sudden, I'm trying to run along to hear what he's saying, and he
wheels around on me and he says "Jerry, don't you agree with me?" I'd been 

trying to piece it together, and I said "What is that, Danny?" He said "I was 

telling them, I think it's time we elected someone chairman. We should get a 

group here so they can work, but I don't think that anyone elected should be 

someone representing a federal entity such as myself." And I was so relieved, 

and I thought that's just the direction we ought to have. Well he wasn't through. .

. The next morning, we went to the east side and held our meeting at the 

community college, and Danny got up. "I think before we start this meeting, I 

will say something to you. I came here with a bad taste [in my mouth]. I felt like 

this was a boondoggle I couldn't support. I'm still thinking about what I saw 

from the Arch looking at the east side, and when I heard Jerry say: "'What you 

see over there was what you had right here on the west side; look what we can 

do when we work together.'" He said: "I am going back to Washington after I 

leave here, and I'm going to say to the Secretary of the Interior, I think this is 

something we ought to do, and please make me your permanent representative." .

. . He never did anything that I was aware of that was other than what he 

expressed to that group. He pushed, he helped, the sad thing was that he 

transferred out of Interior about three weeks before the package was to be signed 

by the Secretary of the Interior. The Secretary never approved the plan; it was 

unanimously approved by his representative, who was another assistant to the 

Assistant Secretary, and I think his intent was to try to kill it, but he couldn't . . . 

[31]

To fulfill its mandate, the JEFF Commission arranged with the NPS to prepare a 

Development and Management Plan and Environmental Assessment. Although only 100 

acres were authorized for inclusion in the park, an additional 200 were included in the study 

area, to enable the commission to consider compatible use for areas adjacent to the park. The 

boundaries for the study area were set at the river, the Eads and Poplar Street bridges, and 

the I-55/70 interchange. Twenty-five of these acres were freed when the Chessie System 

Railroad closed its switching yard south of the Eads Bridge. [32]

As a first step in the development of a management plan, NPS officials let a contract for data 

collection on October 8, 1985, to TDP/St. Louis, Inc. The final cost of the data package 

totaled approximately $60,000, with a target date of April 1986. [33] Data included the 

identification, evaluation, and preservation of cultural resources, and the preparation of 

development proposals that would best serve the requirements of the NPS and the East St. 

Louis community. [34]

On November 25, 1985, the first meeting of the JEFF Commission was held at the Old 

Courthouse and officers were elected. At a second meeting in March 1986 the commission 

established the scope of the project, and allocated $50,000 to the NPS for the planning 

process. Public meetings were held in St. Louis and East St. Louis during the summer of

1986, enabling the commission to develop six possible planning alternatives. Approximately

1,500 copies of a planning booklet were distributed, and comments and recommendations 

were solicited. [35]

The alternatives were designed to represent the numerous concerns identified by the public 

and by local, state, and federal agencies. They focused on the proposed 100-acre addition to 

JEFF, but also suggested appropriate uses for adjacent lands. By December 1986, the 

National Park Service completed its Draft Development and Management Plan, which 

described how each alternative might be implemented and analyzed for environmental 

impact. [36]

The alternatives considered were:
(1) A Gateway Park, which proposed an open green area on the east bank as a 

backdrop and viewing platform for the Gateway Arch. The emphasis was placed 

on the scenic and open space values of the site, which, cleared of intrusive 

structures, revegetated, and improved with walkways and scenic overlooks, 

would provide magnificent unobstructed views of the Arch.

(2) A Gateway Monument favored the vision of a complementary monumental 

feature on the east bank directly across the river from the Arch. Like the Arch, it 

was suggested that the proposed memorial be selected by an international design 

competition sponsored by the JEFF Commission, a recognizable monumental 

feature which would attract visitors to the east bank.

(3) A proposed Gateway Museum enhanced the value of the site by creating a 

new cultural resource. Two museum options were considered. A "world-class" 

museum provided a focal point and attraction for drawing national and regional 

visitors to the east bank, and would be managed by a non-profit organization and 

operated by a staff of eminent museum professionals. Another option was the 

extension of JEFF's Museum of Westward Expansion, to be operated by the 

NPS.

(4) A Gateway Heritage Park was planned which focused upon the diverse 

cultural and natural resources of the area, and helped visitors to understand the 

historic events that occurred there and their relationship to the story of American 

westward expansion. Multiple attractions were combined in a pleasing park 

environment that enhanced views to both the east and west.

(5) A Gateway Plaza mixed commercial uses with open space to attract visitors 

and residents of the community and region. Existing structures were utilized for 

commercial purposes and the emphasis was placed on developing the site's 

economic potential. [37]

While the Commission developed these plans, work progressed on the museum suitability 

study. On June 26, 1986, the NPS selected Economics Research Associates of Vienna, 

Virginia, to undertake the study. A work session was held in St. Louis on July 8-9, 1986, 

with a theme identification/description session on August 18-19.

The NPS provided two potential themes, falling under the general heading of American 

Culture and Anthropology: the contribution of ethnic groups to the development of the 

United States, and the relationship of Native Americans to their environment. The objective 

of the session was to gather a small group of museum specialists, NPS personnel, and other 

interested parties to discuss these themes, and decide if they represented viable concepts for a 

major museum. The final study was completed in January 1987, and four theme alternatives 

were proposed:

A "First Americans Museum" examined the movement of American Indian 

peoples and the adaptation problems associated with this movement prior to 

European contact.

A "Museum of American Settlement" told the story of Euro-American and 

African-American immigrants, their settlement patterns, cultural interaction and 

change.

A "Museum of American Landscape and Man" studied the North American 

landscape and its changes under human settlement; and
A "Museum of American 20th Century Culture" dealt broadly with a "nation in 

motion." [38]

At its December 6, 1986 meeting, the Commission selected the Gateway Museum (number 

three, above) as its preferred alternative, and a draft plan was presented for public review. 

The Commission removed the museum proposal from the draft development and 

management plan, however, at its next meeting on February 27, 1987. It stated that although 

it supported the concept of a museum as part of the future development of the east bank 

addition, it believed that decisions on the nature, design, and financing of the museum were 

beyond its authority. The Commission instead opted for a phased approach to the 

development and management of the East St. Louis site. [39]

Initial priorities were the acquisition of the 100 acres for inclusion in the memorial, site 

clearance, construction of a visitor promenade, formal landscaping, and development of easy 

access to the site. Under the terms of the proposal, the memorial boundary included the entire 

Mississippi River shoreline between Eads Bridge and the Poplar Street Bridge with the park 

oriented to the east-west axis of the Gateway Arch. During phase one, a central plaza would 

be developed, with an elevated paved promenade extending to the north and south, parallel to 

the river. The levee bank would be maintained as a grassy slope. The riverfront landscaping 

would mirror the existing west bank design with paved surfaces and formal plantings, 

providing a pleasant place to walk between the levee and the river. Commercial riverboats 

offering dining, entertainment, and perhaps lodging could be moored at the north end of the 

site. [40] During phase two the public sector, or a private non-profit organization, would 

develop and operate a museum on the site. The museum building would be a prominent and 

attractive feature on the East St. Louis skyline, designed though an international competition 

to enhance but not compete with the Arch. A lengthy period of time would probably elapse 

before the required funding was available for phase two. [41]

The interpretive focus during phase one would be the history of the east bank site and its 

relationship to the story of westward expansion. Wayside exhibits and programs would be 

available along the promenade. Topics would include the first Mississippi ferry, the historic 

Illinoistown site, the railroad terminus on the east bank, Eads Bridge, the Arch as a 

monument to westward expansion, and Mississippi River ecology. During phase two, the 

cultural and interpretive values of the site would be greatly expanded by the addition of the 

museum. [42]

The plan won strong support from the U.S. congressional delegation, Illinois Governor James 

R. Thompson, Missouri Governor John Ashcroft, and from numerous business leaders in East 

St. Louis and St. Louis. On May 28-29, 1987, two public meetings were held to review the 

plan, and the public response was generally favorable. The final plan was completed on 

September 16, 1987 and transmitted to the Secretary of the Interior. [43]

In February 1988, further progress was made when the City of East St. Louis promised

$300,000 to assist in the development of the park, and announced that it would sign over the 

streets and other city-owned facilities in the park area. In addition, the Gateway Center of 

Metropolitan St. Louis, a private non-profit organization, stated it was prepared to donate to 

the National Park Service 52 acres that it had acquired on the east bank. [44] On April 20,

1988, Illinois Governor James Thompson wrote to the Secretary of the Interior to inform him 

of key commitments by the State, namely the creation of the Southwest Illinois Development 

Authority (SWIDA), an independently-appointed commission with the ability to develop 

non-park areas of the East St. Louis riverfront. One of SWIDA's primary responsibilities was 

the purchase and development of the 200 acres surrounding the proposed park. [45]

In June 1988, the Director of the National Park Service sent the Development and
Management Plan to Secretary of the Interior Donald P. Hodel. In July, Hodel forwarded it 

to the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the House of Representatives, and to the 

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the U.S. Senate. He did not, however, 

officially approve it. Explaining his position, Hodel stated that " . . . the acquisition of 

binding commitments has proven to be an elusive goal. . ." Because of this Hodel could not 

give his approval " . . . until those commitments are obtained, pursuant to the law." [46]

In an attempt to get around this obstacle, new legislation was introduced in the House of 

Representatives on April 18, 1989, by Congressmen Jerry Costello, William L. Clay, and 

Richard Gephardt, that removed the size limitation on the addition, allowed acquisition of 

state lands by means other than donation, authorized increased funding for land acquisition, 

and eliminated the "binding commitment" provision. This allowed the NPS to formally 

certify the new park without necessarily tying up all the loose ends. [47]

In the meantime, Representative Costello and Senators Alan Dixon and Paul Simon (IL) met 

with the new Secretary of the Interior, Manuel Lujan, and were told that the site would be 

designated if the property was donated and there were no environmental problems. In 

September 1989, the Illinois Governor's office agreed to request the State Environmental 

Protection Agency to perform toxic chemical surveys on the site. [48]

In February 1990 SWIDA accepted 17 acres from the Gateway Center, and other land from 

the Southwest Regional Port District to hold in escrow. On April 5, St. Louis businessman 

Bill Maritz met with President George Bush and White House Chief of Staff John Sununu, 

and sought their support for designation of the site as a national park area. On April 16, the 

Illinois EPA completed its environmental assessment (Level II and III surveys) on the 17 

acres, which indicated that no toxic chemicals existed on lands proposed for 

donation/acquisition. [49]

Proponents of the east side expansion saw an opportunity to achieve their goal by capitalizing 

on the symbolism of the 25th anniversary of the completion of the Gateway Arch, October

28, 1990. [50] They were at least partially successful in their efforts. On October 28, in a 

public ceremony, NPS Director James Ridenour and Earl Lazerson, Chairman of SWIDA, 

signed a Memorandum of Understanding, to which Secretary of the Interior Lujan added his 

signature on November 1. In the agreement, SWIDA promised to acquire land for donation 

and to obtain binding financial commitments required for final approval. Lujan promised to 

designate the site once the lands were donated. [51]

In a further development, in November 1990, SWIDA obtained permission from the 

Terminal Railroad Association and Continental Grain, two of the largest landholders on the 

east side, for an environmental analysis of their lands. Union Electric and the City of East St. 

Louis also gave permission for testing to be performed on their property. [52] Superintendent 

Schober recalled:

I don't think the Secretaries of the Interior, (and you notice I made it plural), ever 

totally were made aware of what was here. I don't think they ever made a 

decision that was with any real understanding. . . . Yes, that Southwest 

Development Organization is out there, but it's now functioning just as 

development . . . There can be jobs where parks come. I can't think of a place in 

America where there is a National Park or some kind of park, that we haven't 

escalated the cost of the land, that we haven't been a benefit to the community. 

And we could very well do it here. The biggest thing that you have to do in 

communities like East St. Louis . . . is to show them that this park is in their 

community, it is not their park alone. The minute it becomes their park alone, it 

means no more than any city park in America, and that doesn't draw people from
anywhere. If this was Forest Park II on the west side, how many people are going 

to leave Paducah, Kentucky, and run here and see a city park? . . . When they 

come to St. Louis, the Arch is their Arch, just as much as it's St. Louis' Arch. 

That's very difficult — you have to keep helping them retain a vision of the big 

picture for the east side. [53]

Representative Jerry Costello (D-Belleville, IL) introduced a bill to require the Federal 

Government to extend JEFF to the east side on July 17, 1991. This bill was signed by 

President George Bush on August 26, 1992. The bill designated the site of the new park, 

authorized as much as $2 million to acquire the site, and removed a requirement of the 1984 

law that East St. Louis make "binding commitments" to help pay for operating the park. The 

bill required a 25% local match in funds for park development, similar to the original 1935 

agreement for JEFF. The approval of this bill was the potential beginning of a new era for 

JEFF, opening the way for Saarinen's dream of extending the park across the river, and 

revitalizing the purpose of JEFF as an urban park area. East St. Louis Mayor Gordon Bush 

was quoted as saying that the park would be "the vanguard . . . in the rebirth" of his city. 

JEFF Superintendent Gary W. Easton said that "the City of East St. Louis has almost nothing 

except opportunities, and the expansion of the park is seen as a major contributor to the city's 

future." The 1990s promised to be a dynamic decade at JEFF as this dream unfolded. [54]
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER TWELVE:

Footnotes

1Development and Management Plan and Environmental Assessment, Proposed East St. 

Louis Addition to Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, Illinois/Missouri, August 1987, 

National Park Service, Introduction. Reading this document is an indispensable step in 

understanding the reasons for considering an east side expansion and the plans for its 

implementation. See especially pages 4-7 of the study.

2See plans for Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, 1948, by Eero Saarinen and Dan 

Kiley, copy, JEFF historian's files. See also the original Architectural Competition for the 

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Program, 1947, which states on page 13: "it seems 

not unreasonable to anticipate, however remotely, if river front cultural, educational, and 

recreational activities are developed to the extent hoped for by the Government, the City, and 

the Association, that the east bank of the Mississippi, in East St. Louis in the State of Illinois, 

which forms the landscape background of the River, will ultimately be incorporated in the 

Memorial . . . " The extension of the memorial to the east side of the river was mandated in 

the original architectural competition, and Saarinen and Kiley drew up plans which showed 

development on both sides of the river.

3Early plans for the east side of the river are detailed in East St. Louis Riverfront

Suitability/Feasibility Analysis, 1970, p. 41, JEFF File D18.

4Development and Management Plan, pp. 4-7.

5Ibid.

6Ibid.

7Jefferson National Expansion Memorial — East St. Louis Extension Data Report, 1986, p.

21, JEFF File D18.

8Ibid., p. 22.

9Ibid.

10Suitability/Feasibility Analysis, 1970, p. 41.

11See East St. Louis Suitability Study, JEFF, August, 1970, in the JNEM Archives, Record

Unit 106, Box 35, Folder 21.
12East St. Louis Riverfront Master Plan/Draft Environmental Statement, JEFF, 1974; JEFF 

File D18.

13Letter from Manager, Denver Service Center (DSC) to Rep. Melvin Price, July 31, 1974; 

memo from Regional Director to Manager, DSC, August 6, 1974; letter from Associate 

Director, Legislation, to Price, October 4, 1974; memo from JEFF Superintendent LeRoy 

Brown to Regional Director, October 21, 1974; letter from Price to Regional Director, 

December 13, 1974, all File D18, JEFF.

14See the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 19 and 20, 1975; and Metro-East Journal, 

January 20, 1975. Price introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 14,

1975, which authorized the Department of the Interior to enlarge JEFF by not more than 50 

acres. On November 10 of that year, the Midwest Regional Office of the NPS opposed the 

bill due to constraints in staffing and funding, but at the same time citing the fact that the 

railroad tracks would have to be cleared from the area. The East-West Gateway Coordinating 

Council Task Force called upon the NPS to meet with St. Louisans before rejecting the idea; 

St. Louis Globe-Democrat, February 6, 1975. Newspaper articles referenced in this chapter 

may be found in the Newspaper Clippings File, JNEM Archives.

15Memo of phone call from Rep. Price's administrative assistant to the Executive Assistant to 

the Regional Director, January 20, 1975; memo to Programs File from Programs Officer, 

March 10, 1975; JEFF File D18.

