S.F. Bay Area
San Francisco
1906 San Francisco Earthquake
100-Year Anniversary
1906 - 2006

What:
San Francisco 1906 Earthquake

Date:
April 18, 1906

Time:
5:12am

Epicenter:
Downtown San Francisco.
The force of the earthquake was felt throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond — some say as far as Oregon.

Magnitude:
7.9 - 8.3

Length:
40-60 seconds

Fault line:
San Andreas Fault

Scientists concluded that most of the shaking energy came from two separate areas on the fault — one between Point Reyes and Fort Ross to the north and the second on the San Francisco Peninsula to the south.

Earthquake Shacks
— a City Landmark
Following the 1906 Earthquake, 5,610 shacks were built for earthquake refugees. They had no toilets, kitchens or insulation. After the city closed the refugee camps in late 1907, most shacks began a second life as starter homes or building blocks.

Three of these earthquake shacks were combined at 1227 24th Avenue in the Sunset Disctrict to form a small home that is now a city landmark. An additional shack sits at the rear of the lot.

Our Favorite "San Francisco
1906 Earthquake" Movie

"San Francisco" (1936)
by Director W.S. Van Dyke

"San Francisco" is one of our
all-time favorite movies. It stars Clarke Gable, Jeannette MacDonald and Spencer Tracy.

The MGM musical features the famous SF song "San Francisco," which became one of two official city songs on May 15, 1984.

The movie is shown every April 18th at the Balboa Theater in San Francisco in commemoration of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
and Fire.

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