United States Territorial Expansion Memorial Committee Records, 1933-1973
Finding Aid by Jacqueline E. Mitchell and Suellyn Lathrop
May 1989
Revised August 1991
INTRODUCTION TO THE COLLECTION
The United States Territorial Expansion Memorial Commission (USTEMC) was formed by Congress for the purpose of working with the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association (JNEHA) in formulating plans for construction of a "memorial to the men who made possible the territorial expansion of the United States." (from Senate Joint Resolution 93, Box 6, Folder 13) The records of the USTEMC were transferred to the National Park Service upon the dissolution of that organization (c. 1976). The collection measures approximately eleven linear feet, and includes papers of both USTEMC and JNEMA.
The correspondence, which incorporates about two-thirds of the collection, concerns a wide variety of issues. Early correspondence focuses on the architectural competition for the riverfront memorial. Correspondence from architect Eero Saarinen can be found for the period 1948 to 1960. It details Saarinen's concerns for maintaining his original concepts for the Memorial, zoning, and railroad relocation plans.
Boxes 1 through 4 contain the correspondence of JNEMA president William W. Crowdus. Correspondence between March and May of 1951 pertains to the death of Luther Ely Smith, the driving force behind the Memorial project. Other topics discussed include authorization of JNEM, appropriations, and the 1953 Louisiana Purchase Sesquicentennial.
The correspondence of Ronald J. Foulis pertains mainly to meetings of the USTEMC. As a member of both the Commission and JNEMA, Foulis acted as a liaison between the two groups. This correspondence also concerns the construction and dedication of the Gateway Arch.
The correspondence is augmented by legislation for construction of the Memorial and appropriation of funds. There are also reports to membership for both USTEMC and JNEMA, as well as documents resulting in the relocation of the railroad tracks.
"The Arch Competition for the Jefferson Expansion Memorial Program," A Memorial Volume to Luther Ely Smith, and "An Imaginary Tour of Proposed JNEM" are just a few of the many published materials in the collection.
Photographs and newspaper articles in the collection are mainly from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the St. Louis Star-Times, and the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, but newspapers and magazines from other parts of the country are also represented. These articles describe the progress and setbacks in the funding of the Memorial, and the problems associated with its construction and completion.
Information obtained from this collection must be properly cited, whether used in publication or in other formats. A citation suggested for this collection is:
National Park Service
Gateway Arch National Park Archives
United States Territorial Expansion Memorial Commission Records, 1933-1973
Box __, Folder__
Researchers are advised that before records, photographs, and any other unpublished materials from this collection can be published or exhibited, permission from the National Park Service must be obtained in writing.
