This isn’t meant to even attempt to cover all the news stories that are out there commemoriating the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. It is more of a source of information and a remembrance of the heroes and the victims of this national disaster.
So….a few pictures to get you in the mood…
City Hall….before and after
100 Geary Street – this is just off Union Square
Refugee camp: in 1907
The Great Quake: 1906-2006; As with Katrina, federal role caused discord and conflict. The SF newspaper has a pretty good summary of the Federal government’s response to the earthquake in 1906. It is interesting that one of the things the article focuses on is the `looting’ that occurred. The War Department had issued a ‘shoot to kill’ order for the looters. Hmmm…sounds familiar.
The earthquake occurred April 1906…the last of the refugees were not moved from the tents and shanties until the summer of 1907. So much time…living in a tent for over a year. The mind does not grasp this and as a local I can say the cold, damp summers, and wet winters makes this appalling.
The Great Quake, SF Chronicle
I’ve seen a lot of hype and other stuff the past few weeks. The SF Chronicle has done a good job of putting lots of information together and links. Read a few or a lot…it’s pretty good!
San Francisco Museum website.
This is a cool website. I’ve been to various SF Museums and the curators are excellent. There are links to copies of newspaper articles from the time, photos, and other stuff. My personal favorite – the photographs. The news shows and other shows flip through the images too quickly. Go take a look and ponder what it would mean to have wooden and brick buildings reduced to this kind of rubble…100 years ago. Photos of SF from 1906
So…this is a tribute to the people that died in the quake, to the survivors that rebuilt, and to the government and businesses that did right by the City by the Bay. It is also a reminder, the government did good things in 1906…and bad things.
When the next big one comes…we’ll get through and rebuild…it is human nature to survive and grow.
Peace