fire of 1906, which wiped out the entire business portion, with much of
the residence section, of San Francisco, and destroyed hundreds of
millions of wealth. Before that year ended, and while the city was only
beginning its huge task of rebuilding, it again took up its festival
idea. A company was formed, but, until reconstruction was largely out of
the way, it was impossible to do more than keep the idea alive.

In October, 1909, the idea began to crystallize into a definite purpose.
In that month President Taft, at a banquet at the Fairmont Hotel,
declared that the Canal would be opened to commerce on January 1, 1915.
That announcement gave the final impulse to the growing determination.
The success of the Portola celebration that summer had given the city
confidence in its ability to carry out a great festival undertaking. In
fact, it was at a meeting of the Portola committee that the first move
was made toward the organization that later became effective.

A mass-meeting in the Merchants' Exchange, on December 7, 1909, ended in
a resolve to organize an exposition company. This found such strong
popular support that at a second mass-meeting on April 28, 1910,
$4,089,000 was subscribed in less than two hours. In two months the
subscription had risen to $6,156,840. Governor Gillett called the
California legislature in special session in August to submit to the
people constitutional changes enabling San Francisco to issue exposition
bonds in the amount of $5,000,000, and the State to raise another
$5,000,000 by special tax. In November the people of State and city
voted the two amounts. That placed a minimum of $16,000,000 to the
credit of the Exposition Company and assured the world that California
meant business.

Then followed the struggle for Congressional approval. New Orleans