[SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE]. A group of photographs depicting earthquake aftermath. San Francisco: 1906. Approximately 18 first generation sepia-toned photographs in a single binder depicting recovery efforts in San Francisco immediately following the destructive 1906 earthquake. Views of Nob Hill, Alcatraz Island, recovery of the dead, rubble clearing, newly opened fault lines, more. Average size, 8 x 10?. Creases, folds, tears to some photographs. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18 with an estimated magnitude of 7.9. The quake lasted less than a minute but in that time leveled hundreds of buildings and ignited dozens of devastating fires which burned for days and would ultimately leave nearly 300,000 people homeless. When the smoke cleared, all but 20% of San Francisco was in ruins. Today the quake is remembered as the most deadly natural disaster in California history.