16Special Study East Bank Extension of JEFF, NPS, 1975; memo from Associate Director to 

Regional Director, Midwest Region, January 15, 1975; memo from Regional Director to 

Associate Director, Legislation, November 10, 1975; all JEFF Files D18.

17Memo from Legislative Counsel to Deputy Assistant, Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and

Parks, October 6, 1980; JEFF File D18.

18H.R. 6620, February 26, 1980, copy, JEFF File D18.

19"E. St. Louis riverfront redevelopment gets boost," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, February 7,

1983, pp. 1A and 8A; "Park Vision For Illinois Riverfront," St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial, 

February 13, 1983.

20Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992, by JEFF 

Historian Bob Moore.

21"A dream across the river," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 6, 1983, p. 9A.

22"East St. Louis museum study OK'd by Reagan," Belleville (Illinois) Democrat, November

6, 1983.

23Draft Task Directive, Museum of American Culture and Anthropology, January 1984; copy, 

JEFF File D18.

24"U.S. Agency Opposes Plan For Illinois Riverfront Park," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 

November 15, 1983, pp. 1 and 9A; "Area officials go to bat for E. Side park," St. Louis 

Globe-Democrat, November 16, 1983.

25
Letter to Director, Office of Management and Budget, from Assistant Secretary of the 

Interior, July 11, 1984; Public Law 98-398, August 24, 1984, copy in File D18, JEFF. For 

more on the objections of the Department of the Interior and the Reagan Administration to 

the proposal, see "U.S. calls memorial expansion plan a scheme for urban renewal," St. Louis 

Globe-Democrat, March 13, 1984, p. 3A; and "Congress OKs Bill Expanding Arch Memorial 

To E. St. Louis," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 1, 1984, pp. 1 and 9A. For more on the 

signing ceremony, which took place in Chicago while President Reagan attended a

convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, see "Reagan To Sign E. St. Louis Arch 

Expansion Bill," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, p. 4A.

26JEFF Amendments Act of 1984, Public Law 98-398; see Appendix D of this administrative 

history.

27Memo to Secretary of the Interior from Director, NPS, December 26, 1984. While plans 

moved forward on the Federal Commission, Illinois Governor James Thompson created his 

own "Riverfront Task Force" to work toward feasible plans for riverfront development. "The 

goal is to create in Illinois the same kind of dynamic economic growth we see in the St. 

Louis area," said Thompson. See "East St. Louis riverfront is focus of new task force," St. 

Louis Globe-Democrat, August 16, 1985, pp. 1A and 11A; "2-Part Push For East St. Louis 

Riverfront," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 16, 1985, pp. 1 and 4.

28Midwest Region FY 86 Budget Briefing Statement, February 20, 1985, JEFF File D18.

29JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1985, p. 1; Superintendent's Annual Reports may 

be found in JEFF File A2621. "E. St. Louis Riverfront Park Gets Go-Ahead," St. Louis PostDispatch, March 22, 1985, p. 3A.

30Memo from Supervisory Landscape Architect and Supervisory Historian, Northeast Team, 

DSC to Assistant Manager Midwest/Rocky Mountain Team, DSC, August 5, 1985, JEFF File 

D18.

31Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

32"Land Freed For E. St. Louis Park," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 9, 1985, p. 7A; memo 

from Supervisory Landscape Architect and Supervisory Historian, Northeast Team, DSC to 

Assistant Manager Midwest/Rocky Mountain Team, DSC, August 5, 1985, JEFF File D18.

33Trip Report from Supervisory Historian, Northeast Team, DSC, October 9, 1985, JEFF File

D18.

34Draft Task Directive, East St. Louis Development and Management Plan, October 1985, 

JEFF File D18.

35Planning Issues and Options, Proposed East St. Louis Addition, August 1986; JNEM 

Commission Report, October 1986, both File D18, JEFF; the Commission's reports were 

similar to newsletters and were mailed to interested citizens in 1986 and 1987; see also 

"Taking dream across the river," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, November 27, 1985, p. 4A; "60-

Acre Limit Is Sought For East St. Louis Park," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 29, 1986; 

"Memorial's expansion open to discussions," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 14, 1986, p.

18A; "People gather under the Arch to talk about expansion plan," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, 

August 15, 1986, p. 7A. In addition to the two public meetings of August 14, 1986 in St. 

Louis, and August 15, 1986 in East St. Louis, a booth was operated in the JEFF visitor center 

by the Commission to inform interested visitors about the proposed East Side expansion.
36The final Development and Management Plan was not completed until August, 1987. See 

"Plan to extend Arch park delayed 1 year," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 12, 1986, p. 12A; 

"Arch Park Extension May Begin in 2 Years," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 12, 1986, p. 4B.

37Planning Issues and Options, Proposed East St. Louis Addition, August 1986; JNEM 

Commission Report, October 1986, both File D18, JEFF.

38Suitability Study for a Museum of American Culture and Anthropology, January 1987, JEFF 

File D18.

39Memo to Members, JEFF Commission from DSC, March 8, 1987, JEFF File D18.

40Development and Management Plan, 1987, pp. 15-16.

41Ibid.

42Ibid., p. 19.

43Trip Report from Section Chief, Branch of Planning, DSC, June 3, 1987; letter to Secretary 

of the Interior from JEFF Commission, September 16, 1987, JEFF File D18. Secretary of the 

Interior Donald Hodel was cautious about the plan during a visit to St. Louis on December

10, 1987. See "Hodel Cites Questions On E. St. Louis Park," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 

December 11, 1987, p. 4C.

44Letter from President, Gateway Center to Secretary of the Interior, February 23, 1988, JEFF 

File D18; "Plan to Expand Arch Park Grounds to Illinois Gets Twin Boost," St. Louis PostDispatch, February 23, 1988.

45Letter to Secretary of the Interior Donald Hodel from Governor Thompson, April 20, 1988; 

JEFF File D18.

46"Hodel Backs Park For East St. Louis," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 14, 1988; memo from 

NPS Director to Secretary of the Interior, June 17, 1988; letter from Secretary of the Interior 

to the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, September 15, 1988, JEFF File D18; JEFF 

Superintendent's Annual Report for 1988, p. 1; News From Paul Simon, U.S. Senator, July 8,

1988, JEFF Historian's Files.

47H.R. 2028, April 18, 1989, copy, JEFF File D18; JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for

1989, p. 1.

48 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 27, 1989; letter from Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan 

to Costello, August 17, 1989, JEFF File D18.

49Memo from Executive Director to Chairman, SWIDA, May 4, 1990; Briefing Statement for 

Secretary of the Interior, April 12, 1990, both JEFF File D18; JEFF Superintendent's Annual 

Report for 1990, p. 4.

50"Push Is On To Extend Arch Park," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 8, 1990, pp. 1 and 10A; 

and "Expand Park For Arch's 25th Birthday," editorial, July 10, 1990. The Collinsville 

Herald (Illinois) of July 12, 1990, expressed the opinion that the stalled project "would have 

proceeded long ago had it involved an area other than East St. Louis. Yet that beleaguered
city will not see better days until it is viewed as an integral part of this metropolitan area, 

with its successes and failures helping and hurting all of us."

51JEFF Statement For Management, 1991-1992, pp. 12 and 30, JEFF File D18.

52Letter from SWIDA Chairman Earl Lazeron to JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, 

November 1, 1990, JEFF File D18.

53Interview with former Superintendent Jerry Schober, September 25, 1992.

54"Costello ready with expansion bill," Belleville News-Democrat, July 15, 1991, p. 3; 

"Measure Seeks Extension Of Arch Park," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 18, 1991; "E. St. 

Louis Park Project OK'd," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 7, 1992; letter, Superintendent 

Gary W. Easton to Robert L. Page, College of Architecture and Design, Seaton Hall, 

Manhattan, Kansas, September 30, 1992, JEFF File D18. A copy of the east side legislation 

may be found in Appendix D of this administrative history.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

Unusual Events and Occurrences at Jefferson

National Expansion Memorial

As the facts and figures in this administrative history have shown, the Gateway Arch is a 

unique place. Because it is different, unusual, and looms so large as both structure and 

symbol, the urge to challenge, "conquer" or use it for the personal exhilaration and/or 

aggrandizement of individuals has been strong since it was built. The Arch receives a 

tremendous amount of attention on its own, and, it is reasoned, has the potential to draw 

attention to an individual or a group in the same way. The administration of Jefferson 

National Expansion Memorial, aware of the symbolic nature of the Gateway Arch and the 

potential for misrepresentation of bureau, department, and governmental aims and goals 

through its use/misuse, have been extraordinarily careful about permissions granted to 

individuals, groups, and corporations.

Some uses of the Gateway Arch have been impossible to control, for example, the 

unfortunate temptation of aircraft pilots to fly between the legs of the structure. The 

completed Arch was less than a year old when the first plane flew through on June 22, 1966. 

Two planes did it in December 1969, on the 12th and 17th. Other flights were made on April

16 and October 8, 1971, November 2, 1977, January 30 and February 5, 1981, and February

26, 1982. By far the most dangerous, the 1977 flight was detailed by the St. Louis GlobeDemocrat. The pilot flew at night, without lights, proceeding up Market Street at an altitude 

of 50 feet, "just above the street lights," through the Arch and on across the river. The danger 

to people in the Arch, on the grounds, on the streets and in other buildings was very great. A 

helicopter flew through on April 6, 1984; the pilot was identified and brought to justice by the 

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This flight made a total of eleven confirmed flythroughs prior to 1991. [1]

The other major way in which people tried to "conquer" the Gateway Arch was by scaling it 

and/or parachuting from it. The first instance of this behavior ended in tragedy. On Saturday, 

November 22, 1980, at approximately 8:55 a.m., Kenneth Swyers of Overland, Missouri, 

"was seen parachuting above the Gateway Arch. It appeared that Swyers landed on top of the 

Arch and that he was thrown off balance when the wind caught his parachute. Swyers' 

parachute deflated and [he] fell down the North Leg of the Arch. Approximately [half-way] 

down Swyers attempted to deploy his auxiliary parachute, however it failed to open and 

Swyers landed on his head on the concrete terrazzo. Swyers was pronounced dead at the St. 

Louis City Hospital at 0950 hours." [2]

The 33-year-old Swyers requested permission to make a parachute jump in the vicinity of the 

Arch on August 21, 1980, which was denied by Charles Ross, special assistant to the 

superintendent. Swyers watched a television program the night before his death which
showed daredevil acts of parachute jumping. Swyers was himself a parachute enthusiast who 

had made more than 1,600 jumps, and on the morning of his death, he left a note for his wife 

to come to the Arch to photograph his jump. Few park employees or visitors were on the 

grounds before 9:00 a.m. in late November when Swyers made his jump. Park Technician 

Lisa Hanfgarn, hurrying to get to work on time, thought she saw an object fall down the 

North Leg of the Arch as she entered the doors to the complex. She reported this to Seasonal 

Park Technician Liz Schmidt (of the law enforcement division), who was monitoring the 

north entrance doors. Schmidt went outside to discover the body of Swyers lying in the midst 

of his parachutes, and immediately radioed to law enforcement rangers requesting assistance, 

an ambulance and the city police. Two St. Louis city policemen, who witnessed the jump 

from Wharf Street, arrived on the scene and documented the fatal injury to Swyers. An 

ambulance was on the scene by 8:59 a.m. Mr. Swyers' wife was on the grounds at the time of 

the accident and saw her husband fall to his death. She came forward at the accident scene, 

viewing her husband's body and eventually covering his face with his parachute. A large 

crowd gathered, composed of visitors, police and medical personnel. Park Technician 

Schmidt later testified that the weather was blustery, cold and windy, and that it was not a 

good day for a jump, near the Arch or elsewhere. The FAA was immediately notified, and an 

investigation eventually turned up the pilot who ferried Swyers over the Arch to make his 

fatal jump. As a result, Richard Skurat of Overland, Missouri had his pilot's license 

suspended for 90 days by the FAA in December 1980. [3]

Other requests or attempts at similar stunts, despite the tacit warning of Mr. Swyers' tragic 

death, continued throughout the decade. At 7:15 a.m. on October 29, 1983, Ranger Roger 

Cleven noticed a man trying to climb the north leg of the Gateway Arch, wearing suction 

cups on his hands and feet. The man had ascended about 20 feet, but Cleven was able to talk 

him out of continuing. The following day, this same man, 21-year-old David Adcock of 

Houston, Texas, scaled the Equitable Building in downtown St. Louis dressed in a blue suit 

and blue fright wig. Adcock intended to parachute from the building, but attracted such a 

crowd, including St. Louis police and fire companies, that after scaling the building he 

rapelled to the ground instead. Adcock used the alias "Skip Stanley, the Blue Bandit." He was 

apparently quite serious about climbing the Arch; he had given a batch of T-shirts to vendors 

outside Busch Stadium (there was a football game on the Sunday of his climb) which read 

"1983 Arch Climb." [4]

In February 1986, Hollywood stuntman Dan Koko requested permission to make a free-fall 

jump from the top of the Gateway Arch on the 4th of July, during the Veiled Prophet Fair. 

Koko held the world record for successfully jumping free-fall (into large cushions without a 

parachute); he jumped from a height of 326 feet off a Las Vegas hotel roof in 1984. 

Permission for the jump was denied by the park. [5]

In addition to stunts, the Gateway Arch has been a magnet for the famous. Due to the 

security considerations posed by its enclosed space, however, visiting U.S. Presidents have so 

far not been allowed by the Secret Service to travel to the top. On August 24, 1979, President 

Jimmy Carter made a speech on the St. Louis riverfront, immediately after disembarking 

from the Delta Queen riverboat. In his speech, the President recognized the 10-millionth paid 

visitor to ride the tram to the top of the Gateway Arch. [6] Presidents Gerald R. Ford and 

Richard M. Nixon arrived on the grounds by helicopter, to keep appointments in other parts 

of town. Then-Vice President George Bush visited the park for the VP Fair in 1988. President 

Reagan spoke at a rally on the Arch grounds on November 4, 1984. None of these Presidents 

entered the visitor center complex or rode to the top of the Arch, however. [7]

The only President or former President to ride to the top of the Arch was Gen. Dwight D. 

Eisenhower. Since it was Eisenhower who authorized construction of the memorial on May

17, 1954, his visit was fitting in many ways. [8] On November 13, 1967, Gen. Eisenhower
was scheduled to speak in St. Louis at a fundraising dinner for Congressman Tom Curtis. 

Eisenhower was returning home to his Gettysburg, Pennsylvania farm, and had a rigid 

itinerary for his St. Louis visit. Before the dinner, a trip to the new Gateway Arch was 

planned. This involved a brief 15-minute stop, during which the general could look up at the 

monument and chat with a reception committee from the Jefferson National Expansion 

Memorial Association. The committee presented Gen. Eisenhower with several mementoes 

(still in the collection of the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas), including a 

replica of the Arch, a JEFF medallion, and a brochure. [9] Eisenhower was also greeted by 

Superintendent LeRoy Brown and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Harry Pfanz, who had met 

the general during the time Pfanz was historian at Gettysburg National Military Park. [10]

Gen. Eisenhower arrived an hour ahead of schedule, and at some point decided to take a ride 

to the top. [11] It was after closing time, and no visitors were in the complex. Eisenhower 

was taken into the Arch visitor center by LeRoy Brown and Dr. Pfanz, who accompanied him 

to the top. Dick Bowser, the designer of the Arch tram system, was also tapped to help with 

the trip, as special arrangements had to be made for the general. Because of Eisenhower's 

heart condition (he was 77 years old at the time), he did not walk down the stairs to the load 

zone, but a tram was brought to the upper level, and Eisenhower entered the first capsule 

through the maintenance access door. [12] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that 

Eisenhower "called it a 'remarkable experience,' but said he was sorry he was unable to see 

the entire city because of cloudy weather." The general enjoyed his visit tremendously. 

Curious and intrigued by technology, he stayed much longer than his itinerary allowed. Dick 

Bowser pronounced the general a "very nice man, not like some

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Courtesy Eisenhower National Historic Site,
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

VIPs who have come through the Arch. He kept saying something like 'this is very unusual' 

or 'this is very unique.'" [13] As a postscript to the story, Eisenhower's military aide, Col. 

