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Meet Me in St. Louis: A Trip to the 1904 World's Fair
You are holding a ticket to one of the largest and most magnificent celebrations of all time -- the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair!For seven months nearly twenty million visitors from around the globe flooded the fairgrounds of Forest Park. Many explored the twelve mammoth palaces (made of plaster and horsehair!), which showcased amazing exhibits. Others enjoyed watching the first Olympic Games in the United States, keeping cool all summer with a new treat that became an instant hit -- the ice-cream cone. And everyone loved viewing all 1275 acres of fairgrounds from atop the 265-foot Ferris wheel.
Robert Jackson describes the planning, building, events, and memory of a fair that enthralled millions with its magic. In fascinating detail, he captures the energy and imagination of turn-of-the-century America, when fairgoers begged friends and family to meet them in St. Louis.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 11, 2014
Meet Me in St. Louis is a fascinating book about the 1904 World's Fair. I found this nonfiction book for young readers to be entertaining and wonderful from cover to cover. It was well-organized. The narration was great--never a dull moment. It was detailed. If you love discovering "I didn't know that?!" facts, this is one to treasure. I found myself wanting to find people to enlighten. I learned so much from reading it.
Chapter one is a direct appeal to readers. Jackson writes in second person. He wants YOU to join him at the fair. This chapter gives a brief overview of the fair, inviting you to "experience" it through your five senses. "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 opens 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?" (10)
Chapter two chronicles the preparation and construction.
Chapter three tells of opening day.
Chapters four and five tells of buildings and exhibits. It tells about each of the palaces at the World's Fair. There was, for example, the palace of mines and metallurgy, palace of varied industries, palace of education and social economy, palace of fine arts, palace of liberal arts, palace of manufactures, palace of transportation, palace of electricity and machinery, palace of agriculture, palace of horticulture, palace of forestry, fish, and game. One of my favorite places to read about was the Model Playground.
Chapter six is a great for capturing the unique entertainments. It focuses on "the Illusions on the Pike." Jackson writes, "Plays, concerts, circus tricks--more than forty different shows were staged in all, some in theaters and others right in the center of the wide walkway. Fifteen hundred animals, from zebras to polar bears, lived on the Pike during the fair, and many of them were entertaining performers too. Without a doubt, the Pike was the loudest area on the fairgrounds. Dozens of men called "spielers" or "barkers" shouted into megaphones for hours, trying to attract people to rides and shows." (73) This chapter also mentions Geronimo. "He signed autographs for ten cents each; depending on his mood, the price for his photograph ranged between fifty cents and two dollars. Geronimo would even sell his hat for the wildly expensive price of five dollars--then coolly pull a new one from under the table, place it on his head, and wait for another buyer." (83)
Chapter seven focuses on the debut of the Ferris Wheel, or "Observation Wheel."
Chapter eight is titled, "Faces of the Fair." I thought this was a well done chapter that examines, with honesty, the diversity of the Fair; in many places, it addresses racism and exploitation. The fair, as we've read so far, may have been educational, and it may have been FUN, but, it wasn't always fair and just. "While blacks were not the only minority group treated with disrespect, at least they were free to boycott the fair if they wanted. Others were not able to protest. Several ethnic groups had been brought from their homelands to St. Louis--in some cases by force. Men, women, and children were put on display so that fairgoers could take a first-hand look at them and, in theory, learn about their cultures. The largest of these "anthropological" exhibits came from the Philippines. Hundreds of exploited Filipinos lived on the fairgrounds in open huts and flimsy thatched cabins. Cramped and filthy, the housing offered almost no privacy. The Filipinos were forced by fair managers to sit quietly while crowds of curious visitors gawked at them; they were also told to sing, dance, and perform other activities against their will. Instead of learning about the Filipinos and gaining respect for this culture, most fairgoers concluded they were a primitive race of inferior beings." (100)
And later from the same chapter, "Some people were disturbed by the exploitation of ethnic groups, including a magazine reporter named Laura Ingalls Wilder. Long before the Little House on the Prairie books made her a well-known children's author, she traveled from her home in southern Missouri to write about the fair. Wilder enjoyed the palaces, foreign buildings, and the Pike, but she was appalled by the mistreatment of many of the foreign and Native American people. She reportedly even tried to stop exhibitors from forcing them on display. One day, a young man from Africa was being exploited during a typically cruel stage show. Wilder stood up in the middle of the audience and demanded that the show stop immediately." (103-4)
Chapter nine is about "special events." The chapter covers many such events. But the BEST, BEST, BEST part of this chapter is devoted to the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis!!! There were a dozen little things that I found fascinating in this section. At least a dozen! "Because the Games were fairly new--and therefore disorganized--many bizarre and amusing things happened. After a disagreement over who won the fifty-meter race, two swimmers got into a brawl and just agreed to race again. There was no such thing as instant replay in 1904, of course. And American gymnast George Eyser ambled off with five medals, including two golds, after competing with a wooden leg. He had lost one leg after being run over by a train years earlier." (114) And "A pair of Zulu tribesmen, Len Taunyane and Jan Mashiani, became the first African athletes to compete in the Olympics, even though they were supposed to be part of the Boer War Exhibit. Taunyane might have won, but a fierce dog chased him nearly a mile off course, and he finished in ninth place." (116)
Chapter ten focuses on the last days of the fair.
