Chad of All Things

In the early morning hours of April 18th, 1908, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck just two miles southwest of San Francisco. The destructive power of the quake itself was overshadowed by the enormous fires that burned for four days and nights afterward.

In honor of the 103rd anniversary of this disaster, the San Francisco Chronicle has released a number of rare photos showing the extent of the damage after the quake and the reconstruction in the months that followed.