by Leigh Goessl

Created on: January 20, 2009   Last Updated: October 01, 2011

St. Louis is a wonderful city to visit and is full of historic sites of interest. In early U.S. history, as a young America began to expand west, St. Louis played a pivotal role in U.S. development. Due to its proximity along the grand Mississippi River, St. Louis was a location that served as a central region in the westward movement.

Today many landmarks still remain from this historical time. Other landmarks have been built in commemoration of these historical events and eras. If you are visiting St. Louis and have an interest in American history you won't be thirsting for things to do. Here are a few of the top historical sites of interest that reside in St. Louis:

• Gateway Arch

While this structure is relatively new in terms of history, it is an important landmark because of what it represents in U.S. history. The Arch was built as part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park and was built to signify the city as the "Gateway to the West". Today the Arch is one of the most famed tourist attractions in St. Louis.

This memorial was designed to memorialize Thomas Jefferson and his vision of an expanded United States. The idea to build the magnificent landmark was conceived in the 1940s. The project was brought to fruition in the 1960s with the dedication occurring in 1966.

The Arch itself is impressive and you can see it clearly from an airplane as you approach the city; it is a fascinating sight to see. While seeing it from a plane is extraordinary, getting up close is even better because the mere size of the Arch is astonishing.

If you visit the Arch, you have the opportunity (for a fee) to take the elevator to the top which overlooks the city of St. Louis and across the Mississippi River into Illinois. If this fits within your budget, it is definitely worth the experience, but if the price is too steep it is worth visiting just to marvel at the Arch's size and beauty.

• Museum of Westward Expansion

The museum of Westward Expansion is a noteworthy historical site because of the wealth of information offered inside. Located directly under the Arch, if you are interested in learning about this historical era in American history, this is a place you won't want to miss.

The museum is representative of this time of change in U.S. history and walks the visitor through the entire history of Westward Expansion with various anecdotes, artifacts, and a grand reproduction of how history unfolded. It showcases early American life in this region

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