Robert Schultz, remarked in a letter of November 24, 1967, that the visit to the Gateway Arch 

"had loused up the whole schedule" of the general's visit to St. Louis. [14]

Many famous people, politicians and celebrities have visited the Gateway Arch. In addition 

to those covered in the chapter on the VP Fair in this administrative history, the Arch has also 

played host to the Vienna Boy's Choir, [15] entertainer Johnny Carson, and His Royal 

Highness Charles, the Prince of Wales, who not only toured the Arch complex and rode to 

the top, but also attended a reception in his honor at the Old Courthouse. Prince Charles' visit, 

on October 21, 1977, was sponsored by the St. Louis Chapter of the English Speaking Union 

and the Council on World Affairs. [16]

H.R.H. Prince Charles of Great Britain in the Museum of Westward Expansion, 

October 1977. NPS photo.

Marine environmentalist Jacques-Ives Cousteau docked his famous vessel, the Calypso, on 

the Mississippi below the Gateway Arch in 1983. Cousteau stayed in St. Louis for three days, 

promoting an awareness of river ecology. [17] Of interest to the Park Service and the site 

were the visits of Conrad Wirth, 85-year old former director of the NPS, [18] and Susan 

Saarinen, daughter of architect Eero Saarinen. [19]

The JEFF Public Affairs Office received several unusual requests each year. Brief examples 

of these included a children's author who wanted to take the hero of his books, "Josh the 

Wonder Dog," to the top of the Arch; [20] an offer to clean and polish the entire stainless 

steel surface of the Arch with a product called Primo Polish; [21] the suggestion that the 

Bulgarian-born artist Christo "wrap" the Arch with cloth as he had other landmarks; [22] and 

a request that the American flag be placed atop the Arch, proposed by one American 

Legionnaire and rejected by the American Legion Central Executive Committee. [23] All of 

these requests were denied. Throughout its history, it has been the goal of the Park Service 

and its managers to maintain a dignified image for the Gateway Arch, as a symbol of the 

country's westward expansion.
A rally for President Gerald Ford was held on the Arch grounds, October 29, 1976.

NPS photo.

Many symbolic events were allowed to take place on the grounds. The Gateway Arch was the 

St. Louis area centerpiece for the "Hands Across America" celebration on May 25, 1986. At 2 

p.m. local time, people across the United States linked hands in a dramatic gesture to fight 

hunger and homelessness. [24] Another unforgettable scene took place as the Olympic Torch 

arrived in St. Louis and was carried past the Arch by gold medal winner Wilma Rudolph on 

June 6, 1984. The torch was on a 9,000 mile journey from New York to Los Angeles for the

1984 summer games. [25] Two religious zealots, an Englishman named John Buckner and

American Robert Spelman, trekked across the United States carrying a 140-pound cross in

1984. They were photographed on the Arch grounds on September 19, 1984. [26]

Rallies of all kinds have taken place on the grounds, from a pro-defense rally featuring a 

speech by the Rev. Jerry Falwell in 1984, to a group participating in a world-wide event 

protesting "nuclear insanity" in 1983. [27] "Owners and sellers of satellite dishes, frustrated 

by what they say is a growing prejudice against them," rallied under the Gateway Arch on 

March 4, 1986, "in preparation for a protest march on Washington, D.C." St. Louis was the 

rendezvous point for satellite dish owners and distributors from throughout the Western 

United States. [28] In a more sobering political rally, Koreans demonstrated against the 

Soviet Union after the downing of a South Korean passenger plane in 1983. [29] These 

rallies illustrated the fact that, less than ten years after its completion, the Arch was accepted 

as a national symbol and adopted as a place where people from St. Louis and the nation felt 

they could make a statement about national and international issues.

The Arch trams were used in a special offer made by the Monsanto Corporation to fight the 

infant disease "crib death," or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). During October 1986, 

Monsanto donated 20 cents for every person who rode the Arch tram to SIDS Resources, Inc. 

This fund-raiser provided for 40% of the SIDS resources education programs for 1987. [30]

In an unusual educational application of the Gateway Arch, Ken Smith, a civil engineering 

teacher at Florissant Community College, led an annual walk up the 1,076 steps of the Arch 

with his students, who learned at first hand about the construction and mathematics of the 

structure. Smith led his first trip up in 1971, and continued an unbroken annual pilgrimage to 

the interior of the Arch for 13 years, with the exception of 1983, when budget problems on
the part of the NPS canceled the trip. [31]

An anti-ERA rally on the Arch grounds, 1983. Photo courtesy John Weddle.

The Gateway Arch has been used repeatedly in advertising. Even before its completion in

1965, the Arch appeared on all manner of objects and business logos in the St. Louis area. 

[32] The "Arch-Grounds Seed Mix," distributed by the Mangelsdorf Seed Company, sported 

an image of the Arch on the package and proved very popular, especially in the St. Louis 

area, where the carefully-kept Arch grounds were much admired. [33] The Arch was featured 

in many local television commercials, most notably by the appliance-selling Slyman 

Brothers. Through the use of a chroma key and blue background, the brothers were made to 

look as though they were perched atop the Arch. A carpet discount house in Illinois named 

"Queen O' Tiles" featured its spokespersons on a "flying carpet" done in much the same 

manner. But the Gateway Arch has not been featured in local commercials alone. In 1990, a 

request from a Japanese company, Asahi Glass, involved placing a lightweight replica of the 

statue "The Thinker" by Rodin atop the Arch for a television commercial. The request was 

denied, although the company used shots of the Arch in their ad. [34]
Advertisement for "Arch Grounds Seed Mix."

As the landscaping was completed and the trees began to mature, the grounds of the Gateway 

Arch became important as a lunchtime walker's and runner's haven to those who worked 

downtown, an escape from the pressures of the office and the claustrophobic encirclement of 

downtown buildings. Recreationists even created and photocopied homemade maps of the 

Arch grounds, which plotted the distances of each path and showed ideal runner's routes. 

"Around the Arch, we regulars walk resolutely," reported one of them. "By now, we know 

each other's first names, employers, marital status and opinions. . . . Awhile ago, I stopped 

one of the rangers and gave him the diagram so he could tell people how far as well as how 

high. 'Well, thanks. If anyone asks, I'll know now,' he said. [The ranger] stared up the great, 

glinting sculpture. 'One lady just stopped me the other day and told me she thought it looked 

like a giant striding into the future.' The woman concluded her article by stating: "Nice job, 

Eero, nice job. You captured us perfectly." [35]

These words seem to summarize the feeling a human being has when visiting the Gateway 

Arch. It is bigger than life. It changes its appearance with the weather, time of day, and the 

seasons. It is a unique symbol, seen in different ways by different people, and used — most 

of all used. The Arch is at once local, national, and international. Jefferson National 

Expansion Memorial provides a stage for so much of the pageant of humanity within St. 

Louis' urban grid, whether it be daily life, annual events, or the interpretation of the history of 

St. Louis, the West or America. Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is more than a park, 

a historic site, or a monument. It is an experience.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

Footnotes

1"Flight Under Arch Draws Angry Outcry From FAA," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 23,

1966; "Plane Is Flown Through Arch One Year After FAA Warning," St. Louis PostDispatch, June 23, 1966; "FAA to Extend Arch Pilot Hunt Over the Nation," and "Wanton 

Disregard for Life," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 24, 1966; "Hunt Narrowing for Pilot 

Who Flew Under Arch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 25, 1966; "Workers Call Noise 

Deafening When Plane Flew Through Arch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 29, 1966; 

"Another Pilot Flies Through Arch Legs," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 17-18, 1971; 

"FAA Seeks Plane Fact: Did One Fly Under Arch?" St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 25, 1971; 

"Fifth Light Plane Flies Through Gateway Arch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 9, 1971; 

"Another Plane Shoots Arch," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 9, 1971; "Plane Threads 

The Needle at Gateway Arch," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, November 3, 1977; "Pilot 

Navigates Through Arch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 3, 1977; "Arch fly-through a 

dumb trick, official says," St. Louis Globe Democrat, November 4, 1977; "Plane seen flying 

through Arch," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, February 27-28, 1982; "Latest pilot to fly through 

Arch is identified," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, May 12-13, 1984; and "FAA Ready to 

Prosecute Pilot For Flying Under Arch In April," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 15, 1984. In 

addition to these ten fly-throughs, a helicopter with a suspended bank of nine cameras, 

owned or rented by the Walt Disney Corporation, was allowed to fly through the Arch in

1974, apparently with the permission of the superintendent's office; see St. Louis GlobeDemocrat, August 21, 1974.

2Case Incident Report number 80-11, 11/26/80, JEFF File A7623, JEFF historian's office.

3Board of Inquiry Report Into the Death of Kenneth Swyers, November 22, 1980; JEFF 

document, December 4, 1980; JEFF File A7623, JEFF historian's office. See also "Parachutist 

Killed In Jump Onto Top Of The Arch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 23, 1980, p. 1; 

"FAA Seeks Parachutist's Pilot" and "Arch always fascinated jumper, wife says," St. Louis 

Globe-Democrat, November 24, 1980, p. 1; "Chutist was denied permission for jump," St. 

Louis Globe-Democrat, November 25, 1980; "Friends Continue to Deny Sky Diver Aimed 

For Arch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 26, 1980, p. 8A; "Arch Has Tempted 

Daredevils Ever Since Its Completion," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 30, 1980, pp. 1 

and 7; "Pilot grounded," St. Paul Dispatch (Minnesota), December 18, 1980.

4"Human fly's climb gives grid fans an early show," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 31,

1983, pp. 1 and 10A; "Stunt Man Scales Equitable Building," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 

October 31, 1983; "Climber Surprised By Police Anger," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November

1, 1983; and "Blue Bandit 'outraces' police warrant here," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, 

November 1, 1983.
5"High Jumper — Hollywood Stuntman Eager To Leap Off Gateway Arch," St. Louis PostDispatch, February 12, 1986; and "Arch jump won't get off ground," St. Louis GlobeDemocrat, February 13, 1986. In 1980, the park received a request from the That's Incredible 

television program to conduct a similar type of stunt. See "TV show had sought stunt jump 

from Arch," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, November 25, 1980. On September 14, 1992, John 

C. Vincent of New Orleans successfully scaled the outside of the Arch with suction cups 

during the night, and jumped off with a parachute at 7 a.m. This jump will be covered in its 

entirety in the next JEFF administrative history.

6"President Visits Riverfront," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 26, 1979.

7Interview with JEFF Chief Ranger Deryl Stone, September 29, 1992, by JEFF Historian Bob 

Moore. See Chapter 3, The VP Fair, in this administrative history for more on the visit of 

George Bush to the park. See also "Reagan to appear at rally at Gateway Arch Sunday," St. 

Louis Globe-Democrat, November 1, 1984; and "Bob Hope Joining Reagan At Arch," St. 

Louis Post-Dispatch, November 4, 1984.

8JEFF Administrative History, 1935-1980, Sharon A. Brown, p. xxxi.

9Information from Herb Pankratz at the Eisenhower Presidential Library, telephone interview, 

July 30, 1992.

10Information from Dick Bowser, designer of the Arch tram system, telephone interview by

Bob Moore, August 5, 1992; and telephone interview, Dr. Harry Pfanz, August 9, 1992.

11St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 14, 1967, p. 3A

12Interview with Dick Bowser, August 5, 1992. The North Tram was the only tram running at 

this time; it was opened on July 24, 1967. Finish work in the load zone was not completed at 

this time. The South tram was opened March 19, 1968, and the North was shut down to 

complete the load zone area. Both trams began simultaneous operation on May 18, 1968.

13Ibid., and St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Nov. 14, 1967.

14Herb Pankratz, quoting a letter of Col. Robert Schultz, written November 24, 1967.

15St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 29, 1984; the visit was on February 28.

16"Prince Charles," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 22, 1977.

17"Cousteau's Calypso docks beneath Arch," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 30, 1983.

18Wirth was director of the National Park Service from 1951 to 1964, and stood by the 

construction of the Arch during early controversies. See "Early Backer Of The Arch Makes 

Late Visit To Top," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 4, 1985.

119Susan Saarinen, aged 42 at the time of her visit, rode to the top of the Arch for the first 

time. She was quite taken with the structure, which had not seemed so unique or important at 

the time that she was growing up. According to newspaper reports, as she was leaving the 

Arch, she said "'Thank you, everyone' . . . to a group of companions. Then, glancing back 

over her shoulder, 'Thank you, Daddy.'" Her parting line has become legendary in JEFF's
history. See "Saarinen Finds Dad's Arch 'Neat'," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 29,

1987.

20Letter, Superintendent Gary Easton to Richard Stack, File A3821, JEFF Files.

21Letter, Superintendent Gary Easton to Ron Jackson, File A3821, JEFF Files.

22"Gateway Arch May Be Centerpiece Of Spectacle For Fall Arts Festival," St. Louis PostDispatch, May 9, 1984, p. 10A; "Wrapping The Arch," in Letters to the Editor, Ibid., October

31, 1985.

23"American Legion opposes U.S. flag on top of the Arch," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, 

November 3, 1982, p. 6A.

24"Arch Likely To Be Area Centerpiece For Joining 'Hands Across America'," St. Louis PostDispatch, January 31, 1986. Rock star Chuck Berry played to a crowd of 1,500 people on the 

riverfront below the Arch on May 11 to raise funds for the event; see "Chuck Berry's Fans 

Lend A Hand To Event," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 12, 1986, p. 8A.

25"Olympic Torch To Pass Through City Wednesday," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 3, 1984.

26"Completing a vision," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, September 20, 1984, p. 8A.

27"600 here denounce nuclear 'insanity'," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 24, 1983; "Prodefense rally gaining momentum," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, September 26, 1984; and 

"Peace Through Strength backers rally," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 1, 1984. Another 

anti-nuclear rally, the "Bethlehem Peace Pilgrimage," was held on September 12, 1982; see 

the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, September 8, 1982.

28"Satellite dish owners, sellers to rally at Arch," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 4, 1986, 

p. 4A.

29"Koreans March At Arch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 1983.

30"Trip to the top of the Arch aids fight against crib death," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, 

October 10, 1986, p. 10A.

31"Teacher Makes 11th Trek Up The Arch's 1,076 Steps," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December

15, 1983.

32An exhibit for the park's 25th anniversary highlighted many of these objects. See the 

section on exhibits in Chapter 9, Interpretation, in this administrative history.

33Advertisement, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 14, 1984, Section E, p. 2. See also the 

section on Grounds Maintenance, Chapter 4 of this administrative history.

34Letters, Ken Hatano, Unit One, Inc., to Superintendent Jerry Schober, and Schober to 

Hatano, February 28, 1990, File A9027, JEFF Files. Another Japanese ad was filmed at the 

Arch in 1992. See letter, Superintendent Gary W. Easton to Yas Matsuura of SIZE, Inc., 

February 7, 1992.

35"An Arch Look At Fitness," by Florence Shinkle, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Magazine,
October 28, 1990, p. 25.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Altemus, Jim (ed.) "Roundup Rehabs National Park Lawns," Roadtalk St. Louis: 

Apublication of the Monsanto Corporation on Roadside Vegetation Management, Vol. 2, No.

1, 1988

Arbogast, David and Thomas Bush, Historical Architects, and Richard Ortega, Architectural 

Historian (Engineering) "Survey of the Condition of the Old Courthouse, JEFF"; Omaha, 

Nebraska: MWRO, NPS, December 5, 1975.

"Arch of Triumph; The Gateway Arch At 25," St. Louis Post-Dispatch Magazine, October

28, 1990

Belden, Bauman L. Indian Peace Medals in the United States, 1789-1889, (reprint of 1927 

edition) New Milford, Connecticut: N. Flayderman and Company, 1966

Belleville News-Democrat, Belleville, Illinois. The articles cited may be found in the JEFF 

Newspaper Clippings Files, JNEM Archives.

Boothe, F. Norton Ulysses S. Grant, in the Great American Generals Series, New York: 

Gallery Books, 1990

Bowser, Richard B. "Jefferson Memorial Arch, A Panel," Building Research, Sept-Oct. 1964, 

copy in JEFF Historian's Files. This article was based on a transcript of interviews with Dick 

Bowser and four other participants in the design and engineering phases of the Arch 

construction.

