This stamp shows the City of Alpena, a steamship that navigated the Great Lakes. The lake steamer has a single funnel, with the pilot house well forward. The Pan-American Issue commemorated the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, New York. The purpose of the exposition was to promote friendly relations among all the countries of the New World. Designs of the stamps illustrate great engineering achievements of the time. All of the stamps were printed in two colors, unusual for the time.