 Ruins in the vicinity of Post and Grant Avenue | |
  Eureka Dunsmuir Chico Truckee Santa Rosa Salinas Bakersfield Fresno Paso Robles Santa Monica Indio  | |
| UTC time | 1906-04-18 13:12:27 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 16957905 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | April 18, 1906; 119 years ago (1906-04-18) |
| Local time | 05:12:27 (PST) |
| Magnitude | 7.9Mw[1] |
| Depth | 5 mi (8.0 km)[2] |
| Epicenter | 37°45′N122°33′W / 37.75°N 122.55°W /37.75; -122.55[2] |
| Fault | San Andreas Fault |
| Type | Strike-slip[3] |
| Areas affected | North Coast San Francisco Bay Area Central Coast United States |
| Max. intensity | MMI XI (Extreme)[4] |
| Tsunami | Yes[5] |
| Casualties | 700–3,000+[6] |
The1906 San Francisco earthquake was a majorearthquake which struck the coast ofNorthern California at 05:12 amPacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. With an estimatedmoment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximumMercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), it created high-intensity shaking fromEureka on theNorth Coast to theSalinas Valley, an agricultural region to the south of theSan Francisco Bay Area.
Devastating fires soon broke out inSan Francisco and lasted for several days. More than 3,000 people died and over 80% of the city was destroyed. The event is remembered as thedeadliest earthquake in the history of the United States. The death toll remains the greatest loss of life from a natural disaster in California's history and high on the list of worst American disasters.
TheSan Andreas Fault is a continentaltransform fault that forms part of thetectonic boundary between thePacific plate and theNorth American plate.[3] Thestrike-slip fault is characterized by mainly lateral motion in adextral sense, where the western (Pacific) plate moves northward relative to the eastern (North American) plate. Thisfault runs the length of California from theSalton Sea in the south toCape Mendocino in the north, a distance of about 810 miles (1,300 km). The maximum observed surface displacement was about 20 feet (6 m);geodetic measurements show displacements of up to 28 feet (8.5 m).[7]
_with_damage_from_the_1906_San_Francisco_earthquake_near_north_portal.png)
The 1906 earthquake preceded the development of theRichter scale by three decades. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the quake on the modernmoment magnitude scale is 7.9;[1] values from 7.7 to as high as 8.3 have been proposed.[8] According to findings published in theJournal of Geophysical Research, severe deformations in theEarth's crust took place both before and after the earthquake's impact. Accumulated strain on the faults in the system was relieved during the earthquake, which is the supposed cause of the damage along the 280-mile-long (450 km) segment of the San Andreas plate boundary.[8] The 1906 rupture propagated both northward and southward for a total of 296 miles (476 km).[9] Shaking was felt fromOregon to Los Angeles, and as far inland as centralNevada.[10]
A strongforeshock preceded the main shock by about 20 to 25 seconds. The strong shaking of the main shock lasted about 42 seconds. There were decades of minor earthquakes – more than at any other time in the historical record for northern California – before the 1906 quake. Previously interpreted as precursory activity to the 1906 earthquake, they have been found to have a strong seasonal pattern and are now believed to be caused by large seasonal sediment loads in coastal bays that overlie faults as a result of the erosion caused byhydraulic mining in the later years of theCalifornia gold rush.[11]
For years, theepicenter of the quake was assumed to be near the town ofOlema, in thePoint Reyes area ofMarin County, due to local earth displacement measurements. In the 1960s, a seismologist atUC Berkeley proposed that the epicenter was more likely offshore of San Francisco, to the northwest of theGolden Gate. The most recent analyses support an offshore location for the epicenter, although significant uncertainty remains.[2] An offshore epicenter is supported by the occurrence of a localtsunami recorded by a tide gauge at theSan Francisco Presidio; the wave had an amplitude of approximately 3 inches (7.6 cm) and an approximate period of 40–45 minutes.[12]
Analysis of triangulation data before and after the earthquake strongly suggests that the rupture along the San Andreas Fault was about 310 miles (500 km) in length, in agreement with observed intensity data. The available seismological data support a significantly shorter rupture length, but these observations can be reconciled by allowing propagation at speeds above theS-wave velocity (supershear). Supershear propagation has now been recognized for many earthquakes associated with strike-slip faulting.[13]
In 2019, using an old photograph and a recorded eyewitness account, researchers were able to refine the location of thehypocenter of the earthquake as offshore from San Francisco or nearSan Juan Bautista, confirming previous estimates.[14]
The shaking intensity as described on theModified Mercalli intensity scale reached XI (Extreme) in San Francisco and areas to the north like Santa Rosa where destruction was devastating.
