Robert Jackson - Meet Me in St. Louis: A Trip to the 1904 Worlds Fair

M eet me in St. Louis, Louis,

Meet me at the fair,

Dont tell me the lights are shining

any place but there;

We will dance the Hoochee Koochee,

I will be your tootsie wootsie,

If you will meet me in St. Louis, Louis,

Meet me at the fair.

chorus from
Meet Me in St. Louis (1904)

A FTER A L ONG W INTERS W AIT, the big day arrives. On April 30, 1904, a warm breeze softens the air in St. Louis, Missouri. Tantalizing smells of food swirl around you: hot dogs, barbecue, German sauerkraut, and Louisiana gumbo. Fluffy blue, pink, and white balls of fairy floss are everywhere; later this confection will be known as cotton candy. And theres a fizzy new drink called Dr Pepper that, according to its creator, is good for your health.

The spring air is also filled with the sounds and smells of animals, including elephants and giraffes, cattle and sheep. People surround youmore people than you have ever seen in your life, more than you knew were alive on Earth at the same time. Theyve come from all over St. Louis, from every part of the United States, and from countless countries around the world. Many people are speaking in unfamiliar languages, but you dont need to understand the words to know what

Reaching 265 feet into the sky, the Ferris wheel became a towering symbol of the grandeur of the 1904 Worlds Fair.

everyone is talking about so eagerly. Its Opening Day at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The St. Louis Worlds Fair is about to begin!

You watch the opening ceremony on the Plaza of St. Louis, then hurry west until you approach the fairs most wondrous, awe-inspiring structure: the Ferris wheel. Reaching into the sky like a majestic steel dinosaur, its grand circular shadow stretches far across the fairgrounds. It is taller than any building you have ever seen, taller by far than the lofty brick offices and warehouses along the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis. As you draw closer, your heart races with fear and excitement; the hulking wheel seems to grow more gigantic with every step you take. You dont even care that there is already a long line or that the ride will cost you the princely sum of fifty cents. When your turn finally comes, you cautiously follow the crowd into a passenger car, which is bigger than a trains caboose.

The giant wheel lurches into motion; you hold your breath and feel yourself moving. How is it possible for such a large car, stuffed to the gills with sixty people, to rise into the air like this? You bravely take a first peek out the windows. Off to the near right, you spot the Abraham Lincoln Exhibit, which houses the actual log cabin where Lincoln lived as a child in Kentucky. Then the rolling gardens and peaceful ponds of the Japanese Pavilion open up in front of you. A bit higher and you can see all of the Jerusalem Exhibit, a miniature version of that Middle Eastern city filled with replicas of ancient buildings. Can this be St. Louis, or have you been transported to a whole new world?

The other passengers gasp with amazement as the car rises, taking you slowly higher, then higher still. People below stroll in the Plaza of St. Louis, and you realize that just a few minutes ago youd been one single face in that massive crowd. You see the Grand Basins rippling water and the boats skimming along its surface like toys in a bathtub. The ornate palaces nearby dont look real anymore; they seem more like tiny, intricate models in the distance. Thousands of people in their dark suits and dresses now look like ants as they scuttle in and out of these magnificent buildings.

A mile-long strip of rides, games, and shows known as the Pike stretches out like a long, lazy snake far off to your left. The Pike is where a lot of rowdy, rambunctious people can be found anytime of day. Its noise reaches you way up here! Amid the commotion you spot a giant tortoise carrying passengers on its back and a troupe of acrobats building a human tower. You remind yourself to explore the Pike as soon as possible.

When the Ferris wheel brings you to its highest point, you can even see beyond the palaces, beyond the Plateau of States and the far edge of the wooded fairgrounds. In the clear afternoon you can actually make out the distant skyline of downtown St. Louis, more than six miles away. How is it possible for anything but a bird to fly this high? It is as if, for this one thrilling moment, you can see the whole wide world before your very eyes.

After this short pause at its peak, the Ferris wheel gently turns again and you begin to come back down to Earth. You cross to the other side of the car to get a better look at the western view. Beyond the fairgrounds lies an endless landscape of farms and forests; once the Louisiana Territory, this rolling frontier is now part of the United States. To your left you spot the livestock forum and dairy barns that remind you of a county fair. From this distance you cant smell the pigs and cows, but you know theyre there. Far ahead you see the enormous Philippine Exhibit. Youve heard that entire families from different tribes live inside the imposing walls, presenting a living model of their nations culture.

Off to the right, beyond Washington Universitys new sandstone buildings and the wide parade grounds, you see the athletic fields where the Olympic Games will take place later this summer. In the nearby aeronautic fields, some strange men who call themselves scientists attempt to defy gravity in reckless but breathtaking flights into the sky. This sight reminds you of Orville and Wilbur Wright, two brothers who made the first successful airplane flight only several months ago, on December 17, 1903. A bit closer to you stand exotic buildings from nations all over the world, including Brazil and India, France and Great Britain, with their diverse designs and carefully planted gardens. Many of them are still under construction, and hundreds of men work hastily in preparation for all the visitors. Winding past them is the Intramural Railroad, a specially built transportation system that takes passengers wherever they want to go on the sprawling fairgrounds. Next to one of the railroads seventeen stations, the extraordinarily long Palace of Agriculture stretches far to the south. Even from this great height you can see the time on the gigantic floral clock outside its entrance.

As the Ferris wheel brings you slowly back to Earth, you look out over the Life Savings Exhibit Lake, where men demonstrate how they rescue passengers from a sinking ship. The large crowd of spectators applauds enthusiastically at the triumphant conclusion of the scene. Soon the sunken boat will be brought back to the surface and prepared for another performance.

As you gaze out the window, someone nudges you and you start to file out of the car. It feels a bit strange, but also good, to have firm ground under your feet again. As you wander aimlessly through the crowd, your head is still swimming from the great height, the wide blue sky, and the sight of so many wonderful scenes. Your mind races as you try to plan as many adventures as possible for the afternoon. Then you remember that the fair will last not just for this one beautiful spring day, but for seven monthsuntil December 1. That date seems so far away that you might be able to squeeze everything in, if you come often enough. It certainly will be worth a try.