ST LOUIS (KMOX) - The Gateway Arch has been a symbol of Missouri ever since its completion in 1965 – but it's never been known as the official state monument until now.
Gov. Mike Parson signed Missouri House Bill 447 on Tuesday to designate the Arch as the official state monument. The effort was led by students from Farmington’s Jefferson Elementary School when the class and teacher Janic Chatman learned the state had no official monument.
The bill was sponsored by State Rep. Dale Wright (R-Farmington) and backed by State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge (D-St. Louis), who is the representative of the St. Louis district.
The 630-foot tall Arch is tallest monument in the United States - bigger than the Statue of Liberty and the Washington Monument. It is as wide as it is tall and about 6,700 people every day take a ride all the way to the top, according to GatewayArch.com.
Here are some of Missouri's other official symbols:
Animal: Missouri Mule
Bird: Eastern Bluebird
Dessert: Ice Cream Cone
Fish: Channel Catfish
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