The area between Meadowvale and Malton was endless farm country 125 years ago. For local farm labourer William Thomson, a visit to the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago would be an overwhelming experience.

The Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives has records that document the lives of the Thomson family of northern Toronto Township, thanks to a donation by the family. (The township later became the Town of Mississauga.)

One of the items collected is a ticket stub from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago. The event was a World's Fair, offering the public a chance to see some of the latest agricultural and technological innovations, cultural treasures and other wonders.

Chicago was a boom town, welcoming the world's first skyscraper as part of a massive rebuild after a devastating fire. The exposition itself was filled with grand architecture and glitzy exhibits.

Perhaps Thomson regretted his trip instantly: he attended the fair on Chicago Day, Oct. 9, 1893. It was held to celebrate the fair breaking even, entering a period of profit. Extra trains were organized to bring people in to celebrate. To say the commemorations were successful is an understatement: there were a whopping 751,026 people in attendance, packed into 690 acres. That’s more than half of the 1.3 million residents of Ontario in 1891.

Chicago's World's Fair was the first with a dedicated amusement area, which they named as their “Midway,” and the first to have national pavilions built by other countries.

This fair also included the first ferris wheel, the first commercial movie theatre, the first publicly used moving walkway, and the debuts of Shredded Wheat, Juicy Fruit and squashed pennies. It even spurred the commissioning of a comprehensive city plan for Chicago, said to be the first in America.

Likely, though, Thomson was most interested in the innovations featured in the agricultural exhibits at the event. Ontario had a “commissioner” at the exposition: MPP Nicholas Awrey. Both then and now, many farmers are interested in innovation, contrary to the tired Old MacDonald stereotype.

For more from the archives, visit www.pama.peelregion.ca.

Throwback Thursday is provided by Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives. PAMA is a place to explore, learn and make connections about Peel Region’s culture and heritage.