In 1904 , San Francisco merchant Rueben Hale proposed an exposition in his home city for 1915 , both to commemorate the opening of the Panama Canal and to mark the 400th anniversary of Vasco Núñez de Balboa becoming the first European known to view the Pacific Ocean from the Americas : in phrasing then current , he discovered the Pacific . Although the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire caused a momentary setback to these plans , it actually sparked additional fundraising . Many of the wealthiest in California gave financial support , the state matched private donations dollar for dollar , and in 1911 , President William Howard Taft selected San Francisco over its competitor , New Orleans , to host the fair
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Panama–Pacific commemorative coins