The Davis landscape today. Many residents think the Sacramento area is immune to earthquakes, but they have happened here before. This water tower, like many other structures in UC Davis, has been retrofitted for earthquake safety. The 1892 Winters/Vacaville quakes affected mainly the western Sacramento Valley, with effects in Davis but barely in Sacramento.

1892 Winters/Vacaville Earthquakes In April 1892, a series of earthquakes rattled the western Sacramento Valley. Their epicenters were near Winters and Vacaville, both very small towns at the time. The first quake, felt most in Vacaville, occurred on Tuesday, April 19th in the early morning. Damage was more apparent in brick buildings than wooden ones, shocking to many who thought brick was far more modern and superior to wood. In Winters, the same was true. Residents of both towns began rebuilding that day. In Davisville, a few chimneys were toppled, and one older building fell to the ground. However, in Dixon, a larger town, a fire as started after a lantern was knocked over, making rebuilding a bit harder to accomplish. The Tuesday quake had a magnitude of M6.5. The second quake struck Winters on Thursday, April 21st at 9:40 am. It was stronger than the Tuesday quake, although only an M6.2, eliminating all remaining brick and stone buildings in Winters. The Thursday quake also resulted in the only fatality, Jeff Darby, who was behind the brick Cradwick Building as the earthquake occurred. He was pounded by falling bricks, and died in the hospital early the next morning. At 9:45 am, Vacaville felt the second earthquake. It brought down much of the standing walls and contributed to the panicked mood of the citizens. Rebuilding began almost immediately. Since building codes were nonexistent, many damaged or even badly damaged structures were propped up to be declared in working order. This was done because of, among other things, impatience and lack of funds. Bricks which had once been part of damaged and destroyed buildings were sold to those who were rebuilding. No thought was given to building more earthquake-safe structures, just rebuilding as much and as quickly as possible so the towns could return to normalcy. Today, results from an earthquake would be much different than those of the 1892 earthquakes. In Davis, the water towers and the Memorial Union have both been retrofitted, and many buildings downtown are earthquake safe (although their windows aren't!). However, because of a dramatic population increase since 1892, it is very important that Central Valley residents be prepared. As improbable as it may sound, we know from past experience that it is possible to have an earthquake in the Sacramento Valley. --by Alex Hoff � �

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