The most important characteristic of the shaking intensity noted inAndrew Lawson's 1908 report was the clear correlation of intensity with underlying geologic conditions. Areas situated insediment-filled valleys sustained stronger shaking than nearbybedrock sites, and the strongest shaking occurred in areas of former bay wheresoil liquefaction had occurred. Modern seismic-zonation practice accounts for the differences in hazard posed by varying geologic conditions.[15]
The main shock was followed by manyaftershocks and someremotely triggered events. As with the1857 Fort Tejon earthquake, there were fewer aftershocks than would have been expected for a shock of that size. Very few of them were located along the trace of the 1906 rupture, tending to concentrate near the ends of the rupture or on other structures away from the San Andreas Fault, such as theHayward Fault. The only aftershock in the first few days of nearMI 5 or greater occurred nearSanta Cruz at 14:28 PST on April 18, with a magnitude of about 4.9 M. The largest aftershock happened at 01:10 PST on April 23, west of Eureka with an estimated magnitude of about 6.7 MI , with another of the same size more than three years later at 22:45 PST on October 28 near Cape Mendocino.[16]
Remotely triggered events included anearthquake swarm in theImperial Valley area, which culminated in an earthquake of about 6.1 MI at 16:30 PST on April 18, 1906. Another event of this type occurred at 12:31 PST on April 19, 1906, with an estimated magnitude of about 5.0 MI , and an epicenter beneathSanta Monica Bay.[16]
Early death counts ranged from 375[18] to over 500.[17] However, hundreds of fatalities inChinatown went ignored and unrecorded. The total number of deaths is still uncertain, but various reports presented a range of 700–3,000+. In 2005, the city's Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in support of a resolution written by novelist James Dalessandro ("1906") and city historian Gladys Hansen ("Denial of Disaster") to recognize the figure of 3,000+ as the official total.[19][20] Most of the deaths occurred within San Francisco, but 189 were reported elsewhere in the Bay Area; nearby cities such asSanta Rosa andSan Jose also suffered severe damage.
Between 227,000 and 300,000 people were left homeless out of a population of about 410,000; half of those who evacuated fled across the bay toOakland andBerkeley. Newspapers describedGolden Gate Park, the Presidio,the Panhandle and the beaches betweenIngleside and North Beach as covered with makeshift tents. More than two years later, many of these refugee camps were still in operation.[21]
The earthquake and fire left long-standing and significant pressures on the development of California. At the time of the disaster, San Francisco had been the ninth-largest city in the United States and the largest on theWest Coast. Over a period of 60 years, the city had become the financial, trade, and cultural center of theWest, operating the busiest port on the West Coast. It was the "gateway to the Pacific", through which growing U.S. economic and military power was projected into the Pacific and Asia. Over 80% of the city was destroyed by the earthquake and fire. Though San Francisco rebuilt quickly, the disaster diverted trade, industry, and population growth south to Los Angeles,[citation needed] which during the 20th century became the largest and most important urban area in the West. Many of the city's leading poets and writers retreated toCarmel-by-the-Sea where, as "The Barness", they established the arts colony reputation that continues today.[22]
The 1908 Lawson Report, a study of the 1906 quake led and edited by Professor Andrew Lawson of the University of California, showed that the same San Andreas Fault which had caused the disaster in San Francisco ran close to Los Angeles as well.[23] The earthquake was the first natural disaster of its magnitude to be documented by photography and motion picture footage and occurred at a time when the science of seismology was blossoming.[24]
Although the impact of the earthquake on San Francisco was the most famous, the earthquake also inflicted considerable damage on several other cities. These includeSan Jose andSanta Rosa, the entire downtown of which was essentially destroyed.[25][26][27]
As damaging as the earthquake and its aftershocks were, the fires that burned out of control afterward were far more destructive.[28] It has been estimated that at least 80%, and at most over 95%, of the total destruction was the result of the subsequent fires.[29] Within three days,[30] over 30 fires, caused by ruptured gas mains, destroyed approximately 25,000 buildings on 490 city blocks. The fires cost an estimated $350 million at the time (equivalent to $9.13 billion in 2024).[31]