Brown, Sharon A. Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Administrative History, 1935-

1980, St. Louis, Missouri: JEFF, U.S. Government Printing Office, June 1984

Bryan, John A. "Preliminary Draft, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Administrative 

History," (Undated); a copy of this important document is located in the JEFF Library 

Vertical File, VF-JNE-050.

Caselli, David "The Dirty Story of the Underground Museum's Roof," Courier, 

Newsmagazine of the National Park Service, Volume 37, Number 4, April 1992

Chemical Hotline "Nonselective chemical renovates Gateway Arch Grounds," February 1981, 

St. Louis: a publication of Monsanto Agricultural Products Company. Copy, JEFF Historian's 

Files.

Cities Reborn, St. Louis, Missouri: Urban Land Institute, 1986
Collinsville Herald, Collinsville, Illinois. The articles cited may be found in the JNEM 

Newspaper Clippings Files, JNEM Archives.

Conrad Schmitt Studios "The Courthouse, Research, Documentation, Restoration," 

promotional folder, copy, Old Courthouse Interpreter's Files.

Conrad Schmitt Studios Decorative Paint Analysis of the Old Courthouse, Spring, 1985, 

report on contract #CX-2000-4-0015, JEFF Library, Ref. 333.71 CON

Courier, Newsmagazine of the National Park Service, Volume 37, Number 6, June/July 1992

Dewey, Tom JNEM Library Operating Policy, October, 1992

DeYampert, Rick "A Monumental Task" Daytona News Journal, Daytona, Florida, October

14, 1990, copy in Vertical File, JEFF Library, VF-JNE-151.

Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (third edition, 1975)

Drew, John L. III The Veiled Prophet's Gifts: A Saint Louis Legacy St. Louis: Khorassan

Press, 1985

Dunlap, Jeff "'America's Biggest Birthday Party,' the Ten Year History of the VP Fair", for

St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Memorandum of June 11, 1990, JEFF Historian's Files.

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Washington, D.C.: November, 1990

Federal Records Center, Kansas City Missouri, including: 

File 79-89-0003, Box 3; Box 4 (D18); Box 5 (D22)

File 79-89-0004, Box 1 (H3015) 

File 79-89-0006, Box 9 (D22) 

File 79-89-0007, Box 2 (H3015)

File 79-90-0002, Box 4; Box 6 (H3015)

Grant, Jesse Root In the Days of My Father, General Grant New York: Harpers Brothers,

1925.

Grant, Julia Dent The Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant (Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant), John

Y. Simon, editor, Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press, 1975

Grant, Ulysses S. Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant; Selected Letters 1839-1865, originally 

published in 1885, reprinted by Literary Classics of the United States, New York: Library of 

America, 1990

Gravois-Watson Times The articles cited may be found in the Vertical File, JNEM Library; 

VF-GRA-031 and 032.

Grosby-Bergey, Jane "Folklife Program: Guidelines; Jefferson National Expansion

Memorial," attachment, 1981 JEFF Annual Statement for Interpretation

Guide to Monitoring Clearwing Borers, Needham Heights, Massachusetts: Albany

International, Controlled Release Division, 1990
Hafen, LeRoy R. (ed.) The Mountain Men and the Fur Trade of the Far West Glendale, 

California: Arthur H. Clark, 1965

Hall, Eleanor, "The High School Program at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial" NPS 

Interpretation, Summer 1990

Hannibal Courier-Post, Hannibal, Missouri. The articles cited may be found in the JEFF 

Newspaper Clippings Files, JNEM Archives.

Hartzog, George Jr. Battling for the National Parks Mt. Kisco, N.Y.: Moyer Bell Ltd., 1988

Henderson, David G. Historic Structure Report, Old Courthouse, Architectural Data Section, 

Phase II: Exterior Preservation Denver, Colorado: Denver Service Center, National Park 

Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, September, 1985

Hoppe, Nancy "Current Events at the Old Courthouse," September, 1980, copy, JEFF 

Historian's Files; also published in Gateway Today, the JEFF newspaper, Summer, 1981.

Hughes, Mary V. "Memorandum;" MWRO Landscape Architect, to Associate Regional 

Director, Planning and Resource Preservation, MWRO August 8, 1991, on a trip to Dan 

Kiley's Studios in Charlotte, Vermont, June 8-9, 1991. Historian's Files, JEFF

Jackson, James P. "The Greening of St. Louis" American Forests, September/October 1989

Jacobs, Jim "Pest Control," Briefing Paper, 1989; internal document, JEFF, 1989, JEFF 

Historian's Files

Jacobs, Jim "Integrated Pest Management," JEFF Newsletter, April 1992

Jacobs, Jim "Grounds Maintenance Labor Breakdown," internal document, JEFF, 1991, JEFF 

Historian's Files

Jamieson, Melvill Allan Medals Awarded to North American Indian Chiefs, 1714-1922, and 

to Loyal African and Other Chiefs in Various Territories Within the British Empire London:

1936

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Archives Annual Report for 1989, JEFF 

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Archives Annual Report for 1990, JEFF 

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Archives Master Plan, JEFF, March 1988

Jester, Margo "Peace Medals," American Indian Traditions, Vol. 7 No. 5

JEFF Park Files, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, St. Louis, Missouri; including: 

A42(710):

Annual Report on National Park Service Cooperating Associations, Fiscal Year

1991

A7615:

Annual Emergency Medical Services Reports, for 1988, (January 24, 1989); for

1989, (February 13, 1990); for 1990, (February 17, 1991); for 1991, (February
19, 1992)

Emergency Operations Plans

1991 Annual Safety and Health Report Summary" 

D18:

East St. Louis Riverfront Suitability/Feasibility Analysis, JEFF, 1970

East St. Louis Riverfront Master Plan/Draft Environmental Statement, JEFF,

1974

Special Study East Bank Extension of JEFF, NPS, 1975

H.R. 6620, February 26, 1980

Draft Task Directive, Museum of American Culture and Anthropology, January

1984

JEFF Statement for Management, 1984

"Preliminary Notes on Arch Parking Facility, 16 Feb. 1984" 

Public Law 98-398, August 24, 1984

Draft Task Directive, East St. Louis Development and Management Plan, 

October 1985

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial - East St. Louis Extension Data Report, 

JEFF, 1986

Planning Issues and Options, Proposed East St. Louis Addition, August 1986

JNEM Commission Report, October 1986

Suitability Study for a Museum of American Culture and Anthropology, January

1987

H.R. 2028, April 18, 1989

JEFF Statement for Management, 1991-1992

H1417(418):

Memorandum from NPS Chief Historian Edwin Bearss and Bureau Historian 

Barry Mackintosh to Superintendent Jerry Schober, March 17, 1986; on the 

official name of JEFF.

JEFF Historian's Files, Historian's Office, Old Courthouse, Jefferson National Expansion

Memorial, including:

Case Report number 80-11, 11/26/80, JEFF File A7623

Development and Management Plan and Environmental Assessment, Proposed

East St. Louis Addition to Jefferson National Expansion Memorial,
Illinois/Missouri, National Park Service, August 1987

Gateway JEFF Park Newspaper, 1981

Gateway Guide, Fall 1984

Interpretive Prospectus, JEFF, 1960

Interpretive Prospectus, Old Courthouse, JEFF, 1971

"JNEHA Annual Report, October 1, 1981 - September 30, 1982" 

"JEFF Museum Education Brochure 1980-1981"

"JEFF Museum Education Brochure 1983-1984" 

"JEFF Museum Education Brochure 1989-1990"

JEFF Operations Evaluation, May 1982; NPS Midwest Regional Office

JEFF Park Newsletter, April 1992

JEFF Statements For Interpretation, 1981, 1985-1991

JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports, 1980-1991; also JEFF Files A2621

Letter, Dick Bowser to Eero Saarinen and Associates, March 28, 1962 (copy) 

"Museum of Westward Expansion, A Preview for Members of the Press,"

August 1976, part of an NPS press kit issued for the opening of the MWE; 3 

pages.

"Museums for Today," Architectural Record, July 1972

News From Paul Simon, U.S. Senator, July 8, 1988

JEFF Library Vertical Files

JNEM Archives, including currently uncataloged material, Office of the

Superintendent Records, post-1968

JNEHA 25th Anniversary Report, St. Louis: Jefferson National Expansion Historical

Association, 1990

JNEHA (Ray Breun) Files: Material relating to the purchase of White Haven for the Ulysses

S. Grant National Historic Site

Keiser, Thomas K. "The St. Louis Years of Ulysses S. Grant," Gateway Heritage, Magazine 

of the Missouri Historical Society, Winter 1985-86

Layton, Ruth "St. Louis Riverfront Revisited 1933-1964," Landscape Architecture, April,

1964; copy JEFF Library Vertical File, VF-JNE-147

Lindenbusch, Historic Structure Report, Historic Data Section, Part I, and Historic Grounds 

Study, Old Courthouse, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial; Denver, Colorado: Denver 

Service Center, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1982
Little, Kimberly M. ULSG Historic Resource Study, Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, 

St. Louis, NPS, 1993

McNeely, Jennifer "The Veiled Prophet: A St. Louis Tradition," JEFF Museum Gazette, 

September, 1991

Moore, Bob "Video and Accessibility: A Tool For the Future," NPS Interpretation

Mott, Gene "Project Diaries, JEFF Landscaping" 1970-1971, JNEM Archives and copy, JEFF 

Historian's Files.

Murphy, Kevin "Thanksgiving at White Haven" South County News-Times, November 17-

23, 1989.

Newman, Paul Task Directive - Old Courthouse Interior Dome Repairs, June 1983, NPS, 

Denver Service Center; JEFF File D18

North St. Louis Community News The articles cited may be found in the JEFF Newspaper

Clippings Files, JNEM Archives.

Patterson, John "Accomplishments HVAC 1989" internal document, JEFF; copy, Historian's

Files, JEFF

Porter, Horace Campaigning With Grant, New York: The Century Company, 1897, also 

reprinted, New York: DaCapo Press, 1986

Primm, James Neal Lion of the Valley Boulder, Colorado: Pruett Publishing Company, 1981

Prucha, Francis Paul The Great Father: The United States Government and the American

Indians, Volume I Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1984.

Prucha, Francis Paul Indian Peace Medals in American History, Madison, Wisconsin 1971

Prucha, Francis Paul "Peace and Friendship, Indian Peace Medals in the United States" 

(exhibition catalog) Washington, D.C.: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution,

1985

Richter, Tom and Ivan Tolley JEFF Accessibility Self-Evaluation, February 29, 1988

Riverfront Times articles, 1984-1991. The articles cited may be found in the JEFF Newspaper

Clippings Files, JNEM Archives.

Ronscavage, John "Award Nomination, Presidential Design Awards, National Endowment 

for the Arts" proposal by John Ronscavage, former landscape architect with Denver Service 

Center (DSC), 1988; copy, JEFF Historian's Files

Simon, John Y. and Paul Siemer "The House That Grant Built - Hardscrabble," Missouri

Life, Volume 7, Numbers 2 and 3, May and August of 1979

Simon, John Y. "Grant at Hardscrabble," copy in the vertical file, JEFF Library, File VF 

GRA 003

St. Louis Post-Dispatch articles, 1967-1991. Most of these articles may be found in the JEFF 

Newspaper Clippings Files, JNEM Archives.
St. Louis Globe-Democrat articles, 1975-1986. Most of these articles may be found in the

JEFF Newspaper Clippings Files, JNEM Archives.

South County Journal, St. Louis County, Missouri. The articles cited may be found in the

JEFF Newspaper Clippings Files, JNEM Archives.

Southwest County Journal, St. Louis County, Missouri. The articles cited may be found in 

the JEFF Newspaper Clippings Files, JNEM Archives.

Trela, Richard "Survey of Murals, Old Courthouse," Feb. 1985, Conservation of Works of

Art, Provo, Utah; copy in Curator's Office, JEFF.

Wells, Christy L. and Joyce A. Williams, A Report of Archeological Monitoring of Parking 

Facility Construction at JNEM, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, 1985; JEFF File 

D3415.

Whaley, David "No Vacation: Working their summer under the Arch" Granite City (Illinois) 

Press-Record, August 22, 1985

Personal interviews conducted by Bob Moore, JEFF Historian:

Bilger, Al; JNEHA Audio-Visual Production Specialist, July 17, 1992

Bowser, Richard B.; Inventor and Designer of Arch Tram System, June 9 and 11, 1992

Collier, Shad; JEFF Custodial Foreman, April 3, 1992

Collins, Lonnie; JEFF Maintenance Division, July 23, 1992

Engler, Mark; Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation, JEFF, January 25, 1993

Hall, Eleanor; Park Ranger, JEFF, July 28, 1992

Jacobs, Jim; JEFF Grounds Foreman, and Tim Burns, Work Leader; April 3, 1992

Kelly, Robert; JEFF Facility Manager, March 26 and 28, 1992

Kiley, Dan; Landscape Architect, October 21, 1991

Patterson, John; Building Services and HVAC Foreman, JEFF, April 1 and July 28, 1992

Richter, Tom; Assistant Chief of Interpretation, Midwest Regional Office, September 4, 1993

Siller, Susan; JNEHA Education Specialist, December 18, 1992

Swift, Dan; Exhibit Specialist, JEFF, December 21, 1992

Thomas, Kathryn; Curator, JEFF, several interviews

Ziino, Richard; Park Ranger, JEFF, December 18, 1992

Weddle, John; Criminal Investigator, JEFF, October 3, 1993

Personal Interviews Conducted by Former JEFF Historian Mike Capps:
Schober, Jerry; JEFF Superintendent, 1979-1991, April 11, 1991

Siller, Susan; JNEHA Education Specialist, May 1991

Telephone Interviews conducted by Bob Moore, JEFF Historian:

Ballard, John; NPS, Denver Service Center, July 28, 1992

Baker, Nancy; Landscape Architect, DSC, April 1, 1992

Bowser, Richard B.; Inventor and Designer of the Arch Tram System, August 5, 1992

Holland, Jim; NPS, Denver Service Center, July 28, 1992

Hunter, Michael; Chief, NRSO, April 19, 1992

Kunkel, Ray; Chief of Maintenance, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park

Mayo, Charles; Chief of Interpretation, National Park Service, September 30, 1993

Nixon, Jennifer; Director of Business Development, Bi-State Development Agency, 

September 12, 1993

Pankratz, Herbert; Archivist, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, GSA, Abilene, 

Kansas, July 30, 1992

Pfanz, Dr. Harry; former Superintendent JEFF, 1968-1971; August 9, 1992

Ronscavage, John; former landscape architect with Denver Service Center, May 26, 1992

Schober, Jerry; former JEFF Superintendent, September 2, 1993

Tolley, Ivan; former Chief Ranger, Law Enforcement, JEFF, October 3, 1993

Walsh, Molly; Public Information Officer, St. Louis Union Station Incorporated

Wilt, Rick; former JEFF Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation, 1980-1987, December

17, 1992

Oral History Interviews; tapes and transcripts available in the JEFF Park Library:

Bowser, Richard B.; Inventor and Designer of Arch Tram System, October 8, 1993

Breun, Raymond A.; Executive Director, Jefferson National Expansion Historical

Association, October 9, 1992

Kiley, Dan; Landscape Architect, July 22, 1993

Murphy, Dan; former Supervisory Park Ranger, JEFF, June 23, 1993

Schober, Jerry; former JEFF Superintendent, 1979-1991, May 8 and September 25, 1992

Stone, Deryl B.; JEFF Chief of Law Enforcement and Safety, October 13, 1992
Oral History Interviews; transcripts available in JEFF Historian's Files:

Richter, Tom; Oral history interview with Tom Richter, Chief Ranger, Harry S Truman

National Historic Site, by Pamela Smoot, historian, Midwest Regional Office, November 15,

1985. Transcript copy, historian's files, JEFF
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

APPENDIX A:

Chronology of Events, JEFF, 1980-1991

1980 The City of St. Louis informs the National Park Service that it intends to build a $12 

million parking garage on the north end of the memorial grounds, but is unable to sell 

the necessary revenue bonds.

JEFF begins the observance of Black Heritage Month in February in an effort to better 

acknowledge the contribution of African-Americans in the settlement of the West and 

St. Louis history.

On April 15, restoration work on the Old Courthouse lantern is completed; this 

includes the repair of damage caused by the June 1979 fire.

On the first weekend in May, the first Storytelling Festival is held at JEFF, sponsored 

jointly by the park and the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

15% of more than 2 million visitors to the Arch attend interpretive programs at the

Museum of Westward Expansion.

