Jefferson National Expansion Administrative History

Volunteers-In-Parks Program

Volunteers have become an integral part of National Park operations nationwide, due partially to budget cuts, but also in large measure due to the unique background and experiences they bring to their duties with the NPS. Jefferson National Expansion Memorial functioned in large measure because of its hard-working and dedicated volunteer corps, who assisted with all areas of the interpretive operation.

A relatively small volunteer program existed in the Museum of Westward Expansion up until 1984. In that year, Dan Hand, volunteer coordinator for the park, was able to bring in 68 new volunteers in one day. This was made possible because the St. Louis Visitor Center, a city visitor contact site, was moved from its location aboard the Sergeant Floyd, a riverboat on the levee, to an office in the Mansion House on Broadway. The obscure location of this office brought about an alarming drop in the one million visitors per year the organization had claimed. The Visitor Center asked Superintendent Schober if a facility could be built on the Arch grounds for their operation. Since this was not possible, options were explored through which most of the volunteer corps of the Visitor Center would also work at the Arch for part of their volunteer hours. JNEHA Executive Director Ray Breun commented: ". . . So we brought in 68 volunteers in one day. Our volunteer program went from maybe fifteen or twenty or so to almost 100." [113] Dan Hand commented that he conducted intensive training sessions to orient the new volunteers to the park and the NPS. It was an "equally beneficial marriage right off the bat," and within a year of the acquisition of this large core group, 75% of information desk operations were run by volunteers. [114]

The Volunteers-in-Parks (VIP) program continued to expand as the need for volunteers increased. In the beginning stage of a docent program, one volunteer provided interpretive programs twice a week at the Museum of Westward Expansion. [115] However, even a dedicated volunteer program did not guarantee complete coverage at a site. At the Old Courthouse, volunteers were used to interpret and protect the new exhibits during 1986, especially the artifacts in two high-security galleries which featured such items as the 1904 St. Louis automobile and Victorian era furnishings. Many VIPs complained of the extreme humidity and heat in the as-yet non-air conditioned galleries during the height of the St. Louis summer. By summer's end, absenteeism proved that complete volunteer staffing was not a reliable alternative to paid staffing. [116]

Volunteer Mary Reilly staffs the Arch information desk. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

By 1987, 133 VIPs provided 9,800 hours of service to the park, saving the NPS $57,225 in salary costs. This represented a 25% increase in volunteer hours over 1986. A VIP banquet and awards ceremony was held in the Gateway Arch visitor center lobby during National Volunteer Week in April, and an annual VIP Christmas party was introduced in December. A new VIP orientation manual was completed and issued during summer of 1987. [117]

The next major increase in the number of volunteers was in 1989, when 45,674 hours were donated, representing $338,641 in savings to the park. The number of volunteers increased by 46%, and hours donated by 22%. [118] The majority of the volunteers were involved in interpretation and visitor services at both the Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse. Duties included operating the information desks at both sites, staffing and presenting programs in the Museum of Westward Expansion, staffing the Old Courthouse galleries and rotunda, and assisting the museum education program coordinator. The greatest increase in volunteer activity in the late 1980s and early 1990s occurred in the new archival program, where sixteen volunteers contributed more than 1,500 hours. Other volunteers assisted with the Storytelling Festival, Victorian Christmas and the park library. The majority of the park's VIPs were over the age of 55, and most were women. [119] By 1991 a total of 197 volunteers were assisting with JEFF park programs. [120]

JEFF's volunteer corps at the annual 1991 banquet, with coordinator Bill Henry (right, in uniform). NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Collections Management

The Museum Services and Interpretation Division, in addition to interpreting the resource, also had charge of preserving it. This included the functions of the park library, archives, collections management, and maintenance of exhibits. A curator of cultural resources [121] oversaw the library, archives and collection, while a curator of exhibits managed exhibit scheduling, care, and cleaning. In each of these areas great strides were made toward increasing the efficiency of park operations during the 1980s.