TheHam and Eggs[32] fire, in the morning on the 18th, at Hayes and Gough Streets,[33] inHayes Valley, was started by a woman who lit her stove to prepare breakfast, unaware of the badly damaged chimney,[34][35] destroying a 30-block area,[36] including a college, the Hall of Records and City Hall.[37][38][39][40][41]
Some of the fires were started whenSan Francisco Fire Department firefighters, untrained in the use ofdynamite, attempted to demolish buildings to createfirebreaks. The dynamited buildings often caught fire. The city's fire chief,Dennis T. Sullivan, who would have been responsible for coordinating firefighting efforts, had died from injuries sustained in the initial quake.[42] In total, the fires burned for four days and nights.
Most of the destruction in the city was attributed to the fires, since widespread practice byinsurers was toindemnify San Francisco properties from fire but not from earthquake damage. Some property owners deliberately set fire to damaged properties to claim them on their insurance. Captain Leonard D. Wildman of theU.S. Army Signal Corps[43] reported that he "was stopped by a fireman who told me that people in that neighborhood were firing their houses...they were told that they would not get their insurance on buildings damaged by the earthquake unless they were damaged by fire".[44]
One landmark building lost in the fire was thePalace Hotel, subsequently rebuilt, which had many famous visitors including royalty and celebrated performers. It was constructed in 1875 primarily financed by Bank of California co-founderWilliam Ralston, the "man who built San Francisco". In April 1906, the tenorEnrico Caruso and members of theMetropolitan Opera Company came to San Francisco to give a series of performances at theGrand Opera House. The night after Caruso's performance inCarmen, the tenor was awakened in the early morning in his Palace Hotel suite by a strong jolt. Clutching an autographed photo of PresidentTheodore Roosevelt, Caruso made an effort to get out of the city, first by boat and then by train, and vowed never to return to San Francisco. Caruso died in 1921, having remained true to his word. The Metropolitan Opera Company lost all of its traveling sets and costumes in the earthquake and ensuing fires.[45]
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Some of the greatest losses from fire were in scientific laboratories.Alice Eastwood, the curator of botany at theCalifornia Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, is credited with saving nearly 1,500 specimens, including the entiretype specimen collection for a newly discovered and extremely rare species, before the remainder of the largest botanical collection in the western United States was destroyed in the fire.[46][47] The entire laboratory and all the records ofBenjamin R. Jacobs, a biochemist who was researching the nutrition of everyday foods, were destroyed.[48] The originalCalifornia flag used in the 1846Bear Flag Revolt atSonoma, which at the time was being stored in a state building in San Francisco, was also destroyed in the fire.[49]
The city's fire chief, Dennis T. Sullivan, was gravely injured when the earthquake first struck and later died from his injuries.[50] The interim fire chief sent an urgent request to thePresidio for dynamite. GeneralFrederick Funston had already decided that the situation required the use of federal troops. Telephoning aSan Francisco Police Department officer, he sent word to MayorEugene Schmitz of his decision to assist and then ordered federal troops from nearbyAngel Island to mobilize and enter the city. Explosives were ferried across the bay from theCalifornia Powder Works in what is nowHercules.[citation needed]
During the first few days, soldiers provided valuable services like patrolling streets to discourage looting and guarding buildings such as theU.S. Mint, post office, and county jail. They aided the fire department in dynamiting to demolish buildings in the path of the fires. The Army also became responsible for feeding, sheltering, and clothing the tens of thousands of displaced residents of the city. Under the command of Funston's superior, Major GeneralAdolphus Greely, Commanding Officer of the Pacific Division, over 4,000 federal troops saw service during the emergency. Police officers, firefighters, and soldiers would regularly commandeer passing civilians for work details to remove rubble and assist in rescues. On July 1, 1906, non-military authorities assumed responsibility for relief efforts, and the Army withdrew from the city.
