The Original Ferris Wheel's Journey: Chicago 1893 → St. Louis 1904 → Scrap

George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.'s 264-ft wheel (1893 World's Columbian Exposition) had a brief, eventful afterlife.

Timeline

1. 1893 (May–Oct): Chicago, Midway Plaisance — 1.4M riders, $726K revenue (50¢/ride). Engineering marvel: 45-ft axle, 36 cars (60 people each), 2,000 HP steam.
2. 1894–95: Dismantled, stored (Chicago). Debt disputes (Ferris died 1896, bankrupt).
3. 1895–1903: Rebuilt at Lincoln Park, Chicago (Clark St. & Wrightwood Ave.). North Side attraction. Moderate success.
4. 1904: Sold, moved to St. Louis World's Fair (Louisiana Purchase Exposition). Reassembled with stronger steel. Fair centerpiece.
5. 1906: Fair ended. Dismantled. Not rebuilt. Parts sold for scrap ($1,800). Axle returned to Chicago (scrapped 1918).

Why It Ended

• High operating cost vs. declining novelty
• No permanent site/owner
• Ferris's death (1896, typhoid, 37) left no champion
• St. Louis fair debt; demolition required

Legacy

• "Ferris wheel" = generic term
• Modern descendants: London Eye (443 ft), High Roller (550 ft), Ain Dubai (820 ft)
• Original axle at Smithsonian? No — scrapped. Replicas at Navy Pier (Chicago), Museum of Science & Industry (model)

Surviving Artifacts

One original car (restored) at Henry Ford Museum (Dearborn, MI). Engineering drawings at National Archives.