Gateway Arch: River in Flood

This morning the Mississippi River is flooding, though not seriously and expected to start receding by tomorrow, because of the tremendous amount of rain that fell here last week.


There are six-twelve inches of water covering the riverfront drive. The two sightseeing river boats are currently moored well above the brick waterfront apron where people often park while visiting the Arch.  

The second photo is from two days ago at the top of the Arch and shows the top of William Clark's hat on the bronze sculpture Captains' Return.

The third and fourth photos of Captains' Return are from last year when the river was at different stages. The river is in constant flux and not necessarily influenced just by local weather.

I took the fifth photo earlier this fall from a parapet on the Eads Bridge on the Illinois side of the river. Captains' Return is near the base of the bridge and well out of water.

Gateway Arch: Captains' Return Again

This is interesting because it illustrates the changeability of the Mississippi River in a very short period of time.  I took this photo last Saturday, September 12 from a river boat.

On September 3, just 9 days earlier, I took a shot right at the water's edge from the bottom of the pile of rubble at the base of the Eads Bridge tower on the right.  I posted that day, so go back if you haven't seen it.

I shot the picture so that Lewis and Clark appeared to be coming ashore.

Here is another picture taken on that day which shows that the boat is really only a half a boat, and also shows the water level on the levee.

Gateway Arch: The Captains' Return

Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and Seaman returned to St. Louis in 1806 after more than two years in scientific exploration of the northern part of the newly purchased Louisiana Purchase and beyond for the still-forming young nation.


The Captains' Return, sculpture by Harry Weber of Missouri, sits at the base of Eads Bridge at the northern end of the St. Louis waterfront. During floodtimes I have seen it totally submerged.  At lowest water you can walk around and below it.  This morning I was standing on rocks beside water lapping at the base of the Eads bridge abutment.


The river level changes dramatically because of weather far away from here out west along the Missouri and up north along the Mississippi.