Henry Shaw Gardenway
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Almost immediately after it opened to traffic, Garden leaders looked to put their own stamp on Route 66 through roadside beautification projects. Those efforts were spearheaded by Lars Peter Jensen, the first director of the Garden’s new Arboretum (Shaw Nature Reserve).
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As beautification efforts revved up, so did the calls for a special designation. In 1934, the 35-mile stretch of highway leading to the Arboretum was officially named the Henry Shaw Gardenway.
The decision was lauded as a fitting tribute to Garden founder, Henry Shaw. “The Missouri Botanical Garden is at one end of the strip and its beautiful Arboretum is taking form at the other end. With these institutions promising their cooperation in the beautification of the length of it, there can be no doubt that a gardenway, in fact as well as in name, will exist in the not-far distant future,” proclaimed the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at the time.
In 1935, five large metal commemorative tablets were installed along the Gardenway—at the St. Louis City limit, at Buder Park, two near Pacific, and one at the entrance to the Nature Reserve. In an unexpected twist, two of the plaques were stolen the next day. An additional Gardenway plaque was dedicated at Tyson Valley Park in 1950.