Throughout 1985, the curatorial staff was heavily involved with the acquisition of objects for the permanent exhibits in the Old Courthouse, which opened the following year. A total of 259 new objects were cataloged into the park collection, and 160 books were acquired for the library. Eight of the park's Thomas Moran paintings were loaned to the Museum of Western Art in Denver for their special exhibit entitled "Thomas Moran and the Yellowstone." [122]

Between May 1986 and November 1987, a full inventory of the park's museum collection was completed. An inventory of this scope had not been conducted at the park for several decades, and consequently was a major undertaking. For those portions of the park's archival, architectural, and archeological collection which could not be inventoried and cataloged due to lack of staff and resources, special provisions were made. A loan agreement was negotiated with Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE) to inventory and, as necessary, catalog the architectural fragments stored in the Old Courthouse basement. These were items removed from buildings which were torn down during the 1939-1941 period to make way for the Memorial. The original Saarinen plan called for a museum which would showcase the architecture of the riverfront, but these plans were dropped over the course of time. Mark Engler recalled:

We were at loggerheads over that collection. It was still in the basement of the Old Courthouse after over a year of talking with SIUE. After months of serious negotiating to try to get these items moved, JNEHA was asked to donate funds to move the project ahead. JNEHA donations were used to have the collection taken out of the Old Courthouse basement by professional movers, and to provide partial payment to SIUE students for cataloging the items. A crane had to be brought in to get some of the pieces out. Some of the items weighed over a ton. I don't think when SIUE accepted the project they quite realized the size of the collection, or the weight of some of the items. Storage was provided at SIUE. The project has resulted in a far better-protected and managed collection. [123]

An arrangement was made to transfer uncataloged archeological materials, particularly from the dig on the site of the Gateway Arch Parking Garage, to the NPS Midwest Archeological Center for storage and assessment. [124]

JNEHA agreed to hire three employees to complete a recataloging and object information computerization project beginning in 1988. Funding for these positions allowed the park to make full use of the computer which was purchased for collections management use in 1987. When this project was completed in 1991, all the park's accession entries and catalog cards were computerized. Approximately 8,000 objects which originally had been cataloged using obsolete systems were recataloged using the approved Automated National Catalog System (ANCS) format.

JEFF was one of only three parks in the Midwest Region selected to participate in the test of draft procedures for the Annual Inventory of Museum Collections report. The experiences and recommendations of the parks which participated were used to evaluate and revise the Annual Inventory Procedures for Museum Property, which were implemented service-wide in 1988. [125]

Midwest Regional Curator John Hunter and Donald R. Cumberland of Harpers Ferry Center visited the park in August 1988 to examine museum collection storage facilities. This was the first step in the preparation of a Collection Storage Plan, the first draft of which was completed and reviewed by the end of 1990. [126]

The Park submitted its written application for reaccreditation by the American Association of Museums (AAM), and the visiting committee appointed by the AAM Accreditation Office visited the park in November 1990. [127]

Library

JEFF collected and stored books and archival materials in its early years, but they were not kept in one location until 1961. At that time the majority of the books were placed in the interpreters' offices on the ground floor of the Old Courthouse, although some remained in the collection storage areas on the second floor of the building. [128]

In 1971, these materials were removed from poor storage areas for better preservation and to make them more accessible. These efforts culminated in 1976 in the designation of a specially prepared library and documentary storage area in a courtroom in the north wing (second floor) of the Old Courthouse. This area provided additional space and controlled temperature for a collection which had grown to more than 2,500 volumes. [129]

JEFF librarian Tom Dewey, 1990. NPS photo.

In 1978, Suzanne Gill of Information Resource Consultants was contracted to inspect JEFF's library holdings and develop a manual to guide the park staff in managing the collection, the majority of which was accessioned and cataloged at that time. In 1982, NPS Chief Librarian David Nathanson completed a study of the JEFF library and archives. His report summarized the status of both collections and offered suggestions for conservation, most of which were implemented by park staff in subsequent years. [130]

During the 1980s, the library was managed part-time by various staff members, including Museum Specialist Steve Harrison and Assistant Curator Kathleen Moenster. As the collection and need for staff research grew, it became apparent that full-time staffing of the library would be beneficial to the park. In 1989, Tom Dewey was hired to fill a newly-established librarian position funded by JNEHA. [131] In 1990, Dewey attended the NPS Library Management Workshop, which included information about the new NPS library card catalog software. Following the workshop, he revised the Library Operating Policy and began planning for the computerization of the park's library card catalog. [132]

