Dick eventually graduated high school from Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. As Dick grew up, he moved with his family to Florida and then North Carolina for his father's work. people would come up and want that elevator, and see this kid in there running the elevator, and they'd go to the manager and they'd bang on the doors and holler and so forth, because this kid was playing with the elevator." (Bowser, 1993). ![]() I would run the elevator, and my father would be on top, to inspect the cables and grease things and so forth. Dick explained what that was like in a 1993 interview with park historian Bob Moore: "At ten years old, I became the helper. Dick was around 10 years old at the time, which was old enough to help his dad with the family business. Virgil leased a machine shop to take over many of the former business's clients personally. When the depression hit in the 1930s, however, the elevator company closed down. Soon after baby Dick entered the world in 1921, Virgil went to work for the Warner Elevator Company. Ruth worked as a schoolteacher before she married, and Virgil held jobs as a pattern-maker and owner of a machine shop. Bowser the experience, skills, and abilities he needed to invent the ingenious tram ride.Ĭhildhood as an Elevator Mechanic's Apprenticeĭick Bowser's parents, Ruth and Virgil Bowser, were both raised on farms in southern Michigan. There is nothing else quite like it anywhere in the world! It was invented in only two weeks by a fascinating young man named Dick Bowser.Ī series of seemingly unrelated events all conspired to give Mr. ![]() The Gateway Arch tram system is a one-of-a-kind invention that incorporates components of ferris wheels and elevators in its design. Have you been to the top of the Gateway Arch? If so, you might remember the slightly claustrophobic, gently pivoting futuristic white capsules you rode up in. Arrangements for special ranger-led tours can be made in advance by calling 1-87."It was just very interesting and very flattering that somebody was even thinking about letting me do this." -Dick (Richard) Bowser, about designing the tram system at the Gateway Arch, in an interview with NPS historian Bob Moore in 1993. ![]() For pricing and group reservations, call toll free at (voice) 1-87įree ranger-led tours are given on a regular schedule both outside on the Arch grounds and inside the museum. Groups of 20 or more may call in advance for reservations. No weapons - including firearms, fixed-blade knives, pepper spray, mace or electronic weapons - are allowed.ĭuring summer and school holidays, lines may become long throughout the day, so we recommend you arrive early. ![]() The Museum Under the Gateway Arch is always free for all visitors and does not require a ticket or an entry fee.ĭue to security measures at the Gateway Arch, all visitors to the Arch must pass through an airport style security checkpoint. On Fee Free Days periodically throughout the year, the NPS does not collect that $3.00 cut of the ticket price, so every visitor gets the $3.00 "discount" on the Tram Ride to the Top and the documentary movie. Reserve your spot in advance online or by calling toll-free 87. Sometimes we sell out of tram tickets to the top. Spring and summer are busy times at the Arch. To view ticket prices and buy tickets online for the Tram Ride to the Top, Riverboat Cruises, and the acclaimed documentary Monument to the Dream, click here.
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