On May 12, 1903 President Theodore Roosevelt visits the booming city of San Francisco. The decorated parade route traveled down Main Street and San Franciscans anxiously awaited Roosevelt’s arrival. In three years a fiery blaze would follow the President’s path.[1]
In the early morning of April 18, 1906 the city of San Francisco experienced an earthquake roughly 296 miles long. According to the US Geological Survey, the magnitude of the quake was roughly thirty times more powerful than the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 which was a 7.1 on the Richter scale.[2]
Though the earthquake only lasted a minute, thirty subsequent fires destroyed 500 city blocks, phone lines, and water systems. This image, taken from St. Francis Hospital, shows the catastrophic affects of the fire.[3]
After the fires died out the once thriving city was left in ruin. Like many of the municipal buildings, City Hall was completely destroyed. The US Geological Survey estimates that the city estimated damage costs equaled 400,000,000 in 1906 monetary values.[4]
Monetary losses were secondary in relation to the loss of human life and livelihoods. Over 700 people died and 225,000 individuals were left homeless and unemployed. Lines of refugees stretched throughout the city for food and water. Army troops stationed in San Francisco provided relief for San Franciscans who proved to be resilient and created a booming city once again.[5]
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[5] National Park Service, “The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake” http://www.nps.gov/archive/prsf/history/1906eq/relief.htm.
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[1] H.J. Miles, Library of Congress, “American Memory Collection” (May 12, 1903) http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?papr:10:./temp/~ammem_Lcop:.
[2] United States Geological Survey, "Earthquake Hazards Programs" http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1906/18april/howlong.php.
[3] Library of Congress, "American Treasures of the Library of Congress" (April 18, 1906) http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/tri131.html.
[4]United State Geological Survey, “Earthquake Hazards Programs” http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1906/18april/index.php.
[5] National Park Service, “The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake” http://www.nps.gov/archive/prsf/history/1906eq/relief.htm.
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