BMR, you piqued my curiousity about the arches, I found this, MT Girl, very cool shot, I love Yellowstone
Arch Facts
The Arch idea is attributed to Hiram Martin Chittenden
The Arch design is attributed to Robert C. Reamer
Construction started about 19 Feburary 1903
The Arch was finished on 15 August 1903
The Arch is 50 feet high
The main opening is 30 feet high by 25 feet wide
Each tower is: 12 feet square at the base, tapers to 6 feet where Arch begins
The rocks were hewn from basalt, a volcanic rock, quarried locally
Cost for the Arch was $ 10,000.00
Above the arch is carved: "For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People"
On east tower is carved: "Yellowstone National Park"
On the west tower is carved: "Created by Act of Congress, March 1, 1872"
President Theodore Roosevelt was already in the park on vacation when asked to lay the cornerstone
Several thousand people came to Gardiner - mostly by train - on April 24, 1903 for the dedication
The Historic Roosevelt Arch is located at the quaint western town of Gardiner, Montana.
A Landmark and Symbol Turns 100 Years Old
In the early years of Yellowstone National Park, most visitors came through the North Entrance. Visitation increased in 1903 when the Northern Pacific Railroad reached the adjacent town of Gardiner, Montana. The arch was built to serve as a formal gateway to the park.
President Theodore Roosevelt, while vacationing here in the spring of 1903, agreed to lay the cornerstone of the new arch at the North Entrance. Several thousand people attended the ceremony marking this event.
During his vacation, Roosevelt viewed the geysers and hot springs, and spent many hours watching elk and bighorn sheep. To Roosevelt, though, Yellowstone's uniqueness was as the first national park set aside anywhere in the world. It was a symbol of democracy--land set aside for all the people and belonging to all the people. President Roosevelt recognized this would be Yellowstone National Park's legacy to the rest of the world.
President Theodore Roosevelt was a also a mason. The corner stone ceremony was presided over by the Grand Master of Montana. When they came to the point of being ready to lay the corner stone, the Grand Master handed the trowel to President Roosevelt, who spread the mortar on the stone that was to be the resting place of the corner stone. The corner stone was then lowered into place.
With the corner stone in place, President Roosevelt addressed the crowd of residents and visitors.
The National Park Service and the town of Gardiner will celebrate the Arch on 23, 24 & 25 August 2003. There will be a ceremony, speakers, Theodore Roosevelt IV (Roosevelt's great great grandson) and events to celebrate this historic occasion.
Some of the information provided above is from the National Park Service.
