Old but Young: San Francisco

In June of 1776, the city of San Francisco was founded by Spanish colonists. In 1849, prospectors arrived to try and find gold, which increased the population of the city. In 1906, disaster struck. 

(In 1776, a fort was built in the location of San Francisco.)

People have been living in the Bay Area since 4000 BCE but the city of San Francisco is only around 100 years old. On April 18, 1906, one of the most destructive earthquakes occurred on the San Andreas fault, which is the location of San Francisco. 

(Streets cracked from the pressure.)

The earthquake was recorded as being a 7.8 magnitude. The earthquake alone caused damage amounting to $20 million. In the course of the earthquake, the pipeline that carried water to the city from the San Andreas Lake was broken, cutting off the water supply to the city. 

(Broken pipeline)

With the destruction of buildings came a fire that raged for three days and nights. The fire was more destructive than the earthquake had been. Without the water lines from the San Andreas Lake, water had to be brought in by the Navy. The loss of water prompted the development of a dam inside Yosemite National Park in the Hetch Hetchy Valley, which sparked a controversy. An estimated 3,000 people were killed and the damages were estimated around $524 million.  

(Sacramento Street and approaching fire.)

The city was rebuilt on its existing location and about $90 million was spent in the first year and a half after the earthquake and fire. In the course of rebuilding the city, some buildings were rebuilt exactly as they had been before the earthquake while others were replaced by taller buildings. Virtually, the entire city was rebuilt by 1909. It is physically a young city (108 years since the earthquake) but the location has been settled for ages.