San Francisco 1906: Aftermath on the Move

Ride through the shattered heart of San Francisco in this gripping silent footage of the 1906 earthquake aftermath, filmed from a vehicle rolling down a ravaged street just days after the April 18 disaster. Tents line the roadsides, horse-drawn carriages weave through debris, and vast swathes of downtown lie in ruins—crumbled buildings, smoky air, and stranded survivors painting a scene of chaos. A massive line snakes around a corner, men waving wearily at the camera near a Pierce-Rodolph Storage Co. billboard, while cable cars sit idle amid the wreckage. This raw reel captures a city reeling from a 7.9-magnitude quake and fires that leveled over 25,000 structures, a haunting treasure for history buffs, disaster scholars, and San Francisco heritage fans.