On April 18, in response to riots among evacuees and looting, Mayor Schmitz issued and ordered posted a proclamation that "The Federal Troops, the members of the Regular Police Force and all Special Police Officers have been authorized by me to kill any and all persons found engaged in Looting or in the Commission of Any Other Crime".[51] Accusations of soldiers engaging in looting also surfaced.[52]
Retired CaptainEdward Ord of the22nd Infantry Regiment was appointed a special police officer by Schmitz and liaised with Greely for relief work with the 22nd Infantry and other military units involved in the emergency. Ord later wrote a long letter[53] to his mother on April 20 regarding Schmitz's "Shoot-to-Kill" order and some "despicable" behavior of certain soldiers of the 22nd Infantry who were looting. He also made it clear that the majority of soldiers served the community well.[52]
Property losses from the disaster have been estimated to be more than $400 million in 1906 dollars.[6] This is equivalent to $10.4 billion in 2024 dollars. An insurance industry source tallies insured losses at $235 million, the equivalent to $6.13 billion in 2024 dollars.[54][55]
Political and business leaders strongly downplayed the effects of the earthquake, fearing loss of outside investment in the city which was badly needed to rebuild.[56] In his first public statement, California GovernorGeorge Pardee emphasized the need to rebuild quickly: "This is not the first time that San Francisco has been destroyed by fire, I have not the slightest doubt that the City by the Golden Gate will be speedily rebuilt, and will, almost before we know it, resume her former great activity".[57] The earthquake is not even mentioned in the statement. Fatality and monetary damage estimates were manipulated.[58]
Almost immediately after the quake (and even during the disaster), planning and reconstruction plans were hatched to quickly rebuild the city. Rebuilding funds were immediately tied up by the fact that virtually all the major banks had been sites of the conflagration, requiring a lengthy wait of seven to ten days before their fire-proof vaults could cool sufficiently to be safely opened. TheBank of Italy (nowBank of America) had evacuated its funds and was able to provide liquidity in the immediate aftermath. Its president also immediately chartered and financed the sending of two ships to return with shiploads of lumber from Washington and Oregon mills which provided the initial reconstruction materials and surge.[citation needed]
In an article written in 1913, John C. Branner, who was the first to begin study of the San Andreas fault in 1891[59] complained that the Federal Government of the United States had not conducted the serious studies that were needed to gather data about earthquakes on the west coast. He said public discussion was being stifled by fears that acknowledgement of earthquakes would drive away business and investors, and that geologists were told not to gather information about the 1906 earthquake, and certainly to not publish it. Some people went as far as to deny that an earthquake had happened. Branner argued that preparation for earthquakes was possible and necessary:[60]
The only way we know of to deal successfully with any natural phenomenon is to get acquainted with it, to find out all we can about it, and thus to meet it on its own grounds. That is the way mankind has succeeded thus far, and it is safe to conclude that it is the only way it will ever succeed.
