Missouri History Museum · Forest Park · 1904 World's Fair gallery
A Marvel in Motion
The Ferris wheel that anchored the 1904 World's Fair — its journey from Chicago, the urban legends about its burial, and a near-scale replica car you can step inside.
- Opens
- April 11, 2026
- Closes
- February 26, 2028
A Marvel in Motion, the first rotating exhibit connected to our 1904 World's Fair gallery, explores the compelling history behind one of the fair's most enduring icons — the Ferris wheel. A true marvel of its time, the Wheel was more than just amusement; it was created as a bold example of innovation, ambition, and human ingenuity.
Visitors will follow the Wheel's journey from its initial design by engineer George W. Ferris Jr. for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair to its time being a centerpiece for the St. Louis fair. The Wheel's history (and urban legends about its burial) will be explored as well as its enduring legacy. Historical photographs, original engineering drawings, and artifacts will guide visitors through the challenges and triumphs of bringing this colossal structure to life. A near-scale replica of one of the Wheel's cars (which could hold 60 people) will give guests a taste of what a ride on the original Wheel felt like.
Gallery
7 items
Washington Park Cemetery Card Index
Name-index cards from the historically Black cemetery in Berkeley, MO, operated 1920–1989.
2 items
Sievers Studio Collection
Commercial photography by Sievers Studio — banquets, conferences, conventions, retirement luncheons, and civic events in mid-century St. Louis.
1 items
Loyal Legion Portrait Albums
Studio portraits of Civil War veterans who became members of the Loyal Legion in the decades after the war.
1 items
Clark Family Collection, 1766–1991
Manuscripts from the William Clark family — correspondence, business records, and frontier-era documents spanning more than two centuries.