Major improvements were made to the park's library in 1991. Because the library shelving was inadequate to hold the books owned by the park, it was removed, and new, adjustable shelving installed in August of that year. The new shelving provided space for future acquisitions. JNEHA funds were used to purchase the shelving, as well as a slide storage cabinet, a larger-capacity periodical rack, a dictionary stand, a library display stand, and a new audiovisual area including a VCR, laserdisc, color monitor, and tape recorder. A collection of videotapes on theme-related subjects was begun, and became the fastest-growing section of the library. The Midwest Regional Office provided funding to purchase a rare book cabinet, two hygrothermographs, a freezer for nitrate negative storage, two air-conditioners, and four air cleaners for improved collections storage climate control and air quality. [133]

Archives

The creation and accumulation of the materials that compose the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Archives (JNEM Archives) began with the park's establishment in 1935. As office files were deemed to be inactive they were retired to storage areas throughout the Old Courthouse. By the time of the JNEM Archives' formal creation in 1988, most of these records were consolidated in the JEFF library and in the museum collection storage room. The records were generally in good physical condition, but since the documents were not arranged or cataloged, and finding aids were nonexistent, researchers were not able to use them. [134]

In response to the problem of inventorying and cataloging an overwhelming amount of archival material, JNEHA agreed to fund a park archivist position for two years, beginning in January 1988. This marked the first time in the park's history that a professionally trained archivist was on staff to evaluate, process and catalog JEFF's archival holdings. Harry G. Heiss joined the staff in January 1989, completed a Survey of (Archival) Collections, and prepared an Archives Master Plan. Volunteers were recruited to assist with processing the collections. One collection was completed and four others were partially processed by the end of the year. A computer was purchased for archives management and the preparation of publications, such as finding aids. New shelving and other supplies were obtained for improved storage and preservation of archival holdings. [135] Archival processing continued with the production of several finder's aids.

Formal reference room procedures were implemented during the second year of JEFF's archives program. All persons using the JEFF archival collections were required to complete a registration form, present identification, and agree to abide by established procedures for handling historic records. Access to archival materials was controlled and limited to Library and Archives personnel. The number of archives volunteers increased from four to fifteen people in 1989, and JNEHA funded two internships for graduate students enrolled in archives administration study programs. This resulted in the continuation of the processing of several collections. [136]

By 1990 the archives program was moving ahead rapidly. The number of volunteers increased to 21, and processing began on an additional 34 new projects. A major accomplishment was the consolidation into a single archival collection of all records documenting the first attempt to install a museum in the Gateway Arch visitor center in the 1960s. Two hundred and twenty-eight inquiries for information were processed, including many related to the 25th anniversary of the Arch. [137]

Harry Heiss accepted a position at the Library of Congress and resigned from the staff on April 27, 1991. Laura S. Mills, formerly an archivist at the State Archives of Michigan, was selected as the new archivist in what had been established as a permanent, JNEHA-funded position, and joined the staff on August 26, 1991. [138]

Exhibit Staff and the Temporary Exhibit Program

In addition to JEFF's permanent displays in the Museum of Westward Expansion and the Old Courthouse, the park has presented a great number of traveling exhibits over the years. The largest of these was the Charles M. Russell Exhibition, which the Memorial hosted from April 2 through August 29, 1982. The exhibit was sponsored by JNEHA, with support from the Adolph Coors Company, the Missouri Arts Council, the Missouri Committee for the Humanities, and the St. Louis Westerners. It was a particularly significant exhibition because St. Louis was Russell's hometown. The exhibit increased the park's utility costs due to the maintenance of a constant temperature in the exhibit galleries. Although no extra funds were provided for these costs, $20,000 was allocated for the required security increase. Ninety-seven Russell oils, watercolors, pen and inks, bronzes, illustrated letters, photographs, and memorabilia loaned from 14 collections in the United States and Canada made up the extensive display. The 1982 Frontier Folklife and Storytelling Festivals were tailored to fit the theme of the exhibit. A full-color, 105 page catalog was issued by JNEHA with text by Exhibit Curator Janice K. Broderick, and a documentary film was made. [139]

The Russell exhibition, as well as others throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, were coordinated and arranged by a curator of exhibits who worked for JNEHA. In 1982, this position became vacant and was eventually discontinued. From that time on, the NPS exhibit staff, whose primary responsibility had been the care and maintenance of the permanent displays, were given the duties of managing special exhibits. This staff was headed by an exhibit specialist, paid by the NPS.

