Thursday, August 15, 2024

In chapter seven of CCLD’s Chapter & Chatter Cafe, Jim and KB travel back to what we would consider a simpler time and enjoy the sights and sounds that would have attracted 20 million people to the St. Louis area in 1904.  What are we talking about? The 1904 World’s Fair and 1904 Olympics.

Officially known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the 1904 World’s Fair was held in what we know as Forest Park in St. Louis. While most buildings were built with staff, a combination of plaster of Paris and hemp, two buildings remain from the fair: the Aviary at the St. Louis Zoo and the Art Museum (formerly known as the Art Palace).  

The Fair boasted exhibits from fifty foreign countries and forty-three of the forty-five states, the Observation Wheel that stood 265 feet above the fair with 36 train cars (yes, you read that right, train cars) that held 60 people each and took 15 minutes to go around, and used 10,000 laborers to turn 1,200 acres of swamps and thickets into a stunning attraction.

During the eight months that the fair was open, between August 29 and September 3, 1904, the second Olympic games since their 1,500-year hiatus were held in St. Louis. Most of the Olympic events were held on Francis Field, the stadium on the campus of Washington University.

Watch the latest episode to learn more and then visit one of our libraries to conduct your own research.