The proposed site for Forest Park was a 40-minute carriage ride from downtown. To overcome public fears about the land's remote location, park planners guaranteed to make it accessible via inexpensive rail service. — — Map (db m133317) HM
In the early 1900s, st. Louis had few public playgrounds. Civic reformers hoped that then Model Playground in Forest Park would give city children "a taste of the fresh, pure air of the country." — — Map (db m133316) HM
The Palace of Fine Arts was the only major pavilion at the 1904 World's Fair designed as a permanent structure. In 1907, St. Louis passed a tax to create the municipally supported City Art Museum. — — Map (db m133303) HM
The Jefferson Memorial home of the Missouri Historical Society stands on the site of the main entrance of the 1904 World's Fair. Constructed with funds from the fair, the building was the nation's first monument to Thomas Jefferson. — — Map (db m133314) HM
The Smithsonian Institution constructed a great iron birdcage as part of its exhibits at the 1904 World's Fair. In 1913, after the Smithsonian had sold it to the city, the structure became the nucleus of the new St. Louis Zoo. — — Map (db m139725) HM
Parks Commissioner Dwight Davis thought that St. Louisans needed more opportunities for organized recreation. During his tenure, Davis built tennis courts, athletic fields, and a public golf course in Forest Park. — — Map (db m139722) HM
The Steinberg Memorial Skating Rink, built in 1957 was the result of the largest private donation made in the park up to that time. Today, Forest Park Forever established in 1986 raises private funds for park improvements. — — Map (db m133311) HM
Forest Park's most controversial monument was the Confederate Memorial, unveiled in 1914. St. Louis had been torn apart by the Civil War, and many residents objected to a commemoration of the secessionist cause. — — Map (db m133304) HM
Begun in 1929, the River des Peres Containment Project channeled the flood-prone river into enormous underground pipes. These tubes run east and south through the park point from a near Des Peres Avenue. — — Map (db m139727) HM
In the late 1700's, St. Louis's Spanish government supplied settlers with grants of land in and around the colonial village. In 1785, Charles Gratiot received a huge tract of land that included much of today's Forest Park. — — Map (db m139717) HM
Citizens of St. Louis City and County created joint taxing districts for the support of the Art Museum, Zoo, and the Museum of Science in 1971. In the 1980s, voters created new tax districts for the Botanical Garden and History Museum. — — Map (db m133307) HM
In 1919, the Red Cross and the City Parks Department opened a vacation village for families who could not afford to leave town on vacation. The village offered tents, playgrounds, a mess hall, and a first aid station. — — Map (db m133313) HM
The excavation of six Indian mounds during preparations for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition reminded St. Louisans that others had occupied Forest Park's land long before the city itself came into being. — — Map (db m133302) HM
For over forty years, St. Louis police suspended the city's park curfew during summer heat waves. Many St. Louisans remember fondly the camaraderie of sleeping in Forest Park during those pre-air-conditioned days. — — Map (db m133315) HM
In the days before automobiles, St. Louisans depended on streetcars. The first streetcar line reached Forest Park in 1885. Within a decade, the park was drawing more than 2.5 million visitors per year. — — Map (db m139720) HM
In 1904, Forest Park was the site of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. More than 20 million people attended the World's Fair. Today, many St. Louisans still consider it one of the defining moments of their city's history. — — Map (db m139721) HM
Thousands of citizens contributed to the Forest Park Master Plan of 1995. Following two years of study, a mayoral committee crafted a plan to renew the park to balance the diverse needs of its users. — — Map (db m139729) HM
In 1920, city officials used park land to build a runway for the new St. Louis to Chicago airmail service. Although the service operated for less than one year, the area is still known as Aviation Field. — — Map (db m139726) HM
African American tennis great Richard A. Hudlin sued to compete in the 1945 city tennis championship. Today the Richard Hudlin Memorial Courts commemorate his efforts in opening the park to all. — — Map (db m139728) HM
At times, Forest Park's land has been valued for needs other than recreation. Both the 1936 Oakland Express Highway (today's I-64) and the 1959 Forest Park Expressway brought high speed traffic through the park. — — Map (db m133305) HM
Each summer, the Heartland Disability Rights March and Rally passes through Forest Park. This rally—the largest of its kind in the nation—commemorates the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. — — Map (db m133306) HM