Eleven days after the earthquake a rare Sunday baseball game was played in New York City (which would not allow regular Sunday baseball until 1919) between the Highlanders (soon to be the Yankees) and the Philadelphia Athletics to raise money for quake survivors.[61]William James, the pioneering American psychologist, was teaching atStanford at the time of the earthquake and traveled into San Francisco to observe first-hand its aftermath. He was most impressed by the positive attitude of the survivors and the speed with which they improvised services and created order out of chaos.[62] This formed the basis of the chapter "On some Mental Effects of the Earthquake" in his bookMemories and Studies.[63]
H. G. Wells had just arrived in New York on his first visit to America when he learned of the San Francisco earthquake. What struck him about the reaction of those around him was that "it does not seem to have affected any one with a sense of final destruction, with any foreboding of irreparable disaster. Every one is talking of it this afternoon, and no one is in the least degree dismayed. I have talked and listened in two clubs, watched people in cars and in the street, and one man is glad thatChinatown will be cleared out for good; another's chief solicitude is forMillet'sMan with a Hoe. 'They'll cut it out of the frame,' he says, a little anxiously. 'Sure.' But there is no doubt anywhere that San Francisco can be rebuilt, larger, better, and soon. Just as there would be none at all if all this New York that has so obsessed me with its limitless bigness was itself a blazing ruin. I believe these people would more than half like the situation."[64]
The earthquake was crucial in the development of theUniversity of California, San Francisco and its medical facilities. Until 1906, the school faculty had provided care at the City-County Hospital (now theSan Francisco General Hospital), but did not have a hospital of its own. Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, more than 40,000 people were relocated to a makeshift tent city in Golden Gate Park and were treated by the faculty of the Affiliated Colleges. This brought the school, which until then was located on the western outskirts of the city, in contact with significant population and fueled the commitment of the school towards civic responsibility and health care, increasing the momentum towards the construction of its own health facilities. In April 1907, one of the buildings was renovated for outpatient care with 75 beds. This created the need to train nursing students, and theUC Training School for Nurses was established, adding a fourth professional school to the Affiliated Colleges.[65]
The grandeur of citywide reconstruction schemes required investment from Eastern monetary sources, hence the spin and de-emphasis of the earthquake, the promulgation of the tough new building codes, and subsequent reputation sensitive actions such as the official low death toll. One of the more famous and ambitious plans came from famed urban plannerDaniel Burnham. His bold plan called for, among other proposals,Haussmann-style avenues, boulevards,arterial thoroughfares that radiated across the city, a massive civic center complex with classical structures, and what would have been the largest urban park in the world, stretching fromTwin Peaks toLake Merced with a largeatheneum at its peak. But this plan was dismissed during the aftermath of the earthquake.[citation needed] For example, real estate investors and other land owners were against the idea because of the large amount of land the city would have to purchase to realize such proposals.[66]
While the original street grid was restored, many of Burnham's proposals inadvertently saw the light of day, such as aneoclassical civic center complex, wider streets, a preference of arterial thoroughfares, asubway under Market Street, a more people-friendlyFisherman's Wharf, and a monument to the city onTelegraph Hill,Coit Tower.[citation needed] Limestone used to reconstruct city buildings was quarried at the nearbyRockaway Quarry.[67][68]
City fathers likewise attempted at the time to eliminate the Chinese population and export Chinatown (and other poor populations) to the edge of the county where the Chinese could still contribute to the local taxbase.[69] The Chinese occupants had other ideas and prevailed instead. Chinatown was rebuilt in the newer, modern, Western form that exists today. The destruction ofCity Hall and the Hall of Records enabled thousands of Chinese immigrants to claim residency and citizenship, creating a backdoor to theChinese Exclusion Act, andbring in their relatives from China.[70][71][72]
