It was 120 years ago on Saturday that a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck San Francisco and pretty much laid waste to the city and ignited a fire that chewed its way through what remained for three days (and, yes, given fault-line conditions, another huge trembler like that could happen at any time).
In the city this week, there will be an annual remembrance of what remains one of the defining moments in Bay Area history. The two-part event is free and open to the public, and no registration is required. It offers an intriguing way to acquaint yourself with San Francisco history – if you don’t mind getting up early.
The quake itself began at 5:12 a.m., and the remembrance on Saturday will kick off at 4:30 a.m. at Lotta’s Fountain, at Kearny and Market streets, a site that is remembered as a key meeting place during the immediate aftermath of the quake.
The gathering will feature a variety of city firefighters and public safety officials and, reportedly, the return of a classic 1928 firetruck that has been a popular staple of the event. At around 5 a.m., the gathering will move to the nearby Golden Fire Hydrant on 20th and Church streets, which was said to be one of the sole sources of water during the original fire, to give the landmark its annual repainting. The event will include a wreath-laying and silent remembrance of those who lost their lives to the disaster, followed by a communal singing of “San Francisco.”
For those who’d prefer a historical lesson at a more civil hour, know that the Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel will host another in its “Making History Fun Again” speaker’s series featuring historian John Martini, who will discuss the 1906 earthquake and its aftermath. The talk will take place at 6 p.m. in the hotel’s Redwood Room.
The event is free but it’s advisable to register at Eventbrite.com (search for “Making History Fun Again.”)
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