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TAKE A 1904 WORLD'S FAIR TOUR IN ST. LOUIS
In this Mississippi River city the phrase "Meet me in St. Louis, Louis" is more than just a Judy Garland tune. More than a century later, the 1904 World's Fair is still part of many attractions visitors can see every day. In 1944, the Fair was further immortalized in the Judy Garland musical, "Meet Me in St. Louis," based on the novel by St. Louisan Sally Benson.
The World's Fair - formally known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition -- was held in St. Louis to celebrate the centennial of President Thomas Jefferson's purchase of the Louisiana Territory and his vision of a continental United States. The celebration also honored explorers Lewis and Clark and their epic journey into the unknown American west in 1804, which began and ended in St. Louis. This fair brought together people from dozens of nations who re-created their arts and culture, entertained the crowds and sold their wares to fairgoers from around the world.
Almost 20 million people attended the Fair in St. Louis' Forest Park, which was held from April through November 1904. One writer at the time said that for the seven months of the Fair, St. Louis was "the most cosmopolitan city on earth." A truly international event, the Fair attracted dignitaries from around the globe. Prince Pu Lun, the nephew of the Chinese Emperor, was the Imperial Commissioner to the Fair, marking China's first appearance at an international exposition.
Many items considered "all-American" today made their debut at the fair, including Buster Brown Shoes, ice cream cones, iced tea and hot dogs served in a bun. One version of the ice cream cone was developed at the World's Fair when Ernest Hamwi, who sold Persian waffles called zalabia, filled a waffle with ice cream. He later founded Missouri Cone Company, which became the country's largest producer of ice cream cones. Iced tea also was developed at the Fair when the British area failed at selling hot tea and put ice into the brew. Hot dogs served on a bun were popularized during the event, along with the soft drink Dr Pepper, and "Borax Bill" drove his 20-mule team through the fairgrounds to advertise his cleaning product.
Some of the performers at the Fair included a 24-year-old cowboy-storyteller named Will Rogers, and Scott Joplin, a St. Louis resident known as the King of Ragtime. Another popular performer was an exotic entertainer called "Little Egypt," who lured fairgoers to "The Pike," the Fair's amusement area, with her "hootchie kootchie" dances. The phrase, "coming down the Pike," which is still used today, referred to all the wonders of the world a visitor could see displayed on the fairgrounds.
Composer Scott Joplin's famous Rag, "The Cascades," was inspired by the beautiful fountains in Forest Park that welcomed visitors to the Fair. The popular entertainment of the era, including Ragtime music, could be found along the section of the Fairgrounds known as "The Pike." A stop at the Scott Joplin House allows visitors to tour the two-story antebellum structure that was home to the "King of Ragtime" during some of his most productive years. Since Joplin was a featured performer on The Pike, there's a display on the 1904 World's Fair. Next door is a re-creation of the Rose Bud Café, a St. Louis ragtime-era hot spot, which is used for special events.
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company constructed 75 miles of roads and walks and 15 miles of railroad for the World's Fair, and more than 1,000 buildings occupied the fairgrounds in Forest Park. The electric Intramural Railroad had 17 stops throughout the fair where visitors saw demonstrations of new inventions such as the heavier-than-air flying machine, coin changers, electric clocks and automatic telephone answering machines. One exhibit that drew a lot of attention was the baby incubator, a new device that dramatically increased the chances of survival for premature infants.
Today, a World's Fair excursion through St. Louis begins where the Fair took place, in Forest Park. The 1,370-acre park has undergone a massive restoration program, with new and restored roads and lakes. Located within the park, the Saint Louis Art Museum is the only one of eight World's Fair "palaces" that remains. The others were built of "staff," a material similar to plaster. Today, the museum houses masterpieces and ancient artifacts reflecting thousands of years of human culture from around the world. A statue of Saint Louis, King of France stands guard outside the museum's main entrance. During the Fair, it was located at the head of the Plaza, and it was the first large piece of statuary to greet visitors passing through the main gates.
Another spectacular structure remaining from the Fair is the massive walk-through Flight Cage at the Saint Louis Zoo. The cage was the Smithsonian Institution's exhibit at the Fair, and at 228-feet long, 84-feet wide and 50-feet high, it was the largest aviary ever built. It remains one of the largest free-flight cages in the world, and the landmark structure, which served as the impetus for the development of the Saint Louis Zoo in 1913, has undergone a major restoration that allows visitors closer to the birds in a lushly landscaped exhibit called "Cypress Swamp."
Located outside the Zoo, directly across from the Flight Cage, is the World's Fair Pavilion. Built on the site of the Fair's original Missouri Building (which was lost to a massive fire in 1904) the Pavilion was designed to be a lasting memorial to the Fair. The renovated pavilion now hosts groups for picnics and special events, but visitors can enjoy some of the best views of the park and a cascading waterfall from the Pavilion. Boat travel was a popular mode of transportation through the fairgrounds, as there were miles of canals that wound through Forest Park. Modern day visitors can relive the experience on a paddleboat ride at the Forest Park Boathouse. Boaters can paddle to a picnic island in the lake, or cruise around the wildlife island and fountains that dot the waterway.
A drive by the campus of Washington University offers another glimpse at the fairgrounds. The Administration Building, now known as Brookings Hall, was the official reception hall used to meet dignitaries and other Fair-going VIPs. The athletic fields and gymnasium, still in use today by the university, were the site of the 1904 Olympic Games, the first Olympiad held in the United States. George Coleman Poage, a runner from the Milwaukee Athletic Club, became the first African-American to win a medal in a modern Olympiad. Poage, who won bronze medals in the 200- and 400-meter hurdles, remained in St. Louis after the games and taught at Sumner High School. Sumner opened in 1875 and was the first high school for black students west of the Mississippi River.
The magnitude and pageantry of the Fair sometimes overshadowed the event it was staged to commemorate - the centennial of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase and the consequent exploration of the new territory by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. At the Missouri History Museum, also located within Forest Park, visitors can see the original Louisiana Purchase Transfer Document that formalized the transfer of the Upper Louisiana Territory from Spain to France to the United States on March 9 and 10, 1804 in St. Louis. A map of the Louisiana Purchase territory that traces Lewis & Clark's Corps of Discovery route is etched in the walkway at the museum's north entry, and galleries include artifacts from the Lewis & Clark journey and Clark's life in St. Louis. "The 1904 World's Fair: Looking Back at Looking Forward," embodies the sights, sounds and splendor of the fair while revealing the human stories of the fair's creators, participants and attendees. General admission to the Missouri History Museum is free.
The restored 1848 Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion houses an extravagant and diverse collection of 1904 World's Fair memorabilia. More than 1,200 pieces are on view including photographs and souvenirs in excellent condition. Visitors can tour the entire antebellum Greek Revival home, a National Historic Landmark, which is furnished with authentic period furnishings that reflect St. Louis' early French heritage.
Among the exhibits at the 1904 World's Fair was the log cabin home hand-built by 18th U.S. President and Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant. Modern day visitors to St. Louis can view the cabin which is the only house still standing that was hand-built and occupied by a U.S. president. After the Fair, Grant's Cabin was purchased by Adolphus Busch, who was an admirer of Grant, and he moved it to his property that was once owned by Grant's family. The land is now part of the Grant's Farm animal preserve which is operated as a free family attraction by Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Century-old souvenirs from the Fair remain hot items today. A search on E-bay will turn up postcards, programs and a variety of souvenirs ranging from glassware and advertising items to commemorative coins and silver spoons. St. Louis' antique and collectible stores, especially those along Cherokee Street Antique Row, also are a good source of Fair items for collectors.
Updated: February 6, 2008
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