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# A Fair's Demise and a Year’s End
- URL: https://www.lorejournal.com/the-fairs-end-and-scotts-return/
- Published: 2026-10-25T22:32:33.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-01T03:39:12.000Z
- Author: Lore Press

The World's Fair officially ended on December 1, 1904, and in that last month of a year now turning colder and noticeably quieter, St. Louis newspapers continued to fill space with the fair's receding echoes as advertisers gradually sold off the detritus that now abounded in its wake. Two ads in the city’s papers on December 18 give just an inkling of what remained behind as the lights dimmed on the fair and the Olympics for the final time in late November. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/61/d861ae30-a59d-4f09-95c8-3fccaf20b47e/content/images/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-24-132201.png)

****December 18, 1904 St. Louis Republic**

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/61/d861ae30-a59d-4f09-95c8-3fccaf20b47e/content/images/2026/10/World_s_Fair_Salvage.jpg)

****December 18, 1904 St. Louis Post-Dispatch**

On the same day, an article ran in the *St. Louis Republic* heralding Robert Falcon Scott's return from what would later be called the [*Discovery Expedition*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery%5FExpedition?ref=lorejournal.com). In an era hungry for the spectacle world's fairs provided, polar exploration was another outlet that captured attention and headlines worldwide. 

Although Scott didn't reach his intended goal of the South Pole on that expedition, the journey inspired well-documented return trips in the years that followed. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d8/61/d861ae30-a59d-4f09-95c8-3fccaf20b47e/content/images/2026/10/The_St_Louis_Republic_1904_12_18_Page_16-1.jpg)

****December 18, 1904 St. Louis Republic**

It's no coincidence that as the fair faded from prominence, and the grounds shuttered and buildings were dismantled, St. Louis newspapers quickly turned to other stories for their readers as a respite from the everyday.

In another American city, similar in size and stature to St. Louis, the end of 1904 was respite enough.