A report by the regional law enforcement specialist notes the inadequacies of JEFF's 

protection division. This leads to reorganization and expansion of the division.

1981 JEFF's museum education program becomes involved with the St. Louis Public 

Schools' Partnership Program. The goal is to provide a unique learning opportunity for 

students outside the classroom.

On July 4, the first Veiled Prophet Fair is held on the Arch grounds; attendance is 

estimated at more than 1.5 million people.

On August 28, the exterior restoration of the Old Courthouse from the base of the 

lantern to the main roof is completed; this includes the lantern balustrade, main dome, 

and upper and lower drums. Paint is removed by applying crushed walnut shells under 

high pressure; this method has less impact on the historic fabric of the building.

White Haven is placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

1982 Bi-State Development Agency agrees to sell $8.5 million in bonds to finance a parking 

garage on the north end of the memorial grounds.

1982 NPS Chief Librarian David Nathanson completes a study of JEFF's library and 

archives collection.

From April 2 to August 29, JEFF hosts a major exhibition of work by western artist

Charles M. Russell.
1983 The JEFF Interpretation Division publishes the first issue of Gone West!; publication is 

continued until 1985.

The last Frontier Folklife Festival is held at JEFF; funding is no longer available.

In March the contract for building the Arch parking garage is awarded to Fred Weber, 

Inc., of St. Louis.

On March 15, U.S. Representative Melvin Price introduces a bill to authorize the

Secretary of the Interior to enlarge JEFF to the Illinois side of the Mississippi.

1984 JNEHA appoints Ray Breun as its first Executive Director.

In February, archeological monitoring at the parking garage construction site begins 

and is continued until January of 1985. No significant resources are found.

On April 30, a contract is awarded to WVP Corporation for A/E services to determine 

the causes of deterioration of the terrazzo entrance ramps at the Arch, and to propose 

solutions.

On August 24, President Ronald Reagan signs Public Law 98-398, the Jefferson 

National Expansion Memorial Amendments Act, which authorizes the Secretary of the 

Interior to designate up to 100 acres on the east side as an enlargement of JEFF. It also 

mandates the creation of a Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Commission to 

develop a plan for the east St. Louis addition.

On September 26, a contract is awarded to Ed Jefferson Contracting Company to 

replace the terrazzo surfaces on the Arch entrance ramps with granite blocks and to 

install an electrical ice melt system under the walks.

1984 On September 28, the interior restoration of the Old Courthouse dome begins. It 

includes replastering and an investigation to determine the best means of preserving 

the decorative painting and the restoration of a selected decorative design scheme in 

the upper rotunda and main dome. A later modification calls for a full color rendering 

of the 1880 design scheme by Ettore Miragoli.

1985 The museum education staff begins a revision of the entire program to make it 

coincide more closely with Missouri curriculum requirements.

The City of St. Louis passes an ordinance prohibiting all glass containers at the VP 

Fair. This substantially reduces the incidence of problems with broken glass.

JNEHA interpreters begin working in the Museum of Westward Expansion.

In February, JEFF installs an energy management system to monitor the park's energy 

use.

On July 12, Midwest Construction, which had been awarded the contract for the Old 

Courthouse interior restoration, declares bankruptcy. The contract is terminated and the 

project finished by the security company, the Integon Indemnity Company, in January

1986.

On July 28, the next phase of the Old Courthouse restoration is completed. This 

includes rehabilitation from the level of the cornices to the foundation: paint removal 

and repainting; repair and replacement of wood and glass; and replacement of 

stonework.
On November 25-26, the first meeting of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

Commission is held.

In December, JEFF accepts the donation of a major collection of American Indian 

peace medals.

1986 JNEHA interpreters begin staffing the Old Courthouse in order to keep it open to the 

public. This is necessitated by NPS budget cuts, and accomplished by JNEHA's 

assumption of the theater operation at the Arch. A fee for the movie is instituted, and 

the proceeds help to fund the Old Courthouse positions.

1986 The Summer Education Experiences (S.E.E.) program is first offered by JEFF. This 

makes education programs available year round.

JEFF develops an education program with the Stix Investigative Learning Center, a

Magnet School for gifted students.

On May 6, the Arch parking garage is officially opened.

1987 On May 27, Treeland Nurseries completes a contract to replace plants on the Memorial 

grounds.

On June 26, the Regional Director, Midwest Region, requests Jefferson National 

Expansion Memorial to undertake a study of the White Haven site to develop 

alternative management strategies.

On June 27, White Haven is designated a National Historic Landmark.

On December 8, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Commission holds its 

fourth meeting and the NPS presents six development alternatives for consideration. 

The Commission selects the Gateway Museum/National Museum alternative, assuming 

it is feasible.

On December 19, Treeland Nurseries completes a contract for the replacement of dead 

trees on the Memorial grounds.

The four St. Louis History galleries are opened in the Old Courthouse.

A wheelchair lift is installed at the west entrance of the Old Courthouse to provide 

accessibility to the first floor of the building.

1987 A contract for A/E services is awarded to Zurheide-Hermann, Inc. to determine the 

sources of water intrusion at the Arch complex and propose a solution. The project is 

expanded in 1990 to include repairs to the structural systems and asbestos removal.

The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Commission drops the museum idea from 

their proposal.

In July, arrangements are made between the National Park Service and IMAX for the 

production of a movie in the wide-screen format for the second theater at the Arch.

1987 The museum education program begins offering traveling trunks.

In September, a non-NPS Education Coordinator and five education interpreters are 

hired by JNEHA.

The Division of Law Enforcement is reorganized and the number of commissioned 

rangers doubled.
The first "Scout day" is held for area Boy Scouts.

From June to August, the Interpretation Division conducts its Union Station Urban 

Initiative Project as a way to bring the National Park system to the urban residents of 

St. Louis. Fifteen rangers representing eight NPS regions and 12 individual parks 

present interpretive programs.

On September 17, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Commission submits 

the final Development and Management Plan to the Secretary of the Interior.

A full inventory of the park's museum collection is completed.

1988 The first "Scout Day" is held for area Girl Scouts.

The JEFF Archives are formally created and the park hires its first professional 

archivist. Funding for the position is provided by JNEHA.

Air conditioning is installed in the first floor galleries of the Old Courthouse.

On March 21, U.S. Representative Richard Gephardt introduces a bill into the House 

of Representatives for inclusion of White Haven in the National Park System.

In May, JEFF begins collecting a $1.00 per person entrance fee.

In August, the Interpretation Division produces the first issue of the Museum Gazette.

In August, Woodward-Clyde Consultants begin a geotechnical analysis to determine 

the effect of constructing a second theater in the Arch complex, and decide there will 

be no detrimental effects.

1988 On September 15, in a letter to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial 

Commission, the Secretary of the Interior says: "Because the acquisition of binding 

commitments has proven to be an elusive goal, I must withhold my final approval until 

those commitments are obtained, pursuant to the law." The Interior Department further 

outlines 14 steps that are necessary for the plan and states, "This will take years to 

accomplish."

On October 6, Senators John Danforth and Christopher Bond introduce legislation in 

the Senate to establish White Haven as a national historic site.

By December, 6,015 recataloging worksheets are completed for the JEFF museum 

collection, and 966 accession records and 5,390 catalog records are computerized.

1989 Bi-State assumes collection of NPS entrance fees as part of their centralized revenue 

collection and ticketing system. This leads to a major remodeling of the ticket area.

The carpeting in the Museum of Westward Expansion is replaced.

The Law Enforcement Division is reorganized and re-named the Division of Law

Enforcement and Safety.

In July the deal with IMAX for a wide-screen projection system is canceled because of 

a disagreement concerning the projectors; IMAX wants to rent them, the NPS wants to 

buy them.

In September, the University of Missouri-Rolla and the National Park Service sign a 

Memorandum of Agreement for use of a high pressure water jet for rock excavation 

for the second theater.
JNEHA funds the park's first full-time librarian position.

By December, 90% of the park's museum collection records have been computerized. 

"Victorian Christmas at the Old Courthouse" has its biggest year so far, with special

children's programs, noontime concerts, and evening candlelight tours.

The NPS signs a contract with Lucasfilms for the development of a script for a film 

about westward expansion entitled "Gateway America."

1990 All park Emergency Operations Plans are rewritten.

The High School Education Program is initiated; its success leads to the High School

Intern Program.

In June the film project with Lucasfilms is canceled due to the inability to find 

corporate sponsors to finance the production.

On October 28, NPS Director James Ridenour, Chairman of the Southwest Illinois 

Development Authority Earl Lazerson, and Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan, 

sign a Memorandum of Understanding whereby SWIDA promises to acquire land on 

the east side of the Mississippi for donation to JEFF and to obtain binding financial 

commitments required for final approval. Lujan promises to designate the site once the 

lands are donated.

Work begins on the repair of the roof of the Arch visitor center. All soil is removed 

and a waterproofing membrane installed.

1991 With the outbreak of the Gulf War with Iraq, tighter security measures are introduced 

to reduce the threat of terrorist attacks. Access to the Old Courthouse and the Arch is 

restricted with magnetometer check points.

The Interpretation Division purchases the Ventura Desktop Publishing system to 

facilitate more in-house production of publications.

In May, JEFF is accepted into the Educator Career Internship Program.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

APPENDIX B:

Annual Visitation Figures, 1980-1990

1980 1,969,801

1981 2,325,272

1982 5,746,256*

1983 6,369,640*

1984 1,711,193

1985 2,141,516

1986 2,324,967

1987 2,511,644

1988 2,633,513

1989 2,673,562

1990 2,539,592

*Includes figures for VP Fair event. These figures subsequently were not included in the 

year end totals.

Source: Monthly Public Use Reports kept on file in the office of the Museum Services and

Interpretation Division.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

APPENDIX C:

Chronology - East Side Expansion Effort

Compiled by Michael A. Capps

1960 The City of East St. Louis Planning Department calls for a narrow park on the 

riverfront, surrounded by industrial facilities, and also proposes a black heritage 

museum.

July 1964 The Illinoistown master plan for the east side riverfront is published. It 

recommends establishing a complex for education and recreation on a 524 acre 

site across from Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.

1966 The PACE plan for urban development is designed to transform East St. Louis.

This is prepared under the sponsorship of local civic organizations and focuses 

on the potential of the riverfront. It outlines an education park, transport 

museum, and athletic fields surrounded by industrial and high density residential 

areas. A dollar figure of $750 million is based on 1966 estimates.

March

1967

Dec. 11,

1967

Relocation of the railroad tracks and facilities is proposed. An analysis is made 

of ways through which the railroad can be relocated; this advocates the 

development of the east side as a natural adjunct to JEFF.

United States Representative Melvin Price (R-IL) asks for an investigation of the 

historic value of the East St. Louis riverfront as a first step toward the creation 

of a national park.

April 24, The results of the east side investigation are submitted to Secretary

1969 of the Interior Walter Hickel.

July 1969 Secretary Hickel instructs the National Park Service to conduct a 

suitability/feasibility study for an east side national park.

1970 The NPS completes a suitability/feasibility study. It proposes four alternatives: a 

city park; a state park; an extension of JEFF; and a national urban demonstration 

park. The first two are dropped from consideration due to lack of local funding. 

It is concluded that the east side cannot stand alone as an entity of national 

significance; thus an extension of JEFF is the recommended proposal.

1972 The NPS completes a Statement for Management and Planning (Management

Objectives) based on the selected alternative.

1974 The NPS contracts with R.W. Booker Associates to produce a master plan based 

on the selected alternative. The Midwest Regional Office of the NPS 

recommends that the NPS not proceed with the plan.

1975 The NPS prepares a Special Study of the East Side, cooperatively funded by the 

City of East St. Louis. Identified actions that could potentially increase NPS 

involvement are: the acquisition of a recommended 55 acre area between Eads
Bridge and the Poplar Street Bridge, along the riverfront; strong cooperation 

with any other area planning; a cross-river transportation system; no NPS 

development will take place until the railroads and industrial facilities are 

acquired or relocated by other parties. In general, the NPS is not enthusiastic 

about the project; cost estimates are approximately $25.3 million.

March 15, Rep. Melvin Price introduces a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to

1983 enlarge JEFF. The NPS opposes the bill due to a perceived "lack of national 

significance" and high costs.

November Congress authorizes $100,000 for the NPS to conduct a feasibility study for a

1983 Museum of American Culture and Anthropology. The study is prepared by the 

NPS' Denver Service Center and the Washington Office Park Planning and 

Special Studies Division.

1984 The Reagan administration opposes the expansion of JEFF, and claims it is 

nothing more than an urban renewal project.

February

9, 1984

February

10, 1984

The House of Representatives endorses a bill authorizing the NPS to spend $2 

million for the purchase of up to 350 acres, with an option to accept an 

additional 52 acres owned by private developers.

The House Subcommittee on Public Lands endorses the expansion of JEFF and 

adds $2.74 million for land and site improvements. Rep. Price's original bill is 

amended to add $2 million for land acquisition and $750,000 for renovation of a 

freight house for use as a visitor center; it also calls for an east side Commission 

and a plan to be completed within 2 years.

March 22, The scope of the east side project is reduced to gain approval; money is reduced

1984 to $1 million and land to 100 acres.

June 1984 Support for the bill grows in the Senate, but only with the agreement that land 

acquisition will be delayed for two years; $350,000 is authorized for annual 

operating costs and up to $500,000 is to be matched by nonfederal money for 

renovation and landscaping.

August

24, 1984

March 5,

1985

President Reagan signs Public Law 98-398, the Jefferson National Expansion 

Memorial Amendments Act, which authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to 

designate up to 100 acres on the east side as an enlargement of JEFF. It also 

mandates the creation of a Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Commission 

to develop a plan for the East St. Louis addition.

The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Commission (JNEMC) charter is 

signed by the Secretary of the Interior as required by the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act.

March 12, The JNEMC Charter is forwarded to the House and Senate Interior

1985

October 8,

Congressional Committees and the Library of Congress.

1985 Secretary of the Interior Donald P. Hodel appoints the members of the JNEMC.

Nov. 25-

26, 1985

The first meeting of the JNEMC is held. Denver Service Center (DSC) presents 

a Base Data Planning Project under contract with TDP, Inc. DSC is acting as the 

Commission's agent. Ron Stephens is elected as the Commission's chairman.

March 24, The JNEMC holds its second meeting, and allocates $50,000 to the NPS to begin

1986

June 26,

1986

July 8-9,

planning for development.

The NPS selects Economics Research Associates of Vienna, Virginia, as the 

prime contractor for the East St. Louis Museum Suitability Study.

1986 The NPS and Economics Research Associates hold planning meetings.

July 28, The JNEMC holds its third meeting. Among the topics discussed: fundraising,
1986 design competition, and the status of the museum study.

Aug. 14-

16, 1986

Aug. 17-

20, 1986

October

The JNEMC sponsors informational meetings to solicit public comments. 

Approximately 1,500 copies of a planning booklet, with a mail-back comment 

sheet, are distributed.

A Museum Theme Alternatives Charette is held to reach an agreement 

concerning the selection of potential themes for the East St. Louis Museum 

Study. Attendees include museum specialists, NPS staff, and other interested 

parties.

1986 The JNEMC sends out its first newsletter, with news of planning efforts.

Dec. 1,

1986

Dec. 8,

1986

January

1987

March

1987

Feb. 27,

1987

The JNEMC Sub-committee on Design Competition meets with Paul Sprieregen, 

a nationally known competition consultant, to acquire technical assistance on 

preparations for the design competition. Sprieregen suggests an international 

competition, and estimates the cost at $400,000 and the time required at 15-18 

months. The Sub-committee asks Sprieregen to draft a specific proposal 

outlining in detail at least four steps that will be required (fact finding, 

development of an overall competition plan, a competition announcement, and 

competition implementation).

The JNEMC holds its fourth meeting. The NPS presents six development 

alternatives: a Gateway Park, consisting of a grand open area on the east bank 

serving as a backdrop and viewing platform for the Gateway Arch; a Gateway 

Monument, consisting of a complementary monumental feature on the east bank, 

directly across from the Arch; a Gateway Museum/National Museum, consisting 

of a major national museum managed by a nonprofit organization; a Gateway 

Museum/NPS Museum, consisting of an expansion of the existing Museum of 

Westward Expansion; a Gateway Heritage Park, which would focus on the 

diverse cultural and natural resources along the East St. Louis riverfront; and a 

Gateway Plaza, which would mix commercial uses with open spaces. The 

Commission selects the Gateway Museum/National Museum alternative, 

assuming it is feasible.

