San Francisco Earthquake of 1906

San Francisco, the bustling seaport and (at the time) most-populous city on the West Coast, was in ruins. Adding to the natural disaster, fires erupted throughout town.

The devastated city burned for three more days and, it is now estimated, about 3,000 people died. Preserved in the Library of Congress, actual film footage depicts the disaster and reveals how people (those who were homeless and those who helped) reacted to it.

Photographs maintained by the U.S. National Archives also show enormous damage after the earth shook the city:

• San Francisco’s landscape was drastically changed when the unexpected earthquake and resulting fire shattered the city.
  
  
• Flocks of San Franciscans fled.
  
  
• Jefferson Square became a tent refugee camp as did "Tennessee Hollow" and Golden Gate Park.
  
  
• People everywhere dug through the rubble to find belongings and/or souvenirs.
  
  
• Supply and bread lines, plus hot-food kitchens, helped people cope in a badly damaged city.

Water pipes were broken, adding to the hardship. All surviving houses were completely dark at night until April 22nd when the city allowed home lighting between "Sunset and 10 p.m. only."

To avoid looting problems, the mayor issued a "shoot-to-kill" order.