In 1985, as an adjunct to the VP Fair, JEFF hosted the Faces of the Vatican Collections exhibition in the Old Courthouse from July 4 to August 26. The exhibit consisted of 65 color photographs of faces created by master artists in such detail that in many cases they rivaled the original art in emotional impact. [140]

In April 1988, the Memorial presented a special exhibit in the MWE, Ethics of the Land, which illustrated responsible land management techniques. In November and December, JEFF had the distinction of being the only NPS area to host the Arts for the Parks exhibit. This major exhibit showcased the top 100 paintings of a nationwide contest for images depicting national parks; attendance exceeded 10,000. [141]

An active traveling exhibit program was implemented in 1989, starting with an exhibit of 17 Mort Künstler paintings which drew 52,000 visitors. Toward the end of the year, a special exhibit, Raptor '90, offered live bird demonstrations, 40 selected paintings of birds of prey, and an opportunity to work with the raptor rehabilitation project. JEFF's exhibit program became so busy by 1989 that a calendar of future exhibits was maintained for three years in advance of the show dates. [142]

In addition to arranging for traveling exhibits and providing maintenance for permanent displays, the exhibit staff began to design and construct their own exhibits in 1989. The first such project was a small display regarding the history of JEFF, created as a prelude to the 25th anniversary of the Arch celebration. This was followed by a much larger effort in 1990, when a special exhibit entitled Gateway Art illustrated through the use of items representative of popular culture how pervasive the image of the Arch had become since its completion. The exhibit included Arch T-shirts and hats, Arch candy and china, ARCH license plates and shopping bags, and Arch television commercials. The commercials even led to the creation of a game, invented by the Rev. Scott Lohse for a church singles party, called Pin the Slyman Brothers on the Arch. The game was also included in the display. [143]

The success of the Gateway Art exhibit led the interpretive division to design and construct a special exhibit for the 75th anniversary of the National Park Service, which emphasized the employees who made the agency a success. The National Park Service: 75 Years in the Making opened in the special exhibit gallery at the Arch on June 15, 1991, amid much media coverage. Mark Engler commented:

Our 75th anniversary exhibit showed the experience and knowledge we had gained from the 25th anniversary of JEFF exhibit. For an in-house project, it was spectacular. It interpreted the story very clearly, and shared with the visitor the NPS system and the people who make that system work. [144]

Calendar year 1991 saw a total of twenty special exhibits. Among the most impressive were Arts for the Parks 1990 and Arts for the Parks 1991. Inland Waterways: The Way West featured huge paintings by Gary R. Lucy depicting historic Missouri and Mississippi River scenes, 1804-1880. The Victorian Christmas display at the Old Courthouse won an honorable mention for the park and $500.00 (in the category of best small interior display) from the St. Louis Convention and Visitor's Commission. [145]

A 63-page document, Exhibit Program Special Operating Guidelines, was completed in late 1991. Intended as a working manual, the document assisted the exhibit staff in the planning, acquisition, and fabrication of special exhibits. Included in the manual were gallery floor plans, sample letters, checklists, park guidelines, and other related information and forms. This document was the first of its kind in the Park Service. [146]

In addition to installing temporary exhibits, maintaining the Museum of Westward Expansion and the Old Courthouse exhibit galleries was a full-time task. Due to the design of both museums, which had few barriers around the artifacts, objects on display were susceptible to damage, especially during periods of high visitation. Many objects required repair and in some cases, replacement. A concerted effort was made to substitute reproduction items whenever possible. Major repair projects included the buffalo-hide tipi located in the MWE, which suffered water damage in the autumn of 1990. The exhibit was restored with help from Harpers Ferry Center. In 1991, two of the large photomurals along the Lewis and Clark wall were damaged as the adhesive on their backing began to fail and they peeled away from the wall. These were also repaired with aid from Harpers Ferry Center. [147]

To provide for better general care of the museum, maintenance personnel were given special training in the cleaning of exhibits in 1989. In addition, two special contracts were awarded to rehabilitate particular exhibits. The grizzly bear display was redesigned to better safeguard it from visitor damage, and 48 of the photographs in the MWE which had been damaged or worn were replaced. Further, a new system of plexiglas plates was developed to facilitate repair of the museum prisms, which display exhibit text labels. [148]