The Museum Suitability Study is completed. Four theme alternatives are 

proposed: 1. A "First Americans Museum" to examine the movement of 

American Indian peoples and adaptation problems associated with this 

movement prior to European contact; and the accelerated cultural dynamics that 

occurred during and after European settlement. 2. A "Museum of American 

Settlement" to tell the story of European-Americans and the involuntary AfricanAmerican immigrants, their settlement patterns, cultural interaction and change.

3. A "Museum of American Landscape and Man" which would be a study of the 

North American landscape and its changes under human settlement. 4. A 

"Museum of American 20th Century Culture" which would broadly cover the 

theme a "nation in motion."

An Ad Hoc Committee is established for the purpose of organizing, promoting, 

and directing the International Design Competition, under the aegis of the 

American Institute of Architects (AIA). Members include the Sub-committee on 

Future Planning and Implementation of the JNEMC; a representative from the 

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association; a representative from the 

Jefferson National Expansion Historical Association; and a representative from 

the AIA.

The JNEMC holds its fifth meeting. Topics discussed include: a presentation on 

the Museum Study and a review of the NPS draft report. A motion is passed 

which states: "The Commission has taken into account the suitability study for 

the Museum of American Culture and Anthropology in East St. Louis, IL. It
May 28,

1987

May 29,

1987

June 17,

1987

June 19,

1987

June 22,

supports the concept of a museum as part of the development of the memorial." 

JEFF Assistant Superintendent Gary W. Easton, Ron Johnson, and Jan Harris of

DSC, meet with 10 citizens to review the draft Development and Management

Plan for the proposed east side addition. Representatives from Continental Grain 

Company; Technic-Op, the development firm responsible for the Rivergate 

Apartment complex; and other local businessmen interested in riverfront 

redevelopment are in attendance. No media or JNEMC members are present.

JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, Artis Talley (member of the JNEMC) and

12 people speak about plan implementation. The draft plan receives praise from 

Barry Freedman, executive director of Target 2000, an East St. Louis business 

association, and Delmar Valine of the Southwest Regional Port District. A news 

reporter and two staff members, who represent local legislators, also attend.

Senator Alan J. Dixon (IL) writes to Secretary of the Interior Hodel endorsing 

the plan.

Representative William L. Clay (IL) writes to Secretary Hodel endorsing the 

plan.

1987 Senator Paul Simon (IL) writes to Secretary Hodel endorsing the plan.

June 26,

1987

July 8,

Andrew E. Newman of Downtown St. Louis Inc., writes to Secretary Hodel 

endorsing the plan.

1987 Representative Melvin Price (IL) writes to Secretary Hodel endorsing the plan.

July 14,

1987 Willie B. Nelson of Target 2000 writes to Secretary Hodel endorsing the plan.

July 15,

1987

August 3,

Mike O'Bannon, Special Assistant and Comptroller to the Assistant Secretary for 

Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, who is the new representative from the Interior 

Secretary, praises the quality of the plan and asserts his support when the 

JNEMC formally transmits the document to the Secretary.

1987 Senator Christopher Bond (MO) writes to Secretary Hodel endorsing the plan.

August

11, 1987 The JNEMC unanimously approves the plan.

August

13, 1987 The Terminal Railroad Association objects to the plan in a letter to JEFF.

August

14, 1987

August

The Terminal Railroad Association objects to the plan in letters to Senators

Dixon and Simon of Illinois and John Danforth of Missouri.

18, 1987 Governor John Ashcroft (MO) writes to Secretary Hodel endorsing the plan.

Sept. 16,

1987

Feb. 23,

1988

April 20,

1988

The JNEMC submits the final Development and Management Plan to the

Secretary of the Interior.

Malcolm Martin of the Gateway Center of Metropolitan St. Louis writes to 

Secretary of the Interior Donald P. Hodel, and offers to donate approximately 50 

acres of land for the east side project.

Illinois Governor James R. Thompson writes to Secretary of the Interior Hodel 

to inform him of key commitments by his state in assuring that a national park is 

developed on the east side, and tells of the creation of the Southwest Illinois 

Development Authority (SWIDA), an independently-appointed entity with the 

ability to develop the non-park areas of the East St. Louis riverfront. SWIDA 

has the authority to issue development bonds backed by the State of Illinois. The 

purchase and development of 200 acres surrounding the proposed park is one of
June 17,

1988

Sept. 15,

1988

April 18,

1989

April 26,

1989

August

1989

Sept. 26,

1989

Feb. 15,

1990

April 5,

1990

April 16,

1990

Nov. 1,

1990

its primary responsibilities.

The Director of the NPS sends the Development and Management Plan to the 

Secretary of the Interior, who forwards it to the Committee on Interior and 

Insular Affairs of the House of Representatives and to the Committee on Energy 

and Natural Resources of the U.S. Senate. He does not, however, officially 

approve it.

In a letter to the JNEMC, the Secretary of the Interior says: "Because the 

acquisition of binding commitments has proven to be an elusive goal, I must 

withhold my final approval until those commitments are obtained, pursuant to 

the law." The Interior Department further outlines 14 steps that are necessary for 

the plan and states: "This will take years to accomplish."

H.R. 2028 is introduced "To amend the Act of May 17, 1954, relating to JEFF, 

to eliminate the acreage limitation on park extension, to allow the acquisition of 

State lands by means other than donation, to authorize increased funding for land 

acquisition for the East St. Louis portion of the Memorial."

George Walker III (Downtown St. Louis, Inc.); Byron Farrell (Leadership 

Council, Southwest Illinois); Tom Berkshire (Office of Gov. James Thompson); 

John H. Poelker (Gateway Center of Metropolitan St. Louis); and James Bogart 

(St. Louis Regional Commerce and Growth Association) meet with Secretary of 

the Interior Manuel Lujan and request that he approve the plan, advise the 

President to sign the JEFF Amendments Act of 1989, and to visit JEFF and see 

the site.

Secretary Lujan says he will designate the site if the lands are donated and if 

they are free of any environmental hazards. He maintains, however, that Illinois 

and East St. Louis have not made "binding commitments."

The Illinois Governor's Office agrees to request the State EPA to perform toxic 

chemical surveys on east side lands.

SWIDA accepts donations of property from the Gateway Center and the

Southwest Regional Port District to hold in escrow for the park.

St. Louis businessman Bill Maritz meets with President George Bush and White 

House Chief of Staff John Sununu, to brief them on the East St. Louis proposal 

and to seek support for NPS designation.

The Illinois EPA completes an environmental assessment on a portion of the east 

side lands, and reports no hazardous materials are present.

NPS Director James Ridenour, SWIDA chairman Earl Lazerson, and Secretary 

of the Interior Manuel Lujan sign a Memorandum of Understanding whereby 

SWIDA promises to acquire land for donation and to obtain the binding financial 

commitments required for final approval. Lujan promises to designate the site 

once the lands are donated.

November SWIDA holds meetings with the Terminal Railroad Association and Continental

1990

August

26, 1992

Grain Company, and obtains permission for an environmental analysis of their 

lands; Union Electric and the City of East St. Louis also give permission.

President George Bush signs a bill designating the East St. Louis extension of

JEFF.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

APPENDIX D:

JEFF Amendments Act of 1984

PUBLIC LAW 98-398—AUG. 24, 1984

TITLE II

Sec. 201. (a) The Act of May 17, 1954 entitled "An Act to provide for the construction of 

the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial at the site of old Saint Louis, Missouri, in 

general accordance with the plan approved by the United States Territorial Expansion 

Memorial Commission, and for other purposes" (68 Stat. 98; 16 U.S.C. 450jj), is amended 

by inserting after section 3 the following new sections:

"Sec. 4. (a) The Secretary of the Interior is further authorized to designate for addition to the 

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the 

"Memorial") not more than one hundred acres in the city of East Saint Louis. Illinois, 

contiguous with the Mississippi River and between the Eads Bridge and the Poplar Street 

Bridge, as generally depicted on the map entitled "Boundary Map, Jefferson National 

Expansion Memorial numbered MWR-366/80,004, and dated February 9, 1984, which shall 

be on file and available for public inspection in the offices of the National Park Service, 

Department of the Interior. The additional acreage authorized by this section is in 

recognition of the historical significance of the Memorial site to the westward expansion of 

the United States and the historical linkage of this site on the Mississippi in both Missouri 

and Illinois to such expansion, the international recognition of the Gateway Arch, designed 

by Eero Saarinen, as one of the world's great sculptural and architectural achievements, and 

the increasing use of the Memorial site by millions of people from all over the United States 

and the world.

"(b) Within the area designated in accordance with this section, the Secretary of the Interior 

may acquire lands and interests in lands by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated 

funds, or exchange, except that lands owned by the State of Illinois or any political 

subdivision thereof may be acquired only by donation.

"Sec. 5. Where appropriate in the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior, he may transfer 

by lease or otherwise, to any appropriate person or governmental entity, land owned by the 

United States (or any interest therein) which has been acquired by the Secretary under 

section 4. Any such transfer shall be consistent with the management plan for the area and 

with the requirements of section 5 of the Act of July 15, 1968 (82 Stat. 356; 16 U.S.C. 4601-

22) and shall be subject to such conditions and restrictions as the Secretary deems necessary 

to carry out the purposes of this Act, including terms and conditions which provide for—

"(1) the continuation of existing uses of the land which are compatible with the
Memorial,

"(2) the protection of the important historical resources of the leased area, and

"(3) the retention by the Secretary of such access and development rights as the 

Secretary deems necessary to provide for appropriate visitor use and resource 

management.

In transferring any lands or interest in lands under this section, the Secretary shall take into 

account the views of the Commission established under section 8.

"Sec. 6. Lands and interests in lands acquired pursuant to section 4 shall, upon acquisition, 

be a part of the Memorial. The Secretary of the Interior shall administer the Memorial in 

accordance with this Act and the provisions of law generally applicable to units of the 

national park system, including the Act entitled "An Act to establish a National Park 

Service, and for other purposes", approved August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 535; 16 U.S.C. 1-4) 

and the Act of August 21. 1935 (49 Stat. 666; 16 U.S.C. 461-467). In the development, 

management, and operation of that portion of the Memorial which is added to the Memorial 

under section 4, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent feasible, utilize the assistance of 

State and local government agencies and the private sector. For such purposes, the Secretary 

may, consistent with the management plan for the area, enter into cooperative agreements 

with the State, with any political subdivision of the State, or with any person. Any such 

cooperative agreement shall, at a minimum, establish procedures for providing notice to the 

Secretary of any action proposed by the State, such political subdivision, or such person, 

which may affect the area.

"Sec. 7. (a) There is hereby established the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

Commission hereinafter in this Act referred to as the 'Commission').

"(b) The Commission shall be composed of twenty members as follows:

"(1) The county executive of Saint Louis County, Missouri, ex officio, or a 

delegate.

"(2) The chairman of the Saint Clair County Board of Supervisors, Illinois, ex 

officio, or a delegate.

"(3XA) The executive director of the Bi-State Development Agency, Saint

Louis, Missouri, ex officio, or a delegate.

"(B) A member of the Bi-State Development Agency, Saint Louis, Missouri, 

who is not a resident of the same State as the executive director of such agency, 

appointed by a majority of the members of such agency, or a delegate.

"(4) The mayor of the city of East Saint Louis, Illinois, ex officio, or a delegate. 

"(5) The mayor of Saint Louis, Missouri, ex officio, or a delegate.

"(6) Governor of the State of Illinois, ex officio, or a delegate. 

"(7) Governor of the State of Missouri, ex officio, or a delegate. 

"(8) Secretary of the Interior, ex officio, or a delegate.

"(9) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, ex officio, or a
delegate.

"(10) The Secretary of Transportation, ex officio, or a delegate. 

"(11) The Secretary of the Treasury, ex officio, or a delegate. 

"(12) The Secretary of Commerce, ex officio, or a delegate.

"(13) The Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, ex officio, or a delegate.

"(14) Three individuals appointed by the Secretary of the Interior from a list of 

individuals nominated by the mayor of East Saint Louis, Illinois, and the 

Governor of the State of Illinois.

"(15) Three individuals appointed by the Secretary of the Interior from a list of 

individuals nominated by the mayor of Saint Louis, Missouri, and the Governor 

of the State of Missouri.

Individuals nominated for appointment under paragraphs (14) and (15) shall be individuals 

who have knowledge and experience in one or more of the fields of parks and recreation, 

environmental protection, historic preservation, cultural affairs, tourism, economic 

development, city planning and management, finance, or public administration. A vacancy in 

the Commission shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made.

"(cX1) Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), members of the Commission shall be 

appointed for terms of three years.

"(2) Of the members of the Commission first appointed under paragraphs (14) and (15) of 

subsection (c)—

"(A) two shall be appointed for terms of one year

"(B) two shall be appointed for terms of two years; and

"(C) two shall be appointed for terms of three years; as designated by the Secretary of the

Interior at the time of appointment.

"(3) Any member of the Commission appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the 

expiration of the term for which his predecessor was appointed shall be appointed only for 

the remainder of such term. A member of the Commission may serve after the expiration of 

his term until his successor has taken office.

"(d) Members of the Commission shall receive no pay on account of their service on the 

Commission. but while away from their homes or regular places of business in the 

performance of services for the Commission, members of the Commission shall be allowed 

travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in the same manner as persons 

employed intermittently in the Government service are allowed expenses under section 5703 

of title 5, United States Code.

"(e) The chairperson of the Commission shall be elected by the members of the

Commission.

"(f) Upon request of the Commission, the head of any Federal agency represented by 

members on the Commission may detail any of the personnel or such agency or provide 

administrative services to the Commission to assist the Commission in carrying out the
Commission's duties under section 8.

"(g) The Commission may, for the purposes of carrying out the Commission's duties under 

section 8, seek, accept, and dispose of gifts, bequests, or donations of money, personal 

property, or services, received from any source.

"(hX1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Commission shall terminate on the day 

occurring ten years after the date of enactment of this section.

"(2) The Secretary of the Interior may extend the life of the Commission for a period of not 

more than Five years beginning on the day referred to in paragraph (1) if the Commission 

determines that such extension is necessary in order for the Commission to carry out this 

Act.

"Sec. 8. (a) Within two years from the enactment of this section, the Commission shall 

develop and transmit to the Secretary a development and management plan for the East 

Saint Louis. Illinois, portion of the Memorial. The plan shall include—

"(1) measures for the preservation of the area's resources;

"(2) indications of types and general intensities of development (including 

visitor circulation and transportation patterns, systems, and modes) associated 

with public enjoyment and use of the area, including general locations, timing 

of implementation, and cost estimates;

"(3) identification of any implementation commitments for visitor carrying 

capacities for all areas of the area;

"(4) indications of potential modifications to the external boundaries of the area, 

the reasons therefore, and cost estimates;

"(5) measures and commitments for insuring that the development, 

management, and operation of the area in the State of Illinois are compatible 

with the portion of the Memorial in the State of Missouri;

"(6) opportunities and commitments for cooperative activities in the 

development, management, and operation of the East Saint Louis portion of the 

Memorial with other Federal, State, and local agencies, and the private sector; 

and

"(7) effective and appropriate ways to increase local participation in the 

management of the East Saint Louis portion of the Memorial to help reduce the 

day-to-day operational and management responsibilities of the a National Park 

Service and to increase opportunities for local employment.

"(b) The plan shall also identify and include—

"(1) needs, opportunities, and commitments for the aesthetic and economic 

rehabilitation of the entire East Saint Louis, Illinois, waterfront and adjacent 

areas, in a manner compatible with and complementary to, the Memorial, 

including the appropriate commitments and roles of the Federal, State, and local 

governments and the private sector; and

"(2) cost estimates and recommendations for Federal, State, and local 

administrative and legislative actions,
In carrying out its duties under this section, the Commission shall take into account Federal, 

State, and local plans and studies respecting the area, including the study by the National 

Park Service on the feasibility of a museum of American ethnic culture to be a part of any 

development plans for the Memorial.

