Photographs taken 102 years ago depict scenes from the earthquake and fire that destroyed thousands of buildings and left more than 200,000 people homeless in San Francisco. Confirmed deaths were 460.

The photographs give graphic meaning to the disaster known worldwide, and Darrell Colwell, now living in Yuma, has a collection of San Francisco disaster photos.

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©Unknown
The Temple Emanu-El, a block north of Union Square, was one of many religious structures severely damaged.


"The photographs I have are contact prints made from 8x10 glass negatives, taken during the aftermath of the 1906 disaster," Colwell said. "I have no idea who the photographer was.

"I was part-owner of a camera shop in Modesto, Calif. (In 1966 or 1967) one of our customers brought in a bundle of the glass negatives that had been wrapped in old newspapers. He had found them in a basement of an old house in Oakland, and wanted to see if they could be printed.

"This involved carefully separating the plates and washing them to remove the newsprint. It was amazing and exciting to make prints. We made three sets and gave one to the man who brought the glass plates in. I have no idea what he did with them."

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Men in black bowler hats were with the Pinkerton Agency, a security group and volunteers who offered food and beverages to the homeless.

Now, there are least 20 of the collection included in the hundreds of historic photos along with informational stories about the 1906 disaster in "Two Weeks in San Francisco," a Paragon Agency publication by Douglas Westfall and Henry C. Kroeper. The Paragon Agency is located in Orange, Calif.

Colwell said he had been contacted by the publishers about his collection after his daughter, a teacher in Ukia, had met one of Westfall's relatives and told her about the publication.

"San Francisco remembers the disaster each year on April 18 with ceremonies starting at 5:12 a.m.," Westfall said in a telephone interview wit the Sun.

"There are only three survivors of the disaster, and they were only babies, so their memories are from stories from older relatives. We do have copies of a letter written by Al Cook to Kroeper's grandmother that gives details on the days following the disaster in our book."

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©Pam M. Smith/The Sun
Photo collector Darrell Colwell compares a contact printed photo with one published in "Two Weeks in San Francisco." This is the front of the Shreve and Company Jewelers building on Post Street. The company is still in business at the same location.

Colwell's prints were dry-mounted on matte board "and have survived all these years of traveling." He also has some 11x14 glass negatives of Dawson City Creek in Canada. "I have a collection of photography memorabilia from 1881 and 1925 - old cameras, equipment and photographs."

Colwell said he did a lot of photography before going into air traffic control for the government. "I retired in 1994 after 25 years and traveled with my wife, Carolyn, who was an escrow professional.

"In our travels we set up shows to demonstrate spices and other products, and were at the home shows in Las Vegas then the Yuma Civic Center. We liked Yuma and have settled here at the Cocopah RV Resort."

"We really enjoy Yuma, and our 'home' location offers opportunity to continue photography of favorite subjects - scenery, birds, flowers and other nature shots," Colwell said.