Saturday, February 6, 2010

San Francisco, 1906

This is a YouTube video sent by my friend Fred at Arrowhead Motorsports in Moab, here's the description:

A film taken from a streetcar traveling down Market Street in San Francisco in 1906, a few days before the earthquake/fire destroyed the area.
This film, originally thought to be from 1905 until David Kiehn with the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum figured out exactly when it was shot. From New York trade papers announcing the film showing to the wet streets from recent heavy rainfall & shadows indicating time of year & actual weather and conditions on historical record, even when the cars were registered (he even knows who owned them and when the plates were issued!).. It was filmed only four days before the quake and shipped by train to NY for processing. Amazing but true!

This is a little eerie to watch but entertaining. Watch the cyclists and drivers. Nothing changes....

1 comment:

Steven Brown said...

Makes modern third world city driving look controlled. Wonder when jaywalking first became a crime?