"Sec. 9. (a) Upon completion of the plan, the Commission shall transmit the plan to the 

secretary for his review and approval of its adequacy and appropriateness. In order to 

approve the plan, the Secretary must be able to find affirmatively that:

"(1) The plan addresses all elements outlined in section 8 above;

"(2) The plan is consistent with the Saint Louis, Missouri, portion of the

Memorial;

"(3) There are binding commitments to fund land acquisition and development, 

including visitor circulation and transportation systems and modes, in amounts 

sufficient to completely implement the plan as recommended by the 

Commission from sources other than funds authorized to be appropriated in this 

Act; and

"(4) There are binding commitments to fund or provide the equivalent of all 

costs in excess of $350,000 per annum for the continued management, 

operation, and protection of the East Saint Louis, Illinois, portion of the 

Memorial.

"(b) The Secretary shall transmit in writing a notice of his approval and his certification as 

to the existence and nature of funding commitments contained in the approved plan to the 

Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the House of Representatives and to the 

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United States Senate.

"Sec. 10. Pending submission of the Commission's plan, any Federal entity conducting or 

supporting significant activities directly affecting East Saint Louis, Illinois, generally and the 

site specifically referred to in section 4 shall—

"(1) consult with the Secretary of the Interior and the Commission with respect 

to such activities;

"(2) cooperate with the Secretary of the Interior and the Commission in carrying 

out their duties under this Act, and to the maximum extent practicable, 

coordinate such activities with the carrying out of such duties; and

"(3) to the maximum extent practicable, conduct or support such activities in a 

manner which the Secretary determines will not have an adverse effect on the 

Memorial."

(b) The Act of May 17, 1954 entitled "An Act to provide for the construction of the 

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial at the site of old Saint Louis, Missouri, in general 

accordance with the plan approved by the United States Territorial Expansion Memorial 

Commission, and for other purposes" (68 Stat. 98; 16 U.S.C. 450jj) is amended by—

(1) redesignating "Sec. 4." (as so designated prior to the amendments made in 

subsection (a) of this section) as "Sec. 11. (a)"; and

(2) adding at the end thereof the following new subsections:
"(b) For the purposes of the East Saint Louis portion of the Memorial, there is hereby 

authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $1,000,000 for land acquisition and not to 

exceed $1,250,000 for development, of which not to exceed $500,000 shall be available only 

for landscaping and only for expenditure in the ratio of one dollar of Federal funds to one 

dollar of non-Federal funds: Provided, That no funds authorized to be appropriated 

hereunder may be appropriated prior to the approval by the Secretary of the plan developed 

by the Commission.

"(c) Funds appropriated under subsection (b) of this section shall remain available until 

expended.

"(d) Authority to enter into contracts or make payments under this Act shall be effective for 

any fiscal year only to the extent that appropriations are available for that purpose."

Sec. 202. Any provision of this title (or any amendment made by this title) which, directly 

or indirectly, authorizes the enactment of new budget authority described in section 402(a) 

of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 shall be effective only for fiscal years beginning 

after September 30, 1983.

Sec. 203. This title may be cited as the "Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

Amendments Act of 1984".
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

APPENDIX E:

Law Enforcement Statistics, 1981-1991

STATISTICAL COMPARISON BY YEAR FOR JMEM ST. LOUIS, MO 1980 THROUGH 1989

DIVISION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SAFETY—DERYL STONE, CHIEF RANGER

VISITOR SERVICES AND CONTACTS

Compared Statistic 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

Informational 

Contacts with 

Visitors

25,751 32,218 40,215 47,798 97,911 74,972 114,221 136,814 142,318 170,782

Interpretive 

Contacts with 

Contacts

8,778 5,780 9,254 10,359 16,267 13,013 26,055 37,066 36,984 44,381

All Other Contacts

IE: EMS, Fire, etc.

(416)

184 570 592 288 304 755 1,112 2,110 1,005

Police Agency 

Contacts Local, 

State, Federal

899 1,614 2,062 1,993 1,709 2,986 1,514 1,326 1,989

Visitor Assists

Non-Info/Interp** 103 393 419 299 1,586 2,353 4,221 5,671 4,365 1,548

First Aid Cases

Total for Park 58 142 197 64 223 90 116 77 98 115

*Statistic was kept as a combined total in way to differentiate.

**Visitor assists as defined for submission of annual law enforcement report.

Includes such things as: Opening locked car doors, obtaining wrecker or mechanic service, etc.

LAW ENFORCEMENT STATISTICS

Compared Statistic 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

Larceny/Car—

clouting 80 36 39 8 1 1 16 18 15 13

Losses $122,700 $29,580 $51,131 $11,541 $1,020 $685 $10,752 $44,701 $3,825 $2,043

Larceny—All other 35 41 37 29 23 17 55 17 14 10

Losses $ 17,159 $ 8,897 $ 7,251 $ 3,807 $

1,919

1$

3,270 $ 4,098 $ 794 $ 2,612 $ 681

Total Combined

Larcenies 115 77 76 37 24 18 71 35 14 23
Combined Losses $140,519 $

36,647

$

58,382

$

15,148

$

2,939

$

3,955

$

14,098

$

45,495 $ 6,437 $ 2,724

Stolen Vehicles 8 4 14 3 0 0 1 7 1 2

Losses $ 23,702 $

19,050

$

79,800

$

10,550 0 0 $26,400

$

43,105

$

18,000

$

11,290

Robberies 10 2 5 9 1 2 18 12 8 7

Losses $ 396 $ 567 $ 17 $ 1,072 $ 160 $ 150 $ 2,282 $ 645 $ 1,408 $ 4,002

Vandalism 41 70 46 33 47 52 195 105 36 39

Losses $ 3,130 $ 4,682 $ 5,560 IS

12,986

$

4,062

$

9,280

$

25,979 $ 4,697 $ 3,950 $ 5,520

Disorderly Conduct 339 285 59 77 66 23 130 106 106 105

Vagrants/Nuisances 1,212 701 1,480 689 1,040 418 340 316 412 136

Mental/Suspicious

Persons 155 149 30 69 174 160 86 20 8 4

Verbal Warnings

Issued 7,180 4,185 4,382 2,463 7,126 1,756 2,887 4,018 4,265 5,600

Written Warnings

Issued 10 127 300 152 53 56 86 306 286 209

Citations Issued 91 123 103 79 201 5 79 275 307 694

Arrests Made By

Staff 0 10 15 9 7 13 9 17 28 31

OTHER STATS THAT HAVE BECOME A WORKLOAD FACTOR

Liquor Law

Violations -- -- -- -- 856 1,422 1,137 1,289 1,914 1,443

Narcotic/Drug

Violations -- -- -- -- 96 58 128 12 17 17

Public Drunkenness -- -- -- -- 76 156 567 703 601 352

Urination/Sanitation -- -- -- -- 1,363 1,277 1,638 2,106 2,000 1,088

Statistics primarily follow staffing patterns and/or reflect new or changing facilities and program emphasis. 

IE: Established a 24 hr/day operation in 1981, eliminated 24 hr. coverage in late 85' and into 86', etc.

IE: No parking lot/garage in 84/85'—garage opened in early 86', utilized far more resources than anticipated. 

IE: VP FAIR started in 81', large increase in police contacts due to fair.

IE: 1984 was a bad year for tort claims and EMS cases due to bad weather and uncorrected design faults in

MWE.

IE: Information/Interpretative contacts have steadily risen—increased emphasis by park mgt.—impact of 

garage in 86'.

IE: No estimations were made only actual counts used.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

APPENDIX F:

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site Chronology

Compiled by Michael A. Capps

1979 White Haven is nominated to the National Register of Historic Places.

1981 White Haven is placed on the National Register.

Dec. 19, U.S. Representative Richard Gephardt tours the site in response to pleas to protect

1984 it from being razed for development.

May 20, Elsey Hamilton, administrative assistant for historic programs for the St. Louis

1985

June

County Department of Parks and Recreation, sends a letter to Ed Bearss, Chief 

Historian, NPS, requesting consideration of White Haven for designation as a 

National Historic Landmark.

The Regional Director, Midwest Region, requests Jefferson National Expansion

26, 1986 Memorial to undertake a study of White Haven to develop alternative management 

strategies for the site. It is recommended that an assessment, rather than a formal 

new area study, be done.

June

27, 1986 White Haven is designated a National Historic Landmark.

July 2,

1986

Sept.

Senators Danforth and Eagleton, and Rep. Gephardt ask Secretary of the Interior 

Donald Hodel to direct the NPS to undertake a feasibility study of White Haven as 

a unit of the National Park System.

1986 The "Study of Alternatives for White Haven" is issued.

Sept. An on-site visit is made by JEFF staff, the NPS Chief Historian, and the Chief of

15, 1986 the NPS's Williamsport Preservation Training Center.

October St. Louis County purchases White Haven and 10 acres of land for $510,000; the

1986

July

1987

Dec. 3,

1987

Mar.

Missouri Department of Natural Resources puts up half the money as a loan.

The St. Louis County Historic Buildings Commission hires an architect to restore

White Haven.

NPS Chief Historian Bearss verifies the suitability of White Haven for the National

Park System on the basis of national significance.

Rep. Gephardt introduces a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives for inclusion

21, 1988 of White Haven in the National Park System.

May

1988

Oct. 6,

1988

The VP Fair Foundation announces plans to purchase White Haven and donate it to 

the NPS.

Senators Danforth and Bond introduce legislation in the Senate to establish White

Haven as a national historic site.
Apr. 1,

1989 White Haven is designated a National Historic Landmark.

June

1989

Oct. 3,

1989

The House of Representatives approves a measure to designate White Haven as the

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, and authorizes operating funds.

President George Bush signs Public Law 101-106, which gives the Secretary of the

Interior authorization to establish White Haven as a national historic site.

May 30, JNEHA purchases White Haven from St. Louis County and the State of Missouri

1990 with non-federal funds.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

APPENDIX G:

U.S. Grant National Historic Site Legislation

PUBLIC LAW 101-106—OCT. 2, 1989

Public Law 101—106

101st Congress

An Act

To provide for the establishment of the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site 

in the State of Missouri, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

United States of America in Congress assembled.

SECTION I. ULYSSES S. GRANT NATIONAL HISTORIC 

SITE.

103

STAT.

677

Oct. 2.

1989

[H.R.

1529]

16 USC 461 

note.

In order to preserve and interpret for the benefit and inspiration Julia Dent

of all Americans a key property associated with the life of Grant.

General and later President Ulysses S. Grant and the life of First 

Lady Julia Dent Grant, knowledge of which is essential to 

understanding, in the context of mid-nineteenth century 

American history, his rise to greatness, his heroic deeds and 

public service, and her partnership in them, there is hereby 

established the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site near St. 

Louis, Missouri.

SEC. 2. PROPERTY ACQUISITION.

(a) WHITE HAVEN PROPERTY.—The Secretary of the Interior 

is authorized to acquire by donation the property and 

improvements thereon known as White Haven in the 

unincorporated portion of St. Louis County adjacent to 

Grantwood Village within the area generally depicted on the map

Gifts and 

property.

entitled "Boundary Map, White Haven National Historic Site", Public

numbered WHHA-80,000 and dated July 1988. The map shall be information.

on file and available for public inspection in the offices of the

Director of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

(b) PERSONAL PROPERTY—The Secretary is authorized to 

acquire by donation or purchase with donated or appropriated
funds personal property directly associated with White Haven or 

President or Mrs. Grant for the purposes of the national historic 

site referred to in section 1.

SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATION.

The property acquired pursuant to section 1 of this Act shall be 

administered by the Secretary of the Interior in accordance with Contracts. 

provisions of law generally applicable to units of the National

Park System, including the Act of August 25, 1916 (39 Stat.

535), and the Act of August 21, 1935 (49 Stat. 666). The 

Secretary is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements with 

adjacent landowners for the provision of such parking and safe 

access to the property as may be necessary for public use.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There are hereby authorized to be appropriated such sums as may 

be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act.

Approved October 2, 1989.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 1529:

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 101-83 and Pt. 2 (Comm. on Interior and Insular Affairs). 

SENATE REPORTS: No. 101-115 (Comm. on Energy and Natural Resources). 

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. Vol. 135 (1989):

June 20. considered and passed House. 

Sept. 12. considered and passed Senate.

WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS. Vol. 25 (1939): 

Oct. 3. Presidential statement.
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

APPENDIX H:

Ash Borer Statistics

Total Ash/Lilac Borer Monitoring

1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

0 0 24 0 4 0 8 0 6

0 48 9 8 4 9 24 9 7

May 0 19 11 39 5 0 3 5 12

0 73 4 49 7 7 1 0 24

15 51 25 20 15 9 4 4 5

21 44 52 40 1 6 14 3 52

34 76 40 37 10 15 13 6 27

June 194 205 53 36 9 13 17 5 16

90 48 45 3 23 8 10 48 33

237 13 8 0 2 5 2 18 40

120 23 12 0 4 2 0 6 103

July 48 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 54

20 0 1 4 2 0 0 1 13

7 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 2

6 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 0

Aug 6 0 0 1 1 0 0 7 0

6 0 0 7 0 0 0 2 0

6 0 0 0 1 3 1 0 0

3 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 0

Sep 2 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0

2 0 0 0 2 1 4 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 5 2 0 3

0 0 0 0 3 39 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0

Oct 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

total 817 601 286 247 95 149 104 120 397
Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

APPENDIX I:

Agreement between JNEHA and the National Park

Service

AGREEMENT BETWEEN 

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

AND THE

JEFFERSON NATIONAL EXPANSION HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

This Memorandum of Agreement is between the National Park Service (hereinafter referred 

to as the "Service"), an agency of the United States Department of the Interior, acting in this 

behalf through the JEFFERSON NATIONAL EXPANSION HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

(hereinafter referred to as "Association"), acting through the Chairman of its Board of 

Directors or the Board's designee.

WITNESS:

WHEREAS, it is the purpose of the Service to preserve, interpret, and manage the National 

Park System for the benefit, education, and enjoyment of the people of the United States, as 

provided for in the act of August 25, 1916 (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1, et seq.); and

WHEREAS, the Service desires to provide facilities and cooperating services for the sales of 

materials of interpretive and educational value and for the presentation of specified programs 

relating to the interpretive themes of areas of the National Park System; and

WHEREAS, the Association has the education, historical, scientific, and nonprofit purposes 

of assisting historical, scientific, educational, and interpretive activities of the Service;

NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to authority contained in the Acts of August 25, 1916 (16

U.S.C. Sec. 1—3), August 7, 1946 (16 U.S.C. Sec. 17j—2), August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. Sec.

461—468e), June 5, 1920 (16 U.S.C. Sec 6), August 8. 1953 (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1b5), August

18, 1970 (16 U.S.C. Sec 1a-2(g)), and other laws supplemental thereto and amendatory 

thereof, and in consideration of the mutual benefits which will accrue to the Service and the 

Association, the parties agree as follows:

1. AUTHORIZATION

The Service authorizes the Association to provide, and the Association agrees to provide, the 

hereinafter described interpretive and educational services to the visiting public for a period
of five years commencing on October 1, 1988, since the existing agreement between the 

Service and the Association expires on September 30, 1388. The two supplemental 

agreements between the Service and the Association dated April 7, 1983, and September 10,

1985 (attached) shall continue in effect under this agreement in accordance with their terms. 

This Agreement will automatically renew for another five year period on October 1 of the last 

year, unless reasonable notice of cancellation is given by either party before the date of 

renewal. While the Service reserves the right to terminate the Agreement, or any part thereof, 

at any time upon reasonable notice without the necessity of any legal process, the Service 

will hold a meeting with the Association prior to the termination setting forth the reasons for 

termination.

2. ASSOCIATION RESPONSIBILITIES

The Association may use facilities within the Park for the sale of educational and interpretive 

items for the benefit of the visiting public.

A. Sales Items

(1) The Association may sell only interpretive and educational items, such as publications, 

maps, visual aids, handicrafts, and other objects directly related to the interpretive and 

educational themes of the Park and Park System. This does not prohibit granting of a 

concession permit to an Association authorizing the sale of other items.

(2) The Association shall not sell original artifacts, such as potsherds or battlefield relics, to 

which the Antiquities Act of June 8, 1906 (16 U.S.C. Sec. 431—433) or 43 C.F.R., Part 3, 

would apply if discovered on public lands, notwithstanding whether such objects were in fact 

discovered on lands owned or controlled by the United States.