The exhibit operation was computerized in 1992, enabling the production of professional quality exhibit text labels through the use of state-of-the-art technology. Exhibit Specialist Dan Swift saw exhibit design as an "active communication art, comparable to public speaking or filmmaking." [149] The tools of the exhibit designer were the media employed — the use of graphics, text, images and objects to tell a story. The exhibit staff at JEFF were interested in doing more than just "making cute displays." It was their task to educate the visiting public using the techniques of strong graphic design, meaningful and succinct text, and judicious choices of representative objects. Displays had to be attention-getting but not gaudy, informative as well as interesting, entertaining without being shallow. This was the delicate balance to be achieved by exhibit designers in their work, and the challenge was met by a talented team. [150]

Exhibit Specialist Dan Swift and Park Ranger David Uhler hang a temporary exhibit in the Old Courthouse, 1991. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

The quality of special exhibits hosted by Jefferson National Expansion Memorial increased dramatically between 1985 and 1990. By 1991, JEFF was credited with having the largest, best organized, and most active exhibit program in the National Park Service. [151]

American Indian Peace Medal Exhibit

In December 1985, the Museum of Westward Expansion acquired by donation the largest privately-owned Indian peace medal collection in the United States. As a condition of the donation, the park agreed to put the collection on permanent display for the benefit of the viewing public. [152]

Produced in silver for presentation to American Indian chiefs and warriors, peace medals represented a fascinating and little-known part of American history. They included an important group of images depicting United States Presidents, from George Washington to Benjamin Harrison, and became an integral part of the government's relations with Native Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries. The history of the policy of the United States Government toward the Native American people could be traced through the designs used on the medals. [153]

For American Indians, the medals were cherished possessions to be worn on important occasions. A large number of Native American chiefs wore their peace medals with pride in portraits and studio photographs of the 19th century. Medals were given to chiefs on such occasions as the signing of a treaty, a visit to the national capital, or a tour of an Indian nation by a Federal official.

Peace medals originally served as tokens of diplomatic authority between the United States and independent American Indian nations. Eventually, the government stopped making treaties with Native Americans, who were expected to live on reservations of land set aside for them. Beginning in 1861, peace medals were minted specifically for Euro-American collectors as well as Indians, although many non-Indians began to collect medals before this date. During the last phase of their use, peace medals were given to "good Indians" who moved to reservations or convinced others to do so. The last use of peace medals, in 1896, signified the end of an era.

Park officials decided to display the medals against the north wall of the museum. This area provided ample room for visitors to view the exhibit. The north side of the museum was formerly occupied by a multi-screen image wall. [154] In 1989, a contract for the architectural/engineering (A/E) work was negotiated through non-federal funding with the architectural firm of Hellmuth, Obata, & Kassabaum (HOK), and discussions began regarding construction and costs. [155] The Museum Services and Interpretation division, using the A/E contractor's design as a base, developed a package of suggestions regarding the potential interpretive content of the exhibit. Viewing the project as an excellent opportunity to interpret American Indian policy from 1787-1890, the staff also compiled historical background materials and recommendations concerning particular aspects of the exhibit's design. [156]

Progress continued into 1990, when the exhibit design and construction plans for the exhibit were completed and reviewed by the Midwest Regional Office. Due to the sensitivity of the story to be told by the medals, the Washington office requested that the park coordinate the graphic and interpretive aspects of the exhibit with American Indian groups. Accordingly, the American Indian Center in St. Louis was contacted for assistance. A sum of $300,000 was donated from private sector funding for planning and construction of the exhibit. [157]

In late 1991, an exhibit text was outlined, which focused on the complex relations between the United States and Native American nations, using the symbolism included on peace medals issued between 1789 and 1896. Forty medals were selected for display. In addition, four life-size anamatronic figures were planned to represent William Clark during the period he served as an Indian agent, an African-American cavalry soldier, the Lakota chief Red Cloud, and medalmaker Charles Barber. These animated figures were designed to "tell" the story of American Indian/U.S. relations from different viewpoints. Design work for the first phase of the project was completed by HOK, and Innovative Systems, Inc. was responsible for construction. [158]

American Indian Peace Medal Exhibit. NPS photo by Al Bilger.

Publications

Over the years, JEFF enjoyed many special advantages because of its partnership with JNEHA. The additional funding received from the Association made it possible for the interpretive division to develop a number of significant projects, including the park's publication program. Although many changes were made over the years, the program continued to be an important aspect of the interpretive effort, providing information for the staff and the visiting public.

