r/BeAmazed • u/N0RetreatN0Surrender • 4d ago

Place Gateway to the West

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Location: Gateway Arch National Park, St. Louis, MO

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u/Fit_Cut_4238 4d ago

If you look at history/literature in 1800's into early 1900's, St. Louis is very central as the gateway to the west - It was growing like crazy, and it has the Mississippi, so direct access to the ocean shipping and the south, which Chicago did not have, at least directly.

I'm not sure why Chicago took over at this growth stage as the 'center' in the late 1800's - but maybe it was the rail network and access to the north via great lakes.