(3) The Association is not by this Agreement granted the right to sell items, the sale of which 

would infringe on applicable contract rights of the Park concessioner.

(4) The Association shall maintain a high standard of quality in all items produced or sold.

(5) The Association shall not sell any item which has not been approved by the park 

superintendent or an appropriate Service person as designated by the Director. The 

Association shall allow publications to be reviewed by the Service for editorial and design 

quality.

(6) The Association shall sell items at fair market value provided that such prices shall be 

approved in advance by the park superintendent or an appropriate Service person as 

designated by the Director.

(7) The Association shall display the sales items in good taste and in keeping with the 

general design and decor of the Park.

B. Facilities

(1) The Association may redesign and renovate existing sales facilities as necessary, 

including renovation of display structures, furnishings, equipment, signing, display lighting, 

and lighting in the immediate area of the facility, provided that all plans therefore are 

approved in advance by the Service.

(2) The Association shall keep the sales facilities clean and presentable throughout the 

workday.
(3) The Association shall exercise reasonable care to prevent damage to any Government 

property used by it during its operation and shall, insofar as possible, protect all such 

property.

C. Records and Accounting

(1) The Association shall conduct its fiscal operations in accordance with accepted business 

practices, utilizing purchase orders, receipts, invoices, and inventory records.

(2) There is no prescribed standard accounting system for Association operations as long as 

whatever is used provides the required information for the Internal Revenue Service and the 

National Park Service reporting forms. (Refer: NPS-32, Release No. 2, Chap. 6, p. 8)

(3) The Association shall submit to the Director, through the Superintendent and the Regional 

Director, annually within 135 days following the end of each fiscal year a complete financial 

report. The report shall be accompanied by a written summary of Association activities for 

the year.

(4) The Director, or his designee, may review the records of the Association during the term 

of this Agreement.

D. Personnel

(1) The Association shall provide such personnel as are reasonably necessary to operate the 

sales facilities as indicated by the level of gross sales. These personnel may include, as 

necessary, a central business office staff, local facility managers, and sales clerks. Otherwise, 

Service personnel may offer sales items to the public as an incidental supplement to their 

interpretive duties.

(2) The Association shall designate an Association member or employee who is authorized to 

act as liaison with the Service.

(3) All Association employees involved in visitor contact shall be oriented in the Park's 

visitor service programs and shall be certified by the park superintendent before assuming 

such responsibilities.

(4) An evident and distinct separation shall be maintained between the activities of the 

Association and those of the Service. All steps shall be taken to avoid even an appearance 

that the Service directs the management or decision-making process of the Association.

(5) Association personnel are not Government employees and are not authorized to undertake 

any Governmental function or activity on behalf of the Service beyond routine visitor 

information services and participation in museums and living history or like programs. 

Association employees shall not engage in activities which would reasonably lead the visiting 

public to conclude that they are Government employees. No Association employee shall wear 

a Service or other Government uniform. All Association employees shall wear some easily 

observable and readily identifiable indicia of Association affiliation while in the Park on 

Association business.

E. Approvals

(1) Hours of operation, rates and prices, standards of service, and merchandise to be sold 

shall be subject to the approval of the Director.

(2) The Association may at any time make a written request for such necessary approvals.
Failure to disapprove within thirty days of receipt of such written request shall be deemed to 

constitute Service approval. This subparagraph does not apply to the approval required by 

subparagraph 2B(1).

F. Interpretive Activities

(1) Interpretive activities engaged in by the Association must meet Service standards and be 

approved by the Park Superintendent.

(2) Interpretive activities conducted by the Association will be directed by the Park 

Superintendent or the NPS Liaison who is the Chief of Interpretation or his designate, 

provided, however, the Association personnel shall only be available for the purposes of the 

interpretive activity.

3. SERVICE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Service agrees to allow the Association to use those facilities within the Park which are 

designated for the sale of educational and interpretive items for the benefit of the visiting 

public. Designations may include as determined by the Service special exhibition areas, 

permanent exhibition and visitor spaces, and any such space in, near, or outside the Visitor 

Center depending on programs and interpretive thrusts.

A. Sales Items

The Service shall cooperate with the Association in the planning, the design, and the selection 

of merchandise appropriate for sale by the Association at the facilities provided therefore by 

the Service.

B. Facilities

(1) The Service shall provide the Association with such sales and other facilities as are 

designated by the Superintendent, and such other facilities as may hereafter be deemed 

necessary or desirable by the Service, provided that the Service reserves the right to relocate 

or withdraw any such facilities, in order to meet needs of the Service upon reasonable notice. 

The Service shall have emergency access to all facilities, which shall also be subject to the 

right of the Service to make such surveys and inspections as the Service deems necessary or 

appropriate.

(2) The Service reserves the right to design and construct any new facilities, and shall allow 

the Association to review and comment on any plans therefore.

(3) The Service shall provide the Association with incidental utility services at each assigned 

facility, including water, electricity, heat, air conditioning (if available in the building), to the 

extent these utilities are required for the operation of the building for Governmental purposes. 

All other utilities will be provided the Association on a reimbursable basis.

(4) The Service shall provide all general maintenance and repair services for the Governmentowned buildings and facilities used by the Association.

(5) The Service shall designate an employee who shall act as liaison with the Association.

4. SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENTS

The Service and the Association further agree that, by supplemental agreement, the

Association may offer additional educational and interpretive services which support the
mission of the Park. This includes assisting, planning, and conducting the presentation of 

interpretive and educational programs, involving as needed, but not limited to, the 

employment of interpreters, purchasing of supplies, and the sale of program products.

5. INDEMNIFICATION AND INSURANCE

A. The Association shall indemnify, save and hold harmless and defend the United States 

against all fines, claims, damages, losses, judgments, and expenses arising out of or from any 

omission or activity of the Association in connection with activities under this Agreement.

B. The Association shall procure public and employee liability insurance with a minimum 

limitation of $100,000.00 any number of claims from any one incident, with respect to the 

activities of the Association and its employees. The United States of America shall be named 

as an additional insured on all such policies. All such policies shall specify that the insurer 

shall have no right of subrogation against the United States for payment of any premiums or 

deductibles thereunder, and such insurance policies shall be assumed by, credited to the 

account of, and undertaken at the Association's sole risk.

6. ASSOCIATION ORGANIZATION

A. The Association's Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws shall comply with requirements 

of the Internal Revenue Service and of the State in which the Association is incorporated. 

Non profit status must be maintained in accordance with Federal and State laws and the 

Association will make available for inspection at the request of the Service documents 

demonstrating non-profit status. This contract will automatically terminate if non-profit status 

is lost.

B. The board of the Association may invite Service staff to its meetings and the meetings of 

its committees. NPS staff invited to such meetings in an advisory non-voting capacity shall 

be the Superintendent and his designate who is typically the Chief of Interpretation. Any 

Service staff may be invited by the board to any of its meetings in an advisory non-voting 

capacity as needed to fulfill the terms of this agreement. (Refer: Letter of NPS Director, 6-

21-88)

C. The role of the NPS Liaison is to represent the interests of the National Park Service and 

to provide cooperative assistance to the Association. His or her scope of responsibility shall 

be limited to providing assistance in overseeing the day-to-day, routine interpretive work of 

the Association, and serving as the liaison between the Service and the Association for 

approvals, programs, and coordination of interpretive projects. (Refer: Letter of NPS 

Director, 6-21-88)

D. No member of the board or officer of the Association shall be a Service employee. (Refer: 

Letter of NPS Director, 6-21-88)

7. ASSIGNMENT

No transfer or assignment of this Agreement or of any part thereof or interest therein, directly 

or indirectly, voluntary or involuntary, shall be made unless such transfer or assignment is 

first approved by the Director or his authorized representative in writing.

8. APPROPRIATIONS

Nothing herein contained shall be construed as binding the Service to expend in any one 

fiscal year any sum in excess of appropriations made by Congress or administratively 

allocated for the further expenditure of money in excess of such appropriations or allocation.
9. MISCELLANEOUS

A. The rights and benefits conferred by this Agreement shall be subject to the laws of the 

United States governing the National Park Service and to the rules and regulations 

promulgated thereunder, whether now in force or hereafter enacted or provided; and the 

mention of specific restrictions, conditions, and stipulations herein shall not be construed as 

in any way impairing the general powers of supervision, regulation and control by the 

Service.

B. No member of, or delegate to, Congress, or Resident Commissioner, shall be admitted to 

any share or part of this Agreement or to any benefit that may arise therefrom, but this 

restriction shall not be construed to extend to this Agreement if made with a corporation or 

company for its general benefit.

C. The Association agrees that all its activities shall be conducted in accordance with all 

applicable laws and regulations, both State and Federal. Specifically, the Association shall 

comply with the requirements of (a) Executive Order No. 11246 of September 24, 1967, (b) 

Title V., Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of September 26, 1973 (P. L. 93-112), which 

requires Government Contractors and Subcontractors to take affirmative action to employ and

to advance in employment qualified handicapped individuals, and (c) with regulations 

heretofore or hereafter promulgated, relating to nondiscrimination in employment and in 

providing facilities and service to the public, as set forth in Exhibit B attached hereto and 

made a part thereof.

D. In all cases where rights or privileges are granted herein in general or indefinite terms, the 

extent of the use of such rights or privileges by the Association shall be determined by 

further written agreement.

This Agreement is Effective between the Association and the Service with regard to the 

following specified national park sites, which are collectively referred to throughout this 

Agreement as the "Park," to wit:

(1) Jefferson National Expansion Memorial NHS

(2) 

(3 

(4) 

etc.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Association has caused this Agreement to be executed this

26th day of August 1988

Jefferson National Expansion Historical Association

Cooperating Association

By: Chairman, Board of Directors

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Service has caused this Agreement to be ratified this 6th day 

of September 988

National Park Service
By: Superintendent

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Service has caused this Agreement to be ratified this 29th day 

of September 1988

National Park Service

By: Regional Director, Midwest Region

There follows the attachment of the supplemental agreements dated April 7, 1983, and

September 10, 1985.

There follows the attachment of GENERAL PROVISIONS (Supply Contract), Standard

Form 32 (Rev. 4-75), #32-109.

SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND 

JEFFERSON NATIONAL EXPANSION HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, INC.

This agreement made and entered into this 7th day of April, 1983, by and between the 

National Park Service (NPS) and the Jefferson National Expansion Historical Association, 

Inc. (the Association);

Witnesseth:

Whereas, the parties hereto entered into an agreement dated October 4, 1978, which 

agreement provides that the parties may enter into supplemental agreements which support 

the mission of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial; and

Whereas, the parties desire to enter into such a supplemental agreement; 

Now therefore, it is agreed as follows:

1. The Association will, at its expense, hire employees to operate the motion picture theatre 

under the Arch, the times and hours of operation of the theatre to be substantially the same as 

when operated by the NPS in the past. In order to operate the theatre, the Association:

a. Will employ one full time projectionist at all times and additional projectionists when 

needed.

b. Will employ one full time cashier at all time to sell tickets and additional cashiers when 

needed.

c. Will employ ticket takers and ushers as needed.

d. Will purchase each year approximately 10 copies of the films to be shown. 

e. Will purchase tickets and supplies as needed.

f. Will maintain the projector and purchase bulbs for it.

2. NPS will supply all utilities (heat, air-conditioning, electricity, lighting and light bulbs) for 

which the Association will pay NPS based on current rates.

3. The Association will employ, at least 3 full time persons to be paid at the rate equivalent to 

GS-5 on the government pay scale. These persons will be entitled to the employee benefits 

provided for other Association employees and will provide interpretive services at the Old
Courthouse. Although these persons will be employees of and paid by the Association; the 

NPS at its expense will train them, supervise their work and will periodically report to the 

Association as the their attendance at work and other matters.

4. Any additional income generated by this operation over and above operating costs and the 

cost of these three employees will be used to hire additional employees for purposes of 

expanding this program beyond a minimal base and/or to obtain equipment necessary to 

maintain an acceptable level of interpretation. (All such equipment obtained for this purpose 

shall become the property of the National Park Service.)

5. NPS will at its expense make all repairs to the theatre, the seats and all equipment (other 

than the projector) used in connection with showing the films, even though the repairs may 

have resulted from damage caused by persons admitted to the theatre by the Association or by 

employees of the Association. NPS will at its expense supply all janitor and cleaning services 

and guard services.

6. NPS will permit the Association to use the theatre and the area immediately south of it for 

the purpose of showing films to the public and selling tickets. NPS will also permit the 

Association to use the existing equipment (including the screen, the projector, and films now 

on hand) now located in the theatre. The Association shall be permitted to charge a fee to be 

approved by NPS, which fee shall not be less that fifty cents a person. NPS may request from 

time to time that special groups (such as school children) be admitted free.

7. The effective date of this agreement shall be March 9, 1983 and the agreement shall 

thereafter continue indefinitely until it is canceled, or until the general agreement, of which it 

is a part, is canceled. Either party may cancel this agreement by giving the other party 60 

days notice in writing. If such notice is given by the Association, it shall be delivered to the 

office of the Superintendent of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. If such notice is 

given by NPS it shall be delivered to the office of the business manager of the the 

Association.

8. This agreement is a supplement to the agreement dated October 4, 1978, and shall be 

construed as a part of that agreement.

In witness whereof the parties hereto have caused this agreement to be executed by their 

proper officers.

Attest:

Jefferson National Expansion 

Historical Association 

Jefferson L. Miller

Chairman 4-14-83

National Park Service 

by J. Dunning 5-20-83

Regional Director

SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND 

JEFFERSON NATIONAL EXPANSION HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, INC.

This agreement made and entered into this 10th day of September, 1985, by and between the 

National Park Service (NPS) and the Jefferson National Expansion Historical Association, 

Inc. (the Association):
Witnesseth:

Whereas, the parties hereto entered into an agreement dated April 7, 1983, which agreement 

provided, in part, that the Association hire uniformed employees to staff and perform certain 

interpretive services with the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial National Historic Site; 

and

Whereas it is now deemed desirable that the Association provide additional interpretive 

services; and

Whereas the parties desire to enter into a supplemental agreement to the agreement of April

7, 1983; Now, therefore, it is agreed as follows: 1. The Association will, at its expense hire 

employees to provide roving interpretive services to the public and provide security to 

artifacts and exhibits with the Museum of Westward Expansion, the times and hours of 

services within the museum to be substantially the same as when operated by the NPS in the 

past. In order to provide this service, the Association:

a. Will employ, at least six persons at no less than 35 hours per week to be paid at the rate 

equivalent to GS-4 on the government pay scale. These persons will be entitled to the 

employee benefits provided for other Association employees and will provide roving 

interpretive services at the Museum of Westward Expansion. Although these persons will be 

employees of and paid by the Association, the NPS at its expense will train them, supervise 

their work and will periodically report to the Association as to their attendance at work and 

other matters.

b. Will employ additional persons on a temporary basis during the period of the year that the

Museum of Westward Expansion is open to the public during extended hours.

2. The Association shall provide these interpretive services to the NPS at no charge.

3. The effective date of this agreement shall be September 10th, 1985 and the agreement shall 

thereafter continue indefinitely until it is canceled, or until the agreement, of which it is a 

part, is canceled. Either party may cancel this agreement by giving the other party 60 days 

notice in writing. If such notice is given by the Association, it shall be delivered to the office 

of the Superintendent of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. If such notice is given 

by NPS it shall be delivered to the office of the Executive Director of the Association.

4. This agreement is a supplement to the agreement dated April 7, 1983, and shall be 

construed as a part of that agreement. In witness whereof the parties hereto have caused this 

agreement to be executed by their proper officers.

Attest:

John Brodhead, Jr.

Secretary

Jefferson National Expansion Historical Association 

by Robert W. Murch 10 Sept. 1985

Chairman

National Park Service 

by Charles H. Odegaard 10/2/85

Regional Director

Jefferson National Expansion

Administrative History

Administrative History

Bob Moore

MAPS AND DIAGRAMS

Area Map, Downtown St. Louis. (click on image for an enlargement in a new 

window)
Original Landscape Plan, Dan Kiley, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, 1947.

(click on image for an enlargement in a new window)

Modified Landscape Plan, Dan Kiley, 1959. (click on image for an enlargement in a 

new window)
Schematic of Landscape, JEFF, 1980s. (click on image for an enlargement in a new 

window)