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hooting approximately 630 feet into the air several times each day, the stunning Gateway Geyser has the power to reach for the sky and to lure drivers from the interstate highways of Southwestern Illinois for a closer look.
If you've ever wondered about that massive fountain of water that can be seen from vantage points in both Missouri and Illinois, here's your answer.
Located in the Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park in East St. Louis, Illinois, the fountain was designed as a counterpart to the 630-foot-tall Gateway Arch which rises over the Missouri side of the Mississippi River as a tribute to President Thomas Jefferson and his hope for a continental United States.
Eero Saarinen, the Arch's architect, originally envisioned a park surrounding his stainless-steel sculpture that visually linked both sides of the great river.
Saarinen died before the Arch was completed and his vision remained just that until 2009 when the Illinois park and geyser opened thanks to the determination of the late Malcolm W. Martin.
A St. Louis attorney, philanthropist and civil rights champion, Martin purchased the land for the park and provided the leadership necessary to establish an organization to guide the project through to its completion. Martin modeled the geyser -- which is the world's largest man-made fresh water fountain -- after one he had seen in Geneva, Switzerland.
The main geyser sits in a six-acre, million-gallon lake (inhabited by a number of happy -- and brave -- ducks during our visit) and is surrounded by four smaller fountains that represent rivers that converge at St. Louis.
Visitors are often surprised at the noise produced by the three 800-horsepower pumps that operate the geyser. They can process 7,500 gallons of water at 250 feet per second. Just as the Gateway Arch sports an aircraft warning beacon at its summit, so does the geyser. A light on the pump shed alerts pilots that the fountain will be operating so they can avoid the area.
Erupting like Old Faithful, the Gateway Geyser operates on a set schedule at noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. from April through October.
The spray from the main geyser and its four smaller companions often produces brilliant rainbows such as the one to the right which I snapped this summer.
In addition to the geyser, the Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park contains a newly constructed Mississippi River Overlook which rises 40 feet high and allows visitors to see over the Mississippi River flood wall for a magnificent view of the St. Louis skyline. If you're visiting St. Louis, this is the primo location from which to take a postcard-worthy skyline image.
To reach the park and fountain, take the Fourth Street exit from I-55/70. You can follow the signs for the Casino Queen or look for the smaller fountain icon signs that are now in place. Pass the casino parking lot entrance and make a left on the road that runs parallel to the flood wall. You'll see the park, observation tower and fountain on your left.
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