The publications program began in 1979, when the first two volumes of a projected "Gateway Series" were produced. Dan Murphy resigned his position as supervisor of visitor services to become editor of the JNEHA publications project. Murphy related that the new books were to be a "fresh telling" of the westward expansion story and were intended to reach a wide popular audience. Noted western historians Ray Allen Billington and Robert Utley were invited to author the first two books, Westward to the Pacific and Indian, Soldier, and Settler. Two short books about Thomas Jefferson and Lewis and Clark were written by Dan Murphy. In addition, JNEHA also published a book on the history of the Old Courthouse by historian Donald Dosch. The series gained distinction for their use of the new publications design system, the "unigrid format," developed by the NPS.

Despite the positive impact of these publications, by the early 1980s the practice of publishing books was discontinued, and the interpretive division began producing a magazine. In 1983, the premiere issue of Westward Magazine, a quarterly chronicle of America's westward expansion, was published. [159] The park historian [160] served as editor of subsequent issues, which featured such topics as Lewis and Clark; steamboating on the Missouri River; the Oregon-California Trail; Fort Scott, Kansas; Ste. Genevieve, Missouri; and Bent's Fort, Colorado. With the second issue in the spring of 1983, the name was changed to Gone West! Although popular, the magazine was discontinued in 1985 due to budgetary restraints. [161] Ray Breun commented:

That was originally part of an attempt to do a membership program. There were two conflicting views on membership. Jerry [Schober] had one view and people in interpretation had another view. Jerry wanted a kind of small membership, not unlike what they have in Philadelphia. Interpretation wanted to have a big membership to keep costs down. And that Gone West! was seen as a means of having a publication for the membership program, but also something that could be sold to other parks, that's why there's one on Bent's Fort, and one on Fort Clatsop. After three years of experimenting it was obvious there were conflicts within the Park Service itself, and the [JNEHA] board just said, "Let's stop that." So we just bought out of it. The Gone West! we still own, we're now using it more on the computer side of the house and we may eventually go back to doing more publications. [162]

Another feature of the publication program was a park newspaper. The park began printing a newspaper with general information for visitors in 1978, due to the fact that there were such a large number of features to the park that no one brochure could adequately cover them. The paper was known at first as Gateway, and was only four pages in length. In 1982, the name was changed to Gateway Guide, and it was expanded to 12 pages, with some space devoted to advertising by local businesses. The advertisers paid the costs of layout and printing, which was performed through the city's alternative newspaper, The Riverfront Times. This advertising agreement made the JEFF newspaper unique in the NPS. By 1983, Gateway Guide was coming out as a winter and summer issue and expanded further to 22 pages, although a third of the issue was devoted to advertising. In 1986, the paper became known as Gateway Today and was printed twice a year. [163]

Most of the information in the paper remained unchanged during the late 1980s, and served to provide orientation to visitors about available services. Articles focused on the history of westward expansion and St. Louis, as well as highlighting special events. In 1985, information was expanded to include other sites of interest in downtown St. Louis. The 1990 issue of the paper featured articles about the Arch's 25th anniversary, and in 1991 the theme was the 75th anniversary of the National Park Service. Regardless of its name or format, the newspaper served an important function in the Memorial's visitor services program. [164]

Throughout the decade JEFF produced a wide variety of other publications, including exhibit catalogs, brochures, calendars, and site bulletins. In August 1988 the interpretive staff began printing a one page monthly bulletin called the Museum Gazette. "Our problem was that we had a big museum, and a small amount of knowledge about each object and topic within it," recalled former Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation Corky Mayo. "We thought about what we could do to get more information to the staff about the exhibits, and decided a periodical publication might work best. Each would present a single focus issue on a single sheet, front and back, with the same format each time. We held a competition among the staff for the banner, which was won by Sue Siller." [165] Designed to provide information on topics of interest related to the themes of the park and objects in the museum, individual Gazettes were written by the historian and front line interpreters. By 1991, issues had been produced on such diverse topics as the 1904 St. Louis automobile, the Spanish caretta, women in the west, the overland wagon, Robert E. Lee in St. Louis, the mountainmen, the stagecoach, Victorian Christmas, steamboats, the 1904 World's Fair, the sod house, the grizzly bear, and the player piano. In addition to those available for the public, the distribution list for the Gazette grew to include the Midwest Regional Office, the Pacific Northwest Regional Office, the Western Regional Office, the Chief Historian in the Washington Office, and the 33 parks of the Midwest Region. [166]