The earthquake was also responsible for the development of thePacific Heights neighborhood. The immense power of the earthquake had destroyed almost all of the mansions onNob Hill except for theJames C. Flood Mansion. Others that had not been destroyed were dynamited by the Army forces aiding the firefighting efforts in attempts to create firebreaks. As one indirect result, the wealthy looked westward where the land was cheap and relatively undeveloped, and where there were better views. Constructing new mansions without reclaiming and clearing rubble simply sped attaining new homes in the tent city during the reconstruction.[citation needed]
Reconstruction was swift, and largely completed by 1915, in time for the1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition which celebrated the reconstruction of the city and its "rise from the ashes". Since 1915, the city has officially commemorated the disaster each year by gathering the remaining survivors atLotta's Fountain, a fountain in the city'sfinancial district that served as a meeting point during the disaster for people to look for loved ones and exchange information.[citation needed]
The Army built 5,610redwood andfir "relief houses" to accommodate 20,000 displaced people. The houses were designed byJohn McLaren, and were grouped in 11 camps, packed close to each other and rented to people for two dollars per month until rebuilding was completed. They were painted navy blue, partly to blend in with the site and partly because the military had large quantities of navy blue paint on hand. The camps had a peak population of 16,448 people, but by 1907 most people had moved out. The camps were then re-used as garages, storage spaces or shops. The cottages cost on average $100 to build. The $2 monthly rents went towards the full purchase price of $50. The last official refugee camp was closed on June 30, 1908.[73]
Most of the cottages have been destroyed, but at least 30 survived.[74] Of the remaining structures, there is a historically restored pair in the Presidio. Others have been built on as part of private homes, with a high concentration around the Bernal Heights neighborhood. One of the modest 720 sq ft (67 m2) homes was purchased in 2006 for more than $600,000.[75]
A 2017 study found that the fire had the effect of increasing the share of land used for nonresidential purposes: "Overall, relative to unburned blocks, residential land shares on burned blocks fell while nonresidential land shares rose by 1931. The study also provides insight into what held the city back from making these changes before 1906: the presence of old residential buildings. In reconstruction, developers built relatively fewer of these buildings, and the majority of the reduction came through single-family houses. Aside from merely expanding nonresidential uses in many neighborhoods, the fire created economic opportunities in new areas, resulting in clusters of business activity that emerged only in the wake of the disaster. These effects of the fire still remain today, and thus large shocks can be sufficient catalysts for permanently reshaping urban settings."[76]
During the first few days after news of the disaster reached the rest of the world, relief efforts reached over $5,000,000,[77] equivalent to $174,980,000 in 2024. London raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. Individual citizens and businesses donated large sums of money for the relief effort:Standard Oil andAndrew Carnegie each gave $100,000; theParliament of Canada made a special appropriation of $100,000; and even theBank of Canada in Ottawa gave $25,000.[77] TheUnited States Congress quickly appropriated 2.5 million dollars for relief supplies which were immediately rushed to the area, including supplies for food kitchens and many thousands of tents that city dwellers would occupy the next several years.[70]
These relief efforts were not enough to get families on their feet again, and consequently the burden was placed on wealthier members of the city, who were reluctant to assist in the rebuilding of homes they were not responsible for. All residents were eligible for daily meals served from a number of communal soup kitchens, and citizens as far away as Idaho and Utah were known to send daily loaves of bread to San Francisco as relief supplies were coordinated by the railroads.[78]
Insurance companies, faced with staggering claims of $250 million,[79] paid out between $235 million and $265 million on policyholders' claims, often for fire damage only, since shake damage from earthquakes was excluded from coverage under most policies.[80][81] At least 137 insurance companies were directly involved and another 17 as reinsurers.[82] Twenty companies went bankrupt.[81]Lloyd's of London reports having paid all claims in full, more than $50 million,[83] thanks to the leadership ofCuthbert Heath.
