April 1904: The Whole World Was Watching

Santa Barbara on Display at the St. Louis World’s Fair

The replica of the Santa Barbara Mission | Credit: St. Louis Public Library Digital Collections

The St. Louis World’s Fair opened in April 1904. Known officially as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition — in celebration of its centennial — it was an extraordinary showcase of myriad wonders of the world. From agriculture to technology to diverse cultures and amusement rides, the seven-month-long event attracted nearly 20 million visitors who flocked to mid-America for the experience of a lifetime.

Among some 1,500 buildings assembled on 1,200 acres, one of the favorite attractions was the centrally located California State pavilion. It was designed and built as an homage to the Santa Barbara Mission, bringing the beauty and significance of the community and its most historic building to the attention of the world.

Poster for the St. Louis World’s Fair, which ran from April through November 1904 | Credit: Wikicommons
Map of the St. Louis World’s Fair, which covered more than 1,200 acres | Credit: Wikicommons

As reported in The Morning Press: “California’s state building is unique and strikingly attractive, being modeled after the famous old Santa Barbara mission building in the state. It occupies a place of prominence and is one of the most frequently visited state buildings at the fair. It is conducted with true California hospitality and is open to the public every day until late in the evening, not being closed at sunset like many of the other buildings. The interior of the building is a very cozy place and is growing in popularity with world’s fair visitors. So accurately has the old mission been reproduced that even the coloring has been duplicated by giving to the California building a tone to indicate the. age of the structure after which it has been modeled, a building erected before California became a part of the United States.”

The California State Building, fashioned after the Santa Barbara Mission for all the world to see | Credit: St. Louis Public Library Collections

The Santa Barbara–style California state building was located nearby the massive Palace of Agriculture building that sprawled across 20 acres. One of the highlights of California’s agriculture was celebrated in the Golden Wine Temple in the palace. It was dedicated by California Governor George Pardee and his wife, Helen, and described in The Morning Press as “A beautiful pavilion, resting upon five golden pillars, crowned with a golden canopy placed upon bottles of wine. The outer walls are covered with gold and carry shelves containing 1,400 bottles of California wine. Grapevines with rich leaves and clusters of grapes hang from the center pavilion to the outside walls.”

Santa Barbara County created its own striking exhibit in the agricultural palace, described as “an obelisk made of 2,000 bottles of olive oil. Olives and honey in jars, bunches of grapes, peanuts, grain and grasses and fruits of various kinds comprise the decorations of this pretty pavilion.” The impressive olive oil tower won a gold medal for the county, as did exhibits of mustard and barley from Lompoc.

The popular Golden Wine Temple display created by the California viticulture industry | Credit: St. Louis Public Library Digital Collections
Santa Barbara County’s exhibit in the Palace of Agriculture featured a towering display of bottles of olive oil, along with nuts and dried fruit. | Credit: St. Louis Public Library Digital Collections

Another Santa Barbara attraction was a 200-pound block of the then newly discovered diatomaceous earth that was mined in Lompoc, one of the few places in the world where there are large deposits of the chalk-white mineral substance. Made from diatoms, the fossilized remains of one-cell algae, the unique material is used as a building material for temperature insulation as well as soundproofing and fireproofing. It was shipped in February 1904 as part of the mineral exhibit in the 22-acre Palace of Mines and Metallurgy at the fair.

The Morning Press reported, “This beautiful block of snow-white earth will evidently attract wide attention at St. Louis by scientists and others from till parts of the civilized world. For not until quite recently has its origin or value been known. It was used in very limited quantities in certain cements and plasters, but in the last few years its increase in value has been marvelous.”

In October 1904, months before the end of the fair, Santa Barbara’s World’s Fair Commissioners declared the county’s participation a great success. They even had a cash balance of $400 to apply to an exhibit in Portland, the next big fair scheduled. They hoped it would be an opportunity to showcase Santa Barbara as a desirable destination of particular interest with the opening of the Potter Hotel, which could accommodate large numbers of guests.

Capturing the Images

Jessie Tarbox Beals, the first published female photojournalist, proved her “ability to hustle,” as she described her energetic approach to her work. She worked tirelessly at the 1904 World’s Fair, creating many memorable images as she climbed on ladders and into hot-air balloons to get the perspective she envisioned. She created many memorable images as well as capturing candid shots, including one of President and Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, just after his reelection in November 1904.

Trailblazing female photographer Jessie Tarbox Beals in the studio | Credit: Wikipedia
On location with photographer Jessie Tarbox Beals, who attracted attention as she went to great lengths — and heights — to get the shot | Credit: Library of Congress

Beals’s work was so impressive to fair officials that she was named the official photographer for the publicity department as well as several print publications, including the New York Herald.

After her start at the World’s Fair, Beals eventually moved to Santa Barbara and worked out of the Meridian Studios.

Cheri Rae is a longtime neighborhood advocate and the author of A String of Pearls: Pearl Chase of Santa Barbara. She is a board member of the Pearl Chase Society, and the longtime editor of the society’s newsletter, “The Capital,” where this article first appeared. Email Cheri at pcs@pearchasesociety.org or visit pearlchasesociety.org.