Search William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection

Caption: "San Francisco April 18, 1906. Center of Town. The Awful Fire after the Shake." Fire engulfing buildings in San Francisco's city center after the 1906 earthquake. Great plumes of smoke dominate the photograph. See also 96-07-08-alb02-025.

Date: 4/18/1906

Caption: "Alcatraz," c. 1906. View of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. The building on the highest part of the island, just to the left of center in the photograph, is the Alcatraz Citadel (also known as Fort Alcatraz). Built in 1859 by the U.S. Army for coastal defense purposes, the Citadel began serving as a prison in 1861. It ceased function as a defense fortification and became the Pacific Branch of the U.S. Military Prison in 1907. The Citadel was demolished in 1909. Over the next two decades the facilities on the island were modified and modernized, becoming a federal penitentiary in 1934.

Date: 1906

Caption: "The Arescope [sic] P.P.I.E." at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, was designed by Joseph Strauss, who later was the chief engineer for San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.

Date: 1915

No Caption: c. 1910. Unidentified young girl posing with chicken, likely somewhere in Washington.

Date: 1910

Caption: "State capitol building - Helena, Montana. Helena, Population 12,000," c. 1935.

Date: 1935

No Caption: Fountain of the Earth, (Robert I. Aitken, sculptor), at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. See also 96-07-08-alb01-064.

Date: 1915

Caption: "Tent City Coronado," c. 1910-1913. View of rows of tents and sheds thatched in palm fronds along the coast near Coronado Hotel, with people strolling along the roadways. Established in 1900 for travelers who could not afford to stay in the resort hotel, the Coronado Tent City consisted of a grid of streets lined with furnished tents, near the sea shore. It also featured restaurants, a library, soda fountain, theater, bandstand, and other recreational facilities. See also 96-07-08-alb08-210, and 263.

Date: 1910

No Caption: Tower of Jewels at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. See also 96-07-08-alb01-012.

Date: 1915

Caption: "Fallen Pillars, City Hall," shows the pillars of San Francisco City Hall that fell into the street as a result of the 1906 earthquake.

Date: 1906

Caption: "La Laguna Espejada or Mirror Pool. P.C. Exp. San Diego," shows the reflecting pool at the Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park, San Diego. See also 96-07-08-alb01-162.

Date: 1915