[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 24193-24194]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  40TH ANNIVERSARY OF ST. LOUIS' ARCH

  (Mr. CARNAHAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, today in St. Louis people gather on the 
banks of the mighty Mississippi to commemorate the 40th anniversary of 
completing the Gateway Arch. It is our Nation's tallest monument at 630 
feet, and St. Louis' greatest attraction with 3.5 million visitors each 
year.
  After the Great Depression and after public urging, a nationwide 
public competition was held to determine a design for a memorial that 
would honor President Thomas Jefferson's bold vision for westward 
expansion for America.
  It is our distinct symbol among the cities of the world, and stands 
as a testament to the inspired design of architect Eero Saarinen, to 
the amazing engineers and ironworkers who built her, and to the spirit 
of the citizens of St. Louis and across America.
  Upon its dedication President Johnson noted, For a century, we 
labored to settle and subdue a continent. For half

[[Page 24194]]

a century, we called upon unbounded invention and untiring industry to 
create an order of plenty for all of our people. The challenge for the 
next half century is whether we have the wisdom to use that wealth to 
enrich and elevate our national life, and to advance the quality of our 
American civilization.
  Mr. Speaker, the challenge continues today as we wish happy birthday 
to St. Louis' arch.

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