Ever wonder what it was like to live in St. Louis in the 19th century? A new virtual attraction at Gateway Arch National Park immerses visitors in the middle of a bustling St. Louis riverfront in the 1850s, where they encounter a group of people whose real stories reflect the promise of a growing nation.
“Cobblestones & Courage” is a 3D experience that transports visitors to the hustle and bustle of life along the Mississippi River levee, teeming with activity as an important crossroads of westward expansion.
“The intention of the new virtual reality program is to help bring to life some of the fascinating stories and anecdotes that are highlighted in Riverfront Era gallery at the Museum at Gateway Arch National Park,” said Liz Forrestal, Jefferson National Parks Association senior director of programs. “Today’s riverfront looks quite different than it did in the 1850s and through this experience, we are able to share with visitors the history and diversity of people and activities who helped make St. Louis the cosmopolitan city that it became.”
During the 10-minute experience in the Virtual Reality Theater, visitors will don a 3D headset to embark on their adventure. Along the way, they’ll “meet” three people and hear about their stories of courage, struggle and hope.
Forrestal says the featured city dwellers were gleaned from documents such as newspaper articles, court records, census data and boat manifests. Among them is 42-year-old John Parker, who had worked as a steamboat hand since he was a boy.
“John Parker’s story was chosen as we have documents that show he was an enslaved dock worker who eventually purchased his freedom in 1856,” Forrestal said.
Visitors will also encounter James B. Eads, known by most for the historic bridge spanning the Mississippi that bears his name. Eads was born in Indiana in 1820 and came to St. Louis when he was 13. In his early 20s, he started his own salvage company on the Mississippi River.
“[He] is familiar as the individual who built ironclads to support the Union effort during the Civil War and built the Eads Bridge,” Forrestal noted. “But few know his early background in St. Louis, where he invented a diving bell to retrieve salvage from boats that had sunk to the bottom of the Mississippi River.”
Another story is that of 40-year-old Anna Hormann, who was among the waves of German immigrants arriving in America in the mid-1800s, according to Forrestal. Hormann came with her husband and two young children, and the family was either planning to stay in the city or head west after acquiring the goods needed for the journey.
“These three people probably never met yet they represent the multi-ethnic melting pot of American society,” Forrestal said. “[They] were real, ordinary people who visitors can relate to and find inspiration from today.”
The “Cobblestones & Courage” 3D experience is located in the lobby inside the Gateway Arch, just outside The Arch Store. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for children ages 5 to 15. For more information, click here.