I would definitely recommend this one!!!
Chapter one is a direct appeal to readers. Jackson writes in second person. He wants YOU to join him at the fair. This chapter gives a brief overview of the fair, inviting you to "experience" it through your five senses. "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 opens 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?" (10)
Chapter two chronicles the preparation and construction.
Chapter three tells of opening day.
Chapters four and five tells of buildings and exhibits. It tells about each of the palaces at the World's Fair. There was, for example, the palace of mines and metallurgy, palace of varied industries, palace of education and social economy, palace of fine arts, palace of liberal arts, palace of manufactures, palace of transportation, palace of electricity and machinery, palace of agriculture, palace of horticulture, palace of forestry, fish, and game. One of my favorite places to read about was the Model Playground.
Chapter six is a great for capturing the unique entertainments. It focuses on "the Illusions on the Pike." Jackson writes, "Plays, concerts, circus tricks--more than forty different shows were staged in all, some in theaters and others right in the center of the wide walkway. Fifteen hundred animals, from zebras to polar bears, lived on the Pike during the fair, and many of them were entertaining performers too. Without a doubt, the Pike was the loudest area on the fairgrounds. Dozens of men called "spielers" or "barkers" shouted into megaphones for hours, trying to attract people to rides and shows." (73) This chapter also mentions Geronimo. "He signed autographs for ten cents each; depending on his mood, the price for his photograph ranged between fifty cents and two dollars. Geronimo would even sell his hat for the wildly expensive price of five dollars--then coolly pull a new one from under the table, place it on his head, and wait for another buyer." (83)
Chapter seven focuses on the debut of the Ferris Wheel, or "Observation Wheel."
Chapter eight is titled, "Faces of the Fair." I thought this was a well done chapter that examines, with honesty, the diversity of the Fair; in many places, it addresses racism and exploitation. The fair, as we've read so far, may have been educational, and it may have been FUN, but, it wasn't always fair and just. "While blacks were not the only minority group treated with disrespect, at least they were free to boycott the fair if they wanted. Others were not able to protest. Several ethnic groups had been brought from their homelands to St. Louis--in some cases by force. Men, women, and children were put on display so that fairgoers could take a first-hand look at them and, in theory, learn about their cultures. The largest of these "anthropological" exhibits came from the Philippines. Hundreds of exploited Filipinos lived on the fairgrounds in open huts and flimsy thatched cabins. Cramped and filthy, the housing offered almost no privacy. The Filipinos were forced by fair managers to sit quietly while crowds of curious visitors gawked at them; they were also told to sing, dance, and perform other activities against their will. Instead of learning about the Filipinos and gaining respect for this culture, most fairgoers concluded they were a primitive race of inferior beings." (100)
And later from the same chapter, "Some people were disturbed by the exploitation of ethnic groups, including a magazine reporter named Laura Ingalls Wilder. Long before the Little House on the Prairie books made her a well-known children's author, she traveled from her home in southern Missouri to write about the fair. Wilder enjoyed the palaces, foreign buildings, and the Pike, but she was appalled by the mistreatment of many of the foreign and Native American people. She reportedly even tried to stop exhibitors from forcing them on display. One day, a young man from Africa was being exploited during a typically cruel stage show. Wilder stood up in the middle of the audience and demanded that the show stop immediately." (103-4)
Chapter nine is about "special events." The chapter covers many such events. But the BEST, BEST, BEST part of this chapter is devoted to the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis!!! There were a dozen little things that I found fascinating in this section. At least a dozen! "Because the Games were fairly new--and therefore disorganized--many bizarre and amusing things happened. After a disagreement over who won the fifty-meter race, two swimmers got into a brawl and just agreed to race again. There was no such thing as instant replay in 1904, of course. And American gymnast George Eyser ambled off with five medals, including two golds, after competing with a wooden leg. He had lost one leg after being run over by a train years earlier." (114) And "A pair of Zulu tribesmen, Len Taunyane and Jan Mashiani, became the first African athletes to compete in the Olympics, even though they were supposed to be part of the Boer War Exhibit. Taunyane might have won, but a fierce dog chased him nearly a mile off course, and he finished in ninth place." (116)
Chapter ten focuses on the last days of the fair.
