The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
Memorabilia:  The Boer War Exhibit


1904 W.F. Society

"The Boer War" was a very large concession and attraction at the 1904 Fair. It was located south of the Ferris Wheel, just east of Skinker Blvd., and it was the highest grossing 'military' concession at the Fair.

The Boer War was fought in South Africa in 1899-1902 between the British and South African Dutch settlers. At stake was the autonomy of 'free' republics and control of the territory and its vast natural resources (including gold mines). About 75,000 people died from the war and many diseases.

The Official Program (also titled "Historical Libretto") for the Boer War contains pictures of some of the attraction's main organizers, pictures of the major actors and Generals, and also has a lot of advertising for guns, St. Louis hotels, and other World's Fair attractions and restaurants.


Boer War Official Program & Libretto

For the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, Frank Fillis produced "the greatest and most realistic military spectacle known in the history of the world". Different portions of the concession featured a British army encampment, several South African native villages (including Zulus, Bushmen, Swazis, and Matabele tribes), and a large, and a 15-acre arena in which the military forces paraded, sporting events and horse races were held, and major battles from the Boer War were reenacted twice a day.

Admission ranged from 25 cents for bleacher seats to $1.00 for box seats, and admission to the villages was another 25 cents. The concession cost $48,000 to construct, grossed over $630,000, and netted about $113,000 to the Fair.

To recreate the battles, Fillis recruited 600 veteran Boer War soldiers from both sides, including several Generals. They staged parades, sporting events, horse racing, battle maneuvers, and fired thousands of 'fake' gunfire shots in the lengthy battle scenes. The entire battle recreation took 2-3 hours. A climactic scene showed General De Wet's escape on horseback, leaping from a height of 35 feet into a pool of water.

I found this 1/2 page advertisement for the Model Poultry Farm and Restaurant particularly interesting. This restaurant also complained that the Boer War's gunfire 'upset' their chickens, resulting in fewer eggs.

I can't help but wonder what the "really good things" were that were sold with the chicken and eggs. I also didn't know that "game-cock bouts" were permitted and held on the Fairgrounds "every now and then". I wonder what the Board of Lady Managers thought of that!