Insurance companies inHartford, Connecticut, report paying every claim in full, with theHartford Fire Insurance Company paying over $11 million andAetna Insurance Company almost $3 million.[81] The insurance payments heavily affected the international financial system. Gold transfers from European insurance companies to policyholders in San Francisco led to a rise in interest rates, subsequently to a lack of available loans and finally to theKnickerbocker Trust Company crisis of October 1907 which led to thePanic of 1907.[84]
After the 1906 earthquake, global discussion arose concerning a legally flawless exclusion of the earthquake hazard from fire insurance contracts. It was pressed ahead mainly by re-insurers. Their aim: a uniform solution to insurance payouts resulting from fires caused by earthquakes. Until 1910, a few countries, especially in Europe, followed the call for an exclusion of the earthquake hazard from all fire insurance contracts. In the U.S., the question was discussed differently. But the traumatized public reacted with fierce opposition. In the second half of 1909, theCalifornia State Legislature enacted the California Standard Form of Fire Insurance Policy, which did not contain any earthquake clause. Thus the state decided that insurers would have to pay again if another earthquake was followed by fires. Other earthquake-endangered countries followed the California example.[85]
The 1906 Centennial Alliance[86] was set up as a clearing-house for various centennial events commemorating the earthquake. Award presentations, religious services, aNational Geographic TV movie,[87] a projection of fire onto the Coit Tower,[88] memorials, and lectures were part of the commemorations. TheUSGSEarthquake Hazards Program issued a series of Internet documents,[89] and the tourism industry promoted the 100th anniversary as well.[90]
Eleven survivors of the 1906 earthquake attended the centennial commemorations in 2006, including Irma Mae Weule (1899–2008),[91] who was the oldest survivor of the quake at the time of her death in August 2008, aged 109.[92] Vivian Illing (1900–2009) was believed to be the second-oldest survivor at the time of her death, aged 108, leaving Herbert Hamrol (1903–2009) as the last known remaining survivor at the time of his death, aged 106. Another survivor, Libera Armstrong (1902–2007), attended the 2006 anniversary but died in 2007, aged 105.[93]
Shortly after Hamrol's death, two additional survivors were discovered. William Del Monte, then 103, and Jeanette Scola Trapani (1902–2009),[94] 106, stated that they stopped attending events commemorating the earthquake when it became too much trouble for them.[95] Del Monte and another survivor, Rose Cliver (1902–2012), then 106, attended the earthquake reunion celebration on April 18, 2009, the 103rd anniversary of the earthquake.[96]
Nancy Stoner Sage (1905–2010) died, aged 105, inColorado just three days short of the 104th anniversary of the earthquake on April 18, 2010. Del Monte attended the event at Lotta's Fountain in 2010.[97] 107-year-old George Quilici (1905–2012) died in May 2012,[98] and 113-year-old Ruth Newman (1901–2015) in July 2015.[99] William Del Monte (1906–2016), who died 11 days shy of his 110th birthday, was thought to be the last survivor.[100]
In 2005 theNational Film Registry addedSan Francisco Earthquake and Fire, April 18, 1906, a newsreel documentary made soon after the earthquake, to its list of American films worthy of preservation.[101]
Working to establish his career as a photographer in San Francisco,Willard Worden seized the opportunity to capture history in the making, recording scenes of the fire and its aftermath using a handheld film camera and a four-by-five-inch view camera with glass negatives; he also photographed damage to the Stanford University campus. The resulting work fed the general public's fascination for sensationalist content, but was also of interest to seismologists, architects, and urban planners, as evidenced by inclusion of his photos inThe California Earthquake of April 18, 1906: Report of the State Earthquake Investigation Commission, published by the Carnegie Institution of Washington, DC, in 1908. Worden's gelatin silver prints documenting the destruction were later collected by theMuseum of Modern Art in New York, theSan Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and theOakland Museum of California.
After the destruction, all that remained of theAlban N. Towne mansion onNob Hill were six marble columns and a lintel. When viewed from a certain angle, the empty porch perfectly framed the ruins of the smoldering City Hall. The haunting image became an icon of the 1906 earthquake, due largely to photographs by Worden. In 1909, the columns and lintel were relocated toGolden Gate Park, where, known asPortals of the Past, they became an enduring monument to the city's grief and a symbol of its endurance.[102]
Earthquake and fire today have put nearly half of San Francisco in ruins. About 500 persons have been killed, a thousand injured, and the property loss will exceed $200,000,000.
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