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The Spectrum . Redwood City's Monthly Magazine
1906 EARTHQUAKE MEMORIES OF
REDWOOD CITY
wood and cement. The new high school on Bridge Street, today’s Broadway, had
lost its roof and most of the top story.
The Capitol Hotel had lost the entire front wall, stranding a gentleman guest who
was unable to dress or get down until rescued. All chimneys were down, so cooking
could be done only by families who had old coal-oil stoves. The Doxsee family
gathered for meals at the home of an aunt who had such a stove.
Woodhams said that many neighbors camped in tents in California Park because
the aftershocks had continued throughout the day. The Doxsee family stayed in
their home. At night, she said, they could see the fiery red sky to the north from
the conflagration in San Francisco. In a few days, families started appearing on Old
County Road with carts, baby buggies or carriages with their possessions as they
escaped the city. The Women’s Club served coffee and sandwiches to the wayfarers.
Sad tales
There were sad tales of families who had lost loved ones, or people who had been
injured by falling debris. Woodhams mentioned that if the quake had come later
in the day, when school was in session and businesses open, there would have been
greater loss of life here on the Peninsula.
Woodhams also commented on the damage done at Stanford University. Her family
had attended a service at the Stanford Chapel just a few days before the earthquake,
so she was familiar with the buildings there. She said that, oddly, some of
the newer buildings were damaged while some of the older ones weathered the
shock.
Although only a child at the time, and these observations were made some 60
years later, Woodhams stated that no one would ever forget the earthquake of
1906.
Editor’s note: This article appeared first in the Daily Journal newspaper.
Spring into action….. Stop Smoking!!
Forty years ago, the San Mateo County Historical Society solicited information
from local survivors of the earthquake of 1906. That was the 60th
anniversary of the event, and there were still people around who had experienced
it in their childhood. One of the letters that was submitted was from a
Caroline Doxsee Woodhams.
The Doxsee family lived in a cottage in Redwood City just behind the courthouse.
The old courthouse was soon to be demolished and a new one was just being built
in the same block. The grand new structure was to be finished and opened just in
time for the Fourth of July celebration.
According to Woodhams, their home was a wood-frame house. The interior walls
didn’t have any plaster, just cheesecloth with wallpaper pasted right onto the
wood. She said that when the earthquake hit, the wood-beam ceiling over the bed
came loose and hung perilously over them.
When the children rushed into the kitchen, they found a mass of dishes, jams, jellies,
pots and pans. The cut glass and good china their parents had received as wedding
presents were in pieces and being shoveled into a tub by their father. They
quickly put on robes and slippers and went outside to see the condition of
Downtown.
Courthouse in ruins
They first saw the new courthouse in ruins. A witness said it had sent up a huge
cloud of dust and cement when it fell. The streets were covered with glass, stone,
San Mateo County Health Department
is offering
A Stop-Smoking Program! And It’s FREE for
San Mateo County Residents
Free Nicotine Patches Available
Freedom From Smoking Group Class:
DATE: Tuesdays May 2, 9, 16, 23, 25*, June 6, 13
TIME:
LOCATION:
*Please Note: Quit Day Follow-Up Session on
Thursday, May 25th, from 6:30 – 8:00 pm
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Sequoia Hospital
170 Alameda de las Pulgas
Redwood City
PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED
To register or for more information call
(650) 573-3989
Funded by County of San Mateo, Human Services Agency, Tobacco Prevention Program and
First 5 San Mateo County
In collaboration with Breathe California Golden Gate Public Health Partnership
The Freedom from Smoking Curriculum was developed by the American Lung Association
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