Postcard:Panama Pacific International Exposition

The 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco celebrated the completion of the Panama Canal as well as the 400th anniversary of Vasco Nunez de Balboa's first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. Fairgoers enjoyed a multitude of attractions at this world's fair, including the first gleaming, massive steam locomotive purchased by the Southern Pacific Railroad. A telephone with connections to the East Coast allowed New Yorkers to listen to the sounds of the Pacific Ocean. Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House on the Prairie series visited the fair numerous times while in town visiting her daughter, a local reporter.