Release Date: May 5, 2015

Contact: Rick Ziino, JNEM
Phone: 314-655-1725
Contact: Jenna Todoroff, Common Ground PR
Phone: 636-530-1235

New Museum Exhibit Galleries Open at the Old Courthouse
Old Courthouse serves as Gateway Arch Ticketing & Visitor Center during construction Visitors strongly encouraged to purchase Gateway Arch tickets prior to their visit.

WHAT: New museum exhibits focusing on westward expansion and early St. Louis are open in the Old Courthouse’s exhibit galleries. The exhibits have been developed from those in the former Museum of Westward Expansion under the Gateway Arch.

“These new exhibits allow the National Park Service to continue telling the story of westward expansion and the role St. Louis played in it while museum renovations at the Gateway Arch are underway,” said Rick Ziino, Interpretative Specialist, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. “We are excited to bring new experiences to the Old Courthouse, and encourage visitors to tour the galleries before making their way to the Gateway Arch.”

The new galleries include:

• Early St. Louis, 1763 – 1804 (Southeast exhibit gallery): Focuses on the founding and development of St. Louis as a fur trading post and as the Gateway to the West for the many pioneers to follow.
• Exploring the West, 1804 – 1840 (Northwest exhibit gallery): Focuses on the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery expedition to the Pacific Ocean and the St. Louis – Rocky Mountain Fur Trade period and the impacts these two groups had on the opening of the west.
• Clash of Cultures, 1840 – 1900 (Northeast exhibit gallery): Focuses on the settlement of the Great Plains, highlighting the Plains Indians and the settlers who passed through on their way to the California gold mines, Oregon valleys, and the Great Salt Lake valley, as well as those who actually established residence on the Plains.

Old Courthouse also serves as the temporary Ticketing & Visitor Center for the Gateway Arch during construction and is the starting point for visitors’ Gateway Arch experience.

Due to decreased capacity in the Gateway Arch, a timed ticket. which regulates the number of people who enter the monument each day, is required to enter. Guests are strongly encouraged to purchase their Journey to the Top tram ride and Arch entrance-only tickets prior to the day of their planned visit.

Tickets can be purchased online at http://ticketsforthearch.com, by phone at 877-982-1410, or in person at the Old Courthouse (11 North Fourth Street, St. Louis, MO 63102):

• A Journey to the Top ticket ($10 for adults, $5 for kids ages 3-15) includes a tram ride as well as a showing of the award-winning film Monument to the Dream, which documents the construction of the Arch (based on availability).
• An Arch Entry-Only ticket ($3 for adults, free for kids) allows access into the Arch facility and admission to Monument to the Dream (based on availability).

The Old Courthouse is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the Arch is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. During the summer (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day), Old Courthouse is open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; the Arch is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.