The Cow Palace Arena and Event Center

agenda designed to put people back to work after the massive unemployment crisis triggered by the Great Depression of the 1930s. Its inspiration came from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915, whose stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but was widely seen by the citizens of the City by the Bay as an opportunity to showcase its recovery from the 1906 earthquake, which nearly destroyed it. According to Cow Palace CEO, Allison Keaney, one of the most popular attractions during that 1915 Exposition was its livestock pavilion. “So San Francisco said, ‘If that’s such a big deal, let’s have our very own, and let’s have it run all the time,’” she recounts. Thus, the first event held at the brand new arena in April 1941, was the Western Classic Holstein Show, followed by the First Grand National Livestock Expo, Horse Show, and Rodeo the following November. Now known colloquially 3 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 12 THE COW PALACE ARENA AND EVENT CENTER