The 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18 with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). High intensity shaking was felt from Eureka on the North Coast to the Salinas Valley, an agricultural region to the south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Devastating fires soon broke out in the city and lasted for several days.
Thousands of homes were dismantled. As a result, up to 3,000 people died and over 80% of the city of San Francisco was destroyed. The events are remembered as one of the worst and deadliest earthquakes 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 in the lists of American disasters.
These incredible photos of the San Francisco 1906 Earthquake and Fire came to the San Francisco Public Library in 1975. The photos were discovered in the San Francisco Police Department Photo Lab in the Hall of Justice. The photographer is not known. It is believed that the the San Francisco Police Department photo laboratory was used as an emergency center for photographers immediately after the 1906 catastrophe.
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| Street scenes of San Francisco after the earthquake, April 1906 |
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| General view, 1906 |
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| General view, 1906 |
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| General view, 1906 |
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| General view, 1906 |
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| General view, 1906 |
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| General view, 1906 |
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| General view, 1906 |
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| General view, 1906 |
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| Guerrero and 17th Streets Looking Northwest, 1906 |
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| Holy Cross Church, 1906 |
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| J. Schweitzer Company, 1906 |
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| Jefferson Square refugee camp, 1906 |
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| Lobos Square refugee camp in the Marina, 1906 |
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| Marina, 1906 |
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| Marina, 1906 |
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| Mills Building, northeast corner of Montgomery & Bush Streets, 1906 |
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| Mission Dolores Church, Dolores and Sixteenth Streets, 1906 |
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| Moulder Warehouse, 1906 |
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| Nob Hill, 1906 |
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| Nob Hill, 1906 |
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| Pierce Rudolph Storage on Eddy Street between Fillmore and Webster Streets, 1906 |
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| Portland Jewelry Company, 1906 |
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| Presidio refugee camp, 1906 |
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| Refugee camp in Golden Gate Park near McLaren Lodge, 1906 |
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| Refugee camp in Golden Gate Park, 1906 |
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| Refugee camp in Golden Gate Park, 1906 |
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| Refugee camp in Jefferson Square Park, 1906 |
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| Refugee camp in Jefferson Square Park, 1906 |
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| Refugee camp in Lafayette Square Park, 1906 |
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| Refugee camp in Portsmouth Square, 1906 |
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| Refugee camp, 1906 |
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| Refugee camp, 1906 |
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| Refugee camp, 1906 |
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| Russian Hill with Octagon House, 1906 |
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| Russian Hill, 1906 |
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| Saint Boniface Church, 1906 |
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| Saint Francis Church, 1906 |
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| Saint Luke Church, 1906 |
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| Saint Mary's Church, 1906 |
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| Saint Mary's Church, 1906 |
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| Saint Mary's Church, 1906 |
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| Sansome Street, 1906 |
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| Street typist, 1906 |
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| Third and Brannan Streets looking up 3rd, 1906 |
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| Third and Brannan Streets looking west on Brannan, 1906 |
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| Third and Folsom Streets, 1906 |
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| Union Square, 1906 |
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| Union Square, 1906 |
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| View east on Post St. past Shreve & Co. Building, 210 Post St., still standing, 1906 |
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| View from Nob Hill looking east, 1906 |
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| View from Nob Hill looking east, 1906 |
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| View from Nob Hill, 1906 |
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| View near Portsmouth Square, 1906 |
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| View of the Waterfront, 1906 |
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| Call Building, 1906 |
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| Citizen's National Bank, 1906 |
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| City Hall Avenue in the Civic Center and Pioneer Monument, 1906 |
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| City Hall, 1906 |
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| City Hall, 1906 |
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| Crocker Building on Market Street, 1906 |
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| Fairmont Hotel, 1906 |
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| Ferry Building, 1906 |
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| Fire scene from Jefferson Square Park with refugees, April 1906 |
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| Fire scene from Jefferson Square, April 1906 |
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| Fire scene on Third Street above Mission Street, April 1906 |
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| First and Harrison Streets looking southeast, 1906 |
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| Flood Mansion, 1906 |
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| Folsom Street between 2nd and 3rd Streets, 1906 |
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| General view of the waterfront, 1906 |
