History of the San Francisco 1906 Earthquake

Learn about the San Francisco 1906 Earthquake including why it's one of the most famous earthquakes in San Francisco. The 1906 earthquake is typically referred to as the Great San Francisco Earthquake.

It's well known and this section covers a number of cool earthquake facts from this historical event.

The Moment the Earthquake Occurred

The city of San Francisco was all quiet around 5am on April 18, 1906. No one had any idea what was about to happen to this city by the bay.

At 5:12am, the earth began to shake and the San Francisco 1906 Earthquake began to rattle the city. Based on research, geologists measure this earthquake at a magnitude of 8.3 (or an 8.2 depending on which source you read).

A section of rock along the infamous San Andreas Fault snapped just a few miles north of the city, which caused the largest earthquake on record for San Francisco. At the time, there were only about 400,000 people living in San Francisco.

The shaking spread both north and south along the fault line, impacting a number of residents around the bay area. People living as far north as Oregon and as far south as Los Angeles reported that they felt the tremors from this earthquake.

The Aftermath of the 1906 Earthquake

The San Francisco 1906 Earthquake caused a heartbreaking amount of damage to the San Francisco bay area. It's not only the damage, but the number of people that lost their lives during the quake.

The number of people in San Francisco that lost their lives is reported to be around 315 people. However, the overall death toll from the quake is closer to around 700 people.

There were also several smaller aftershocks along the fault line for months after the quake.

The Fire

The shaking from the San Francisco 1906 earthquake caused quite a bit of structural damage. It also broke a number of San Francisco's gas and water lines.

Shortly after the earthquake hit, the fires began. The fires built steam quickly since there were several broken gas lines.

The fire department was also unsuccessful in putting the fires out since many water lines were broken and they didn't have the proper tools to fight the fires. The fire burned for three days after the earthquake.

They were finally able to put the fires out by building a fire path. This caused the fires to burn to the path and then slowly burn out. The path was created along what is now known as Van Ness Street.

You will notice quite a difference in the buildings on the east side of Van Ness and the west side. The east side is completely rebuilt with buildings from the late 1910s and early 1920s. However, many beautiful Victorians from the 1800s are still erect on the west side of Van Ness Street.

The San Francisco 1906 Earthquake and Fire left around 300,000 people homeless and the bay area in despair. A number of camps were set up around the city to deal with the destruction. Many people also left the city by the bay in search for more stable grounds.

The San Francisco 1906 earthquake was a devastating event in San Francisco history. Visit the San Francisco Earthquake - 1989 Loma Prieta page to learn more about the other famous San Francisco earthquake or visit the What Causes Earthquakes page to get more cool earthquake facts.

These sections also provide some great tips for visiting some of the most popular San Francisco attractions.