'Earthquake and Fire of 1906'

California's (more specifically San Francisco's) history is documented through a series of 27 murals at the Rincon Center, which used to be a post office, in downtown San Francisco. The murals were done in the '40s by Anton Refregier, a Russian artist as part of the Works Progress Administration.

The 1906 earthquake is a seminal moment in this city's history, and it is described below by the post office.

21. Earthquake and Fire of 1906: "At 5:13 AM on April 18, 1906, a two minute earthquake rocked the city of San Francisco. Although the Richter scale had not yet been invented, experts believe the initial jolt measured a hefty 8.3. The earthquake itself was responsible for about 20 percent of the total destruction of $400,000,000. Fires caused the rest of the damage and raged out of control for three days due to ruptured water mains. By April 21, over 28,000 buildings, a third of San Francisco, had been destroyed."

Part of my trip to Rincon Center. For more on New Deal Post Office murals, check out this website: http://www.parmaconservation.com/newdealpostoffic.html