[1] Opened in 1876, more than a decade after its proposal, the park has hosted several significant events, including the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 and the 1904 Summer Olympics.

The park's acreage includes meadows and trees and a variety of ponds, manmade lakes, and freshwater streams.

In 1872, St. Louis developer Hiram Leffingwell proposed a 1,000-acre (4.0 km2) park about three miles (5 km) outside the city limits near land which he owned.

Flowing through the northern lowlands and turning southeast in the park was the River des Peres, which at times was very low while in some seasons could flood large areas.

Officials and a band occupied a music stand and podium, and dedicated a statue of Edward Bates, the attorney general under President Abraham Lincoln.

[17] At one time the River des Peres ran openly through the park, but due to sanitary concerns, a portion was put underground in a wooden box shortly before the 1904 World's Fair.

[18] In the 1930s, the portion of the River des Peres that runs through Forest Park was diverted entirely underground in huge concrete pipes.

[37] It has several recreational facilities, including the Dwight Davis Tennis Center, the Steinberg Skating Rink, the Boathouse Restaurant (with boat rentals), the Forest Park Golf Course, the Highlands Golf and Tennis Center, handball courts, and fields for softball, baseball, soccer, cricket, rugby, and archery.

[40] The Saint Louis Science Center, across Interstate 64 on the southern edge of Forest Park, received slightly more than a million visitors in 2010.

[39] Part of the science center, the McDonnell Planetarium, is located within the park and is connected to the main building by an enclosed footbridge.

[42] In addition to the Orthwein StarBay planetarium show featuring more than 9,000 stars on an 80-foot (24 m) ceiling, the facility offers exhibits about living in space.

[43][44] The Missouri History Museum, located on the northern edge of the park, received slightly more than 500,000 visitors in 2010 to both its permanent and temporary exhibits.

[51] The construction relocated surface parking underneath the addition and created a new lower-level gallery, with a total of more than 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2) of new building area which allows display of more of the collection.

[52] The first production, As You Like It by William Shakespeare, predated the current building by one year; as part of an advertising convention, St. Louis constructed the Municipal Theatre in 1917.

In 2002, the Jewel Box received a $3.5 million renovation, which included the removal and reinstallation of interior plantings, upgrades to the heating and air conditioning systems, and modifications to allow the building to be used for catered events.

[61] The $4 million conversion project restored the clock tower and installed new heating and air conditioning systems, public restrooms, and locker rooms.

[61] Part of the 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m2) facility is available as an event venue known as the Trolley Room, which can accommodate up to 400 guests, while Forest Park Forever, a local non-profit group, operates its headquarters in the building.

[61] Other groups in the building include the Missouri Department of Conservation and Older Adults Services and Information Systems (OASIS).

The pavilion opened in 1910 as a gift from the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company and helped to fulfill their promise to restore the park after the 1904 World's Fair.

[68] The new facility included a nine-hole golf course, tennis, handball and volleyball courts, a running track, and baseball and lacrosse fields.

[68] The tennis courts at the Highlands were where player Jimmy Connors began his career, and the facility hosted Davis Cup qualifying matches in 1927, 1946, and 1961.

Between 2008 and 2010 the Highlands underwent a complete reconstruction, with a new nine-hole golf course, the installation of clay tennis courts, a new 30-stall lit driving range, and the construction of a full-service bar and restaurant known as Keagan's Pub and Patio.

[70] The Cabanne House, built in 1876, is one of the oldest structures in the park and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[71] The original Cabanne House was built in 1819 by Jean Pierre Cabanné, a French Creole fur trader and merchant.

[72] Near the Cascades waterfall on the western edge of the park is an 1876 statue of Edward Bates, who was US Attorney General under President Abraham Lincoln.

[47] Created by Danish-born Carl C. Mose, head of the Sculpture Department at Washington University, the monument features a flagpole with a wave-like limestone base.

Sculpted by George Julian Zolnay, it depicts an allegorical figure of an angel and a Southern family sending its only male child to fight in the American Civil War.

[47] Also on the grounds of the Jewel Box is a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, sculpted by Carl Mose and donated by Mrs. Harry Turner; her husband was a publisher in St.

[47] The Brickline Greenway Project is a major public-private partnership that aims to connect Forest Park and the Washington University in St. Louis Danforth Campus to the Gateway Arch grounds.

Among the partners leading this project are the Arch to Park Collaborative, St. Louis City, and Washington University in St.