ABSTRACT
In the early 1900s, San Francisco was a western model for Progressive-era growth, and it had many of the same challenges as the rapidly growing cities of the East Coast in terms of population growth, immigration, public health, and housing. This chapter examines the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, with a framework that includes the multiple challenges that emerged from the quake of April 18 and the three days of fires followed by quake. It takes into account many of the patterns of change and progress that occurred in San Francisco in the early 1900s that help to frame the story of the quake and the challenges of rebuilding. One of the most pressing concerns in the San Francisco earthquake was how to address the surge in the number of people displaced due to the earthquake and fires. The lessons of the 1906 quake are useful for responding and rebuilding in the event of a catastrophe of similar or worse magnitude.
