‘Consumed by untamable flames’ — a Sonoma letter from the 1906 earthquake

April 18, 2023, is the 117th Anniversary of the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire. To this day it was the largest calamity to strike the Bay Area, and for one Sonoma family it was a transformative event. Gundlach-Bundschu Winery was a remarkably successful family-owned enterprise in 1906, whose Sonoma vineyards grew grapes that were made into wine in a gigantic winery in San Francisco. Patriarch Charles Bundschu wrote this letter describing the tragedy to his family in Germany; it is one of the finest first-hand accounts of the quake and fire.

Gundlach Bundschu Wine Co.

Rhinefarm – Sonoma

April 23, 1906

Dearest Aunt,

Full of anxious expectation you have awaited news from California after the telegraph conveyed the total destruction of San Francisco. Luckily, we and our friends all were spared in this regard. However, our big, blossoming and proud business which took 45 years to build, and the old family residence, at opposite ends of the city – 2 miles apart, both were consumed by the untamable flames. Nothing was left of the proud stone building, which contained in the basement and two stories almost 4 million liters (about 1 million gallons) of wine in big oak barrels – nothing but a steaming, smoldering pile of rubble. And the site where our house was located at the hillside of Telegraph Hill is not even a pile or rubble, but licked clean by the flames, almost as if a house had never stood there.

The elemental force, which sent the horrible earthquake at 5:13am on Wednesday April 18th terrified the citizens and raised concern that many of the stone buildings that are more than 200 feet tall might collapse. But no, the high, steel-reinforced modern buildings withstood the horrible shaking and stood firmly. But the old brick buildings, built generations ago, the walls fell down or the buildings collapsed entirely. 

My sons Carl and Walter hurried downtown. They soon saw that devastating fires had broken out in the city center; big hotels and commercial buildings stood engulfed in flames—the water main, destroyed by the earthquake, was ruptured. The fire brigades were giving up hope; the grand opera house was already in ashes.

All our relatives suffered heavy losses through the catastrophe that impacted us.  The insurance will only cover a small portion and it is questionable if they will be able to pay out anything.  And what is going to happen to the banks, which all were destroyed, how and when business will start for them – nobody is able to say.

Up in Sonoma, we are lucky; a small supply of food provides simple meals and we don’t suffer. As for San Francisco after the fire, there is no hotel, no bank, no merchants house, no storage, no warehouse, not a single office, no factory, nothing, nothing still exists!  The town is in the hands of commanding General Funston. He, in collaboration with the mayor, keeps order in the city. It is fantastic how quickly everything was established. The city is well guarded and looters are kept away.  The injured and sick must have suffered tremendously.  Food pantries are everywhere. There is no real hardship. We are in a state of siege.  Citizens walk patrol with the military in different districts.  Market Street is already cleared of debris.  The curious and the idle are pushed into service; courage returns.  

While the earth is still trembling and seething in small fading jerks – but nobody pays attention.

We got news through our sons who visited the location of our home; it is not just burned out but completely burned to the ground. Oh how this pains and grieves me! Our domestic bliss shattered by fate, we greet Germany and our loved ones in deepest distress.  

With faith and love and trust in God,

— Carl & Francisca Bundschu, April 23, 1906

With thanks to Gary Coffland