St. Louis World’s Fair

Double sided pocket map for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in Saint Louis.

Issued by a local dry goods store looking to capitalize on the wave of visitors for the 1904 World’s Fair, this double sided map would have served as a handy reference as well as a commemorative souvenir. One side shows the grounds of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, held between May and December in Forest Park. Bold red text at the bottom encourages the reader to “Make our store your headquarters while at the Fair” and proceeds to list numerous amenities provided (presumably) free of charge.

The text also claims that “street cars run direct from our doors to the World’s Fair Grounds” but based on the map on the verso, at least one changeover would be required. On this side, the central section of the city is provided at a much smaller scale, but it provides helpful information on transportation routes to and from the fair, as well as prominently featuring the location of Nugent’s Dry Goods. Again, the claim is made that “street cars run direct from the World’s Fair Grounds to Nugent’s store without change.” I guess you’ll have to take their word for it!