The highest grossing military concession,  the Boer War.
The  attraction  was the Battle of Transvaal reenacted for Fair spectators twice a day.  Located on fifteen acres, east of the Palace  of Agriculture, this show depicted the South African war1899-1902 Boer War. 600 soldiers (some who took place in the Boer Wars and wore and used  the actual uniforms and weapons,
  to safely reenact the battle. They also employed  500 horses, mules  and oxen in a backdrop of  Swazis, Boer, Bushman, Matabele, and Zulu lands.

Besides the battle,the show included a parade, sporting  events,  and horse racing. In total, three battles were showcased, including the  Battle of Colenso.

In reality, the Boer war  was really  the second of it's kind, the conflict was also called- The  Second War of independence and the The South African War. The war consisted of the British Empire against the independent six colonies of Australia, Canada and New Zealand and the two independent Boer republics of the Orange Free State and the South African Republic (Transvaal Republic).

The idea for the show was conceived by one Captain A. W. Lewis.

General Piet Cronje, the actual Boer military leader, commanded the  Boer veterans against the British troops in the reenactment.

A highlight of the proceedings was  General DeWet's escape on horseback, jumping off a 'cliff' into a river. This was performed by an actor who made 16 dollars  a month.

Private events  were held at this concession.

Though most of The Pike,  and especially the Palaces and exhibits  had very little problems in terms of criminal activity, The Pike's Boer War exhibit was the  backdrop for two  above-the-norm  instances within a day of each other.

On November, 11, 1904,  Ernest Chriss,- a Jefferson Guard (the company  that handled the security at the Fair),  shot and killed John Backhouse, a former British officer employed in the Boer War exhibit. Chriss was in the process of  breaking up a  fight among the former Boer and British soldiers. During the exchange,  his
revolver went off, killing Backhouse. Chriss was then badly beaten by the angry ex-soldiers.

The next night at 8:30,  two masked bandits held up the  Fair's miniature train just outside the entrance to the Boer War attraction. Armed with revolvers, the bandits stopped the train as it traveled  along The Pike. Though no one was injured, three passengers were robbed of money and valuables worth about 100 dollars (they were later  reimbursed by the owner of the railroad).

Horses were trained to fall (as if they were shot), and limp to heighten the reality of the battle.








BOER WAR
Exhibit Statictics:

600 Soldiers and 500 horses used.
Price of Admission-  adults 25¢,  50¢ grandstand,
75¢ reserved seats, $1.00 box seats, 25 cents children
Exhibition Gross-       631,776.03  dollars

Lee  Gaskins'   AT THE FAIR  The 1904 St. Louis World's   Fair 
                   Web  Design and Art/Illustration   copyrighted  2008
MAIN
PIKE