Search All Items

Caption: "Mission Street After the Quake," 1906. A view of the severe damage to Mission Street after the earthquake. Considered one of the worst natural disasters in the country's history, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and resulting fires killed an estimated 3,000 people and destroyed over 500 city blocks, leaving approximately 200,000 residents homeless.

Date: 1906

Caption: "Oregon Caves Chateau," c. 1935. The Oregon Caves National Monument was established in 1909. The Oregon Caves Chateau, built in the rustic style (Gust Lium, architect), opened in 1934. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.

Date: 1935

Caption: "Circus Parade -- Santa Rosa, Calif.," c. 1905. This image shows several elephants walking down a street in Santa Rosa, part of the Ringling Brothers Circus, which first came to Santa Rosa in 1903. The traveling circus became an annual event in the town for the next two decades.

Date: 1905

Caption: "Woolworth Bldg. Broadway, N.Y. Aug. 8, 1934." Bird's eye view of a portion of New York City, with the Woolworth Building at the left. Constructed between 1910 and 1920 and designed by architect Cass Gilbert, the Neo-Gothic building was once the tallest in the world at 792 feet.

Date: 8/8/1934

Caption: "Glacier Point Hotel," c. 1917. The 80-room chalet-style Glacier Point Hotel opened in 1918, located 3,218 feet above the floor of Yosemite Valley on Glacier Point. This photograph shows the back side of the building, with a viewing porch that looked out over the valley. The building was destroyed by an electrical fire in July 1969.

Date: 1917

Caption: "Nudist Colony - San Diego Exposition," c. 1935. The Zoro Garden Nudist Colony, named for the Persian mystic, Zoroaster, was an unusual and controversial attraction that featured partially nude men and women performing as nudists. Exposition visitors were charged twenty-five cents to watch the "nudists" perform ceremonies and other activities. Today, the sunken Zoro Garden in Balboa Park is a butterfly garden.

Date: 1935

Caption: "Stow Lake," in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, c. 1910. Stow lake is a manmade lake in Golden Gate Park dating back to 1893. Visitors still enjoy Stow Lake today, engaging in activities such as boating and picnicking by the lake.

Date: 1910

Caption: "George Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. July 29, 1934." The obelisk of the Washington Monument rises above the Reflecting Pool on National Mall in Washington, D.C. Built between 1848 and 1888 to commemorate George Washington (former Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and first President of the United States), the obelisk is the world's tallest stone structure at a height of 555 feet.

Date: 7/29/1934

Caption: "Canby Lighthouse.," c. 1905-1909. The Cape Disappointment Lighthouse sits on a rocky point overlooking the mouth of the Columbia River. Built in the 1850s, the lighthouse was electrified in 1934 and automated in 1973. The lighthouse is now part of the Cape Disappointment State Park (formerly Fort Canby State Park).

Date: 1905

Caption: "Portola Celebration." 1909. The Portola Festival was a grand celebration devised to commemorate the discovery of San Francisco Bay by Gaspar De Portola, and for the public to celebrate the future of the rebuilt city after the 1906 earthquake and fires.

Date: 1909