2005.52.70

1906
4 in HIGH x 5 in WIDE
(10.16 cm HIGH x 12.70 cm WIDE)
Gift of Patricia Brenzel Vercelli
2005.52.70


One of nine negatives found in the same original envelope. The original envelope reads, "Oakland 1906, Earth-Quake Pictures, (central bank bldg. is written below, and crossed out)". None of the images are specifically identified.

At 5:15 a.m. on April 18, 1906, Californians from Eureka to Salinas were jolted by an estimated 7.7-7.9-magnitude earthquake along the San Andreas Fault. The force of the quake destroyed the downtown of Santa Rosa, caused chaos in San Jose and Stanford University, and caused alarm and death in Oakland. San Francisco, California's largest city at the time, was subjected to the most destruction. In the end, an estimated 3,000 perished and there was 500 million in 1906 dollars in damages. The earthquake and great fire wiped out three-fifths of the city's housing, municipal government buildings, the financial capital of the West, and landmarks such as City Hall. The city was destroyed. The earthquake and fire displaced approximately 325,000 San Franciscans, 75,000 of them fled the city. The other 250,000 victims of the disaster established makeshift camps in park areas, empty lots, and cemeteries amidst the burnt out ruins and fled to the outer edges of San Francisco seeking food and shelter. Excerpt from Aftershock! Centennial Exhibition write-up, 2005.

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