Other accomplishments in the area of publications during the 1980s included a unigrid folder for the Old Courthouse, with one side printed in large type for sight-impaired visitors, in 1989. In 1990 this brochure was also translated into German and French. [167]

In 1991, the Division of Museum Services and Interpretation purchased Ventura Desktop Publishing computer software with the aim of developing the capability to produce interpretive literature in-house. In April, nine employees attended a one day workshop given by the University of Missouri — St. Louis to learn the basics of the program. Employees began to create site bulletins, special events folders, and a curriculum guide for nationwide use on the Oregon Trail. The foray into desktop publishing was an immediate success, and saved the park a great deal of money in layout and design costs for publications. [168]

Conclusion

The interpretive program at JEFF was one of the largest in the National Park System during the 1980s. The huge facility, large staff, and multitude of programs made the position of chief of interpretation a challenging one. Former chief Rick Wilt felt that it was the "best interpretive job in the entire National Park Service because of JNEHA — there were no limits on funds, only on your imagination." During the 1984-85 period, JEFF had the second largest interpretive budget in the NPS, behind Independence National Historical Park, due to the generous donations and staffing support of JNEHA. In addition to funding, the park had very broad interpretive themes, which contributed to a nearly unlimited spectrum of programs and tours. Due to the large staff, there were many training and collateral duty opportunities at JEFF which would be impossible at a small site. The St. Louis area itself presented many opportunities, combining the cultural advantages of a city with the ability to get into the countryside to live or recreate easily. [169]

In contrast to these advantages, however, the staff was challenged by "burnout," which became the best-known (or most reported) aspect of working under the Gateway Arch. According to long-time employee Rick Ziino, "several factors contributed to employee burnout. There was no mental break during the course of the year, because one busy season led into another. The month of January was the only slow time, and business picked up in the spring with large numbers of school children. The busiest months were during the tourist season in the summer, which also included the bustling VP Fair. Autumn brought more school kids, the day after Thanksgiving (traditionally one of the most hectic of the year), and Christmas special events. A tight duty schedule, with thousands of visitors to meet and greet daily, led to repetition at duty stations and an overload of public contact." [170]

Despite these factors, morale generally remained high and the staff seemed to thrive on the fast pace of work under the Arch. Creativity was at an all-time peak during the early 1990s, with employees becoming involved in areas of personal interest, including partnership programs, puppet shows, historical research, collateral duties on Equal Employment Opportunity committees, assignments to special projects such as writing the Annual Statement for Interpretation, or health and safety issues. JEFF traditionally served as a "training ground" for young GS-5 rangers, who, just as with the Law Enforcement division, were able to gain permanent positions with the NPS by coming to St. Louis. As the 1990s began, however, the demographics of the staff changed. A broader spectrum of employees, composed primarily of people from the St. Louis area, shifted the staff to a more permanent group of local residents, and seemed to eliminate the "revolving door" principle. Retirees from other occupations, hired as interpreters, made significant contributions to the staff. Education Assistant Eleanor Hall represented the quality work these more experienced people contributed to the interpretive program. In 1992, Ms. Hall was honored with the Regional Freeman Tilden Award for excellence in interpretation, for her creation of the curriculum guide The Oregon Trail: Yesterday and Today. [171]

The Interpretive Division looked forward to the challenges of the future in the early 1990s, preparing for the eventual acquisition of an East St. Louis site and assisting with the creation of an interpretive program at the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. With its extensive education program, traveling trunks and unique partnerships with local schools, JEFF was on the "cutting edge" of urban park education. Publications such as the Oregon Trail curriculum guide benefitted the entire country, not just the St. Louis area. The creation of the permanent American Indian Peace Medal Exhibit linked high technology exhibit design with cultural sensitivity to tell a powerful story to the visiting public. As the 1990s began, following a decade of extensive growth and diversification, there was no sign that the interpretive program at JEFF was slackening its pace in a headlong rush toward the future.

JNEHA Ranger Carolyn Buckner conducts a "mock trial" program in the Old Courthouse, May 1990. NPS photo by Al Bilger.