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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. Almost 100 years later, the famous 1904 World's Fair is still part of many attractions visitors can see every day.
The World's Fair -- the event's formal name was the Louisiana Purchase Exposition -- was held in St. Louis in 1904 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 both began and ended in St. Louis. This greatest of all turn-of-the-century fairs 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.
Nineteen and a half million people attended the Fair in St. Louis' Forest Park 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."
Many items today considered "all-American" debuted at the fair including Buster Brown Shoes, ice cream cones, iced tea and hot dogs served in a bun. The soft drink Dr Pepper also got its start at the Fair, and Borax Bill drove his 20 Mule Team through a section of the fairgrounds advertising his cleaning product.
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.
One of the performers at the Fair was 24-year-old cowboy-storyteller Will Rogers. Scott Joplin, a St. Louis resident known as the King of Ragtime, played at the Fair and an exotic entertainer called "Little Egypt" 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.
Forty years later, in 1944, the Fair would be further immortalized in the Judy Garland musical called "Meet Me in St. Louis," based on a novel of the same name by St. Louisan Sally Benson.
America's relationship with food changed forever during the summer of 1904. One version of the ice cream cone was developed at the World's Fair when Ernest Hamwi, who served Persian waffles called zalabia at the Fair, filled his waffles 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 and hamburgers, although not invented at the Fair, were popularized during the event when visitors from all across the country tried the delicacies and took the idea back to their own hometowns.
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.
A truly international event, the Fair featured visits from dignitaries from across 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.
In addition to hosting the Fair, St. Louis became the first American city to host the Olympic Games. The 1904 games were held at Francis Field on the campus of Washington University just west of the World's Fair grounds in Forest Park. At the St. Louis Olympics, George Coleman Poage, a runner from the Milwaukee Athletic Club, was the first African-American to win a medal in a modern Olympiad with bronze medals in the 200 and 400-meter hurdles. After the Olympics, he stayed in St. Louis to teach at Sumner High School.
"I think a nostalgic search for a simpler time in America brings some of our visitors to St. Louis looking for the connection to the World's Fair," said Carole Moody, president of the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission. "Don't forget that millions of people visited this fair, so callers from all over the country tell our travel counselors stories about grandparents or great grandparents who came to St. Louis for the fair and remembered it as a highlight in their lives. Now those visitors want to re-trace their ancestors' steps and see Forest Park for themselves."
In addition to memories, century-old physical souvenirs from the fair are hot items today. A search on E-bay will turn up postcards, programs and a huge variety of souvenirs ranging from glassware and advertising items to commemorative coins and silver spoons trading hands in the online marketplace. St. Louis' antique and collectible stores, especially those along Cherokee Street Antique Row, also are a good source of Fair items for collectors.
Today a modern 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, $90 million restoration program. The park's roads and lakes have been restored and new landscaping can be found throughout the massive urban oasis just six miles from the Gateway Arch.
Visitors can walk in the footsteps of fairgoers at the Saint Louis Art Museum - the only one of eight World's Fair "palaces" designed to be permanent. (Others were built of staff - a material similar to plaster.) As it did in 1904, the museum houses masterpieces and ancient artifacts reflecting thousands of years of human culture from around the world. Visitors should note the statue of Saint Louis, King of France outside the museum's main entrance. The statue originally was located at the head of the Plaza during the Fair and was the first large piece of statuary to greet visitors passing through the main entrance gates.
Another spectacular structure remaining from the Fair is found at the Saint Louis Zoo just east of the Art Museum in Forest Park. The massive walk-through Flight Cage was the Smithsonian Institution's exhibit at the Fair. At 228 feet long, 84 feet wide and 50 feet high, it was the largest aviary ever built and today it remains one of the largest free flight cages in the world. The landmark structure, which served as the impetus for the development of the Saint Louis Zoo in 1913, underwent a multi-million dollar restoration in 2004 that brings visitors closer to the birds in a lushly landscaped exhibit called "Cypress Swamp."
Within the park, directly across from the Flight Cage, sits 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. Individual visitors can enjoy some of the best views of the park and a cascading waterfall from the Pavilion.
In 1904, a popular mode of transportation through the fairgrounds was a boat ride through the miles of canals that wound through Forest Park. Modern day visitors can relive the romance of the Fair on a paddleboat ride from the newly renovated Forest Park Boathouse. Boaters can paddle to a picnic island in the lake, cruise around a wildlife island and enjoy eight new fountains that now dot the waterway.
A drive by the campus of Washington University gives Fair fans another glimpse at the fairgrounds. The Administration Building (now Brookings Hall) was the official reception hall used to meet dignitaries and other Fair-going VIPs and also served as an exhibit of a model university. The athletic field 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.
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 stone walkway at the museum's north entry. Galleries within the museum also include artifacts from the Lewis & Clark journey and the rest of Clark's life in St. Louis. A special exhibit, "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.
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. Furnishings reflect the era in which Joplin occupied the house and, 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 musical performances.
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.
Thousands traveled to St. Louis by train to reach the Fair anticipating one of the most spectacular events they had ever imagined. The passenger trains delivered them to an equally stunning architectural gem - St. Louis Union Station. Built in 1894, Union Station was once the largest and busiest passenger rail station in the world. Today, the Station houses a festival marketplace of specialty shops, restaurants and a luxury hotel. Union Station provides self-guided exhibits, including one on the World's Fair that celebrates the history of the station. Historic memorabilia is housed in display cases located throughout the station and within the always-open, free "Memories Museum."
Among the interesting 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. Just as Fairgoers did in 1904, 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. At the time of the Fair, the home had been moved from its original St. Louis County location and brought to the fairgrounds. After the Fair, Grant's Cabin was purchased by Adolphus Busch who was an admirer of Grant. Busch moved it to his property on Gravois Road 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.
For restless youngsters a full day of Fair-like fun awaits visitors at the Six Flags St. Louis theme park. At the Main Street Market, ice cream is for sale on waffle cones, just like those introduced at the 1904 World's Fair. Rides include Colossus, a World's Fair-style Ferris Wheel like the one featured at the 1904 exposition, and Moon Cars, an old-fashioned auto on a fixed track named after Moon cars produced in St. Louis in the early part of the 20th century.
St. Louis hotel reservations may be made online at www.explorestlouis.com or by calling 1-800-916-0040.
Click on the interactive calendar of events at www.explorestlouis.com/events to check for details on special events taking place during the specific dates of your visit.
MEDIA NOTE: For more information or photography of St. Louis, send an e-mail to pr@explorestlouis.com or call Becky Sharp at 1-314-992-0652. For up-to-date information about St. Louis, your readers should call the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission at 1-800-916-0040 or check out our website at www.explorestlouis.com. This news release is also available in electronic form. To obtain an electronic version, e-mail your request to pr@explorestlouis.com or go to St. Louis’ online media center at www.explorestlouis.com/media.
