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Earthquake Centennial Draws Curious to San Francisco

By Dan Schlossberg
ConsumerAffairs.com

February 25, 2006
Most places prefer to sweep tragic memories under the rug. But not San Francisco, which this year marks the centennial of the devastating 1906 earthquake.

Often voted America’s favorite city by visitors, San Francisco has always swung to the beat of a different drummer. Sometimes, that drumming came from deep beneath the hilly streets.

That was the case on April 18, 1906, when the giant pre-dawn quake ripped the San Andreas Fault along a line that stretched 290 miles north-to-south from Humboldt County to Hollister, in San Benito County. Shaking the city like a wet dog, the tremor and resulting fires killed thousands.

Celebrating such an event sounds gruesome but city officials say they are merely marking a moment in history – not only on the local level but also in American annals.

Not until the Alaska earthquake of 1964 was such a strong quake measured in the United States.

According to Laurie Armstrong of the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau, curious visitors always ask about the event anyway – and would be more likely to ask during a 100-year anniversary.

"We’re really doing three things," she said. "We’re commemorating the people who were lost. We’re celebrating the advancements that have been made. And we’re using it as an opportunity to educate people about how to be prepared for emergencies."

The area has had other experience with killer quakes – most recently the 1989 tremor that interrupted the Bay Area World Series – but says it is better prepared for the next one.

The earthquake centennial is being presented as a teachable moment, with a focus on public safety issues and educational activities for all ages. The word "celebration" only applies to the city’s success in rebuilding itself with courage and vision.

Special hotel, restaurant, and sightseeing promotions will be posted after March 15 at www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com, official website of the local CVB, and 1906 Centennial calendars will be sold at several locations, including the Visitor Information Center at the Powell Street cable-car turntable.

Out-of-towners will certainly get the chance to experience the flavor of 1906: local chefs are recreating menus of the time and sightseeing companies are adding earthquake content to their tours.

Complete event details may be found at www.1906centennial.org.

For information and reservations, contact the San Francisco CVB, 900 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94102 (Tel. 888-782-9673 or 415-283-0155).

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