The Pike

Public wiki for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition
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The Pike was a wide  mile-long span of the Fair that  showcased all sorts of amusements and activities.

Though the major theme of the 1904  St. Louis World's Fair was one of education, the Pike's exhibits were a mixed bag of attractions- from the elaborate to the simple,  that focused on not only informing the average fairgoer, but thrilling, scaring, and  humoring them with elaborate and sometimes eyebrow-raising amusements.

These rides, attractions and concessions were  more varied, elaborate and  costly (seven to eight million dollars),  than any previous Exposition.  Some called it a headquarters for fun and entertainment, while others labeled  it an over-elaborate carnival and a den of iniquity.

The Pike wasn't actually  a broad street that ran a mile long, it did  turn south at the two ends, which created  wider entrances to handle the enormous evening mobs. It was designed with 10 different  styles of paving and a variety of street fixtures.

The expression- `Coming down the Pike,'  originated from this area of the  Louisiana Purchase Exposition.

Pike-goers could visit  Constantinople, Cairo or even the North Pole; while in the same day   take in a Paris fashion show,  visit Blarney Castle or the Tyrolean Alps.  One could experience the world's `Creation,' or `Hereafter,' or ride a burro or camel. Visitors could see elephants sliding down chutes,  witness an epic  naval battle or see forever atop the largest Observation Wheel ever built.  A reenactment of the Galveston Flood could be viewed, or  a visit to Jerusalem.

Concessionaires and barkers, armed  with  megaphones  lined the Pike, competing with blaring brass  bands for the fairgoer's  attention.  In the  evening,  with the palaces closing at dusk,  the Pike was alwayscrowded and attractions such as belly-dancing was quite popular.

Frederick Remington's statue "Cowboys Off the Trail" (also entitled- "Cowboys Shooting Up A Western Town,"),   greeted fairgoers as they walked into the  Exposition's eastern  entrance. There they could witness over fifty  attractions.

Plans were made to make  The Pike permanent after the  Exposition-  as well as adding a beach  and a stadium, but  Washington University cancelled them.

Buildings

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