When you get off the beaten path and talk to people you can find things like the “World’s Largest Catsup Bottle” and things like the Confluence Tower. A very nice guy in the hotel elevator told me I should go to the Tower if I liked history.

Hummmmm… So yes I visited.

Confluence means the flowing or coming together of two or more things, such as streams, rivers, ideas, or events. It can describe the exact spot where two rivers meet, or a symbolic meeting point for different factors, trends, or groups of people.

The Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower is a 180-foot-tall tower on the Illinois bank of the Mississippi River at the confluence of it and the Missouri River. The tower complements the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site, about one mile to the south, where the Lewis and Clark Expedition made winter camp before setting up the Missouri river.

The tower has platforms at 50, 100, and 150 feet, providing a good view of the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Downtown St. Louis and the Gateway Arch can also be seen from the tower. The tower contains two legs joined by viewing platforms, with an elevator in one leg and stairs in the other.