I would definitely recommend this one!!!
August 29, 2020
The St. Louis World's Fair looks like the most fun World's Fair. That would have been delightful. This book provides a sweeping overview of the events of the Fair itself, rather than focusing on the politicking and fundraising that inevitably went on behind the scenes prior to the fair. (Although President Francis seems like he was just the most excited person at the Fair.) The book was quite short, so there were certainly no extraneous details. However, it still managed to paint a vivid portrait of the personalities and sections of the Fair, making me wish I could be there.
St. Louis became the place of "firsts" for such things as peanut butter, ice cream cones, and cotton candy, while technology like electric lights and telephones still awed crowds. While countries from across the globe hosted palaces and pavilions to show off their culture, some of that was exploited to demonstrate the superiority of Western civilization. Technological progress will always look down its nose at long-standing cultural traditions, and people get caught in the cross-fire. But despite that, this event truly was the Romantic, rose-colored glasses event that movies make it out to be, an idealized experience for anyone to see.
St. Louis became the place of "firsts" for such things as peanut butter, ice cream cones, and cotton candy, while technology like electric lights and telephones still awed crowds. While countries from across the globe hosted palaces and pavilions to show off their culture, some of that was exploited to demonstrate the superiority of Western civilization. Technological progress will always look down its nose at long-standing cultural traditions, and people get caught in the cross-fire. But despite that, this event truly was the Romantic, rose-colored glasses event that movies make it out to be, an idealized experience for anyone to see.
November 21, 2023
well done history of the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. great pictures and memorabilia including Tom (TS) Eliot's ticket book for the event. the Ferris Wheel from the Chicago World's fair was even brought out of retirement for it. the Olympics were there, a gymnast w/a wooden leg won two golds. amazing event, v. well documented.
the only thing i have a quibble with is calling Bell and Edison the inventors of the telephone and electric light, both are in question.
the only thing i have a quibble with is calling Bell and Edison the inventors of the telephone and electric light, both are in question.
May 8, 2017
This was very interesting. I now find myself wishing for a time machine so I could travel back in time and attend the World's Fair. It's sad that we no longer have them.
April 24, 2023
Short and sweet, and told with the kind of care only a native St. Louisan would bring to the task. Hopefully, I'll have the chance to reader longer works on the subject.
October 7, 2011
My favorite movie of all-time is the 1944 classic film "Meet Me in St. Louis," starring Judy Garland, Margaret O'brien, Mary Astor, and Leon Ames. So this was a book I really wanted to read and I was not disappointed. It described well what there was to see and do at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. While reading the book and reading what all there was to do it made me want to step back in time and be there at the fair. It sounded like it would have been a neat experience!!!! If you have seen the movie "Meet Me in St. Louis," and/or read the book "Meet Me in St. Louis." by Sally Benson then you really should read this book if you want to know what all the Smith family could have done while at the fair.
March 29, 2015
Neat photos and stories from the 1904 World's Fair. The Ferris Wheel was the same one originally constructed for the 1893 Chicago fair. It was demolished (and possibly buried) on-site in Forest Park after the 1904 fair closed. T. S. Eliot visited the fair at least 49 times.
July 29, 2014
A very nice, fairly comprehensive look at the 1904 World's Fair for younger readers.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews