California Historical Landmarks
We never travel California's highways without the book California Historical Landmarks. This was one of those things I picked up years ago written by the State Parks Office of Historic Preservation. As we drive, we see the telltale indicators that something important happened here and we have to know what. These markers are buildings, structures, sites, or places that have been determined to have statewide historical significance, hence piquing my interest.
Gravesite of the 1872 Lone Pine Earthquake Victims (CHL #507) is one we pass each time we return from Tahoe to Temecula on 395. Today we chose to stop. Interred within a fenced enclosure are 16 people killed when one of the largest earthquakes ever to hit California rocked Lone Pine at 2:35 am on March 26, 1872. It awakened residents hundreds of miles away in all directions. Damage was so widespread, adobe buildings in Red Bluff collapsed, 400 miles north of the quake.
John Muir who was living in Yosemite at the time was awakened and took the opportunity to study the changes in the land and rock formations within the valley immediately afterwards. It was also reported at the time that people in Sacramento, 300 miles away, felt the impact of the earthquake and ran in panic to the streets. Residents of San Diego also reported an earth shaking experience. Although there were no official recording devices at the time, the quake was estimated to be 7.6 to 8.0 magnitude on the Richter Scale. The quake was thought to be similar in size to the San Francisco quake of 1906.
Most buildings in the town were made from adobe brick and crumbled to the ground. Twenty-seven of the approximately 250-300 residents of Lone Pine were killed. Many descendents of the survivors still live in this quaint little town. History, good or bad, is all around us and worth a moment to stop and to remember.
Gravesite of the 1872 Lone Pine Earthquake Victims (CHL #507) is one we pass each time we return from Tahoe to Temecula on 395. Today we chose to stop. Interred within a fenced enclosure are 16 people killed when one of the largest earthquakes ever to hit California rocked Lone Pine at 2:35 am on March 26, 1872. It awakened residents hundreds of miles away in all directions. Damage was so widespread, adobe buildings in Red Bluff collapsed, 400 miles north of the quake.
John Muir who was living in Yosemite at the time was awakened and took the opportunity to study the changes in the land and rock formations within the valley immediately afterwards. It was also reported at the time that people in Sacramento, 300 miles away, felt the impact of the earthquake and ran in panic to the streets. Residents of San Diego also reported an earth shaking experience. Although there were no official recording devices at the time, the quake was estimated to be 7.6 to 8.0 magnitude on the Richter Scale. The quake was thought to be similar in size to the San Francisco quake of 1906.
Most buildings in the town were made from adobe brick and crumbled to the ground. Twenty-seven of the approximately 250-300 residents of Lone Pine were killed. Many descendents of the survivors still live in this quaint little town. History, good or bad, is all around us and worth a moment to stop and to remember.
1 comments:
Very interesting. I love stopping while driving too. It breaks up the trip and you get to learn something interesting.
The earthquake was massive, it is amazing that so many people survived.
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