The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as The Saint Louis World's Fair, was a World's Fair held in the U.S. city of St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904. The Fair celebrated the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase (delayed one year). It opened April 30, 1904, and closed December 1 the same year.
The Fair's 1,200-acre (4.9 km²) site, designed by George Kessler blank">Handbook of Texas Online - KESSLER, GEORGE E.. Retrieved 18 May 2006. , was located at the present-day grounds of _Forest Park and on the campus of Washington University, and was the largest fair to date. There were over 1,500 buildings, connected by some 75 miles (120 km) of roads and walkways. It was said to be impossible to give even a hurried glance at everything in less than a week. The Palace of Agriculture alone covered some 20 acres (324,000 m²).
Exhibits were staged by 62 foreign nations, the United States government, and 43 of the then-45 U.S. states. These featured industries, cities, private organizations and corporations, theater troupes, and music schools. There were also carnival-type amusements found on "The Pike."
