Posted on 06/29/2025 11:43:24 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
One hundred years ago today, downtown Santa Barbara was devastated by an earthquake centered just offshore.
The main commercial district, State Street, was in ruins. Some buildings completely collapsed — the vulnerability in their designs laid bare by the power of Mother Nature. Around a dozen people died.
Yet, despite the destruction, the great Santa Barbara earthquake remains relatively obscure, seismically speaking, even in a state notorious for its shaking.
There are a number of reasons why, ranging from the comparatively low death toll to concerted efforts by contemporary civic boosters and business interests to downplay the extent of the damage.
But in a state where the next “Big One” is an always-looming threat, lessons learned from the Santa Barbara quake should still resonate — even 100 years later, experts say.
The 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake
On June 29, 1925, an earthquake of a magnitude between 6.5 and 6.8 struck the Santa Barbara coast, destroying much of the city's main business district. Damage was reported as far away as Ventura.
Map shows the approximate epicenter of the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake off the coast of the city.
The location of the epicenter is an estimate. Alternate theories place the epicenter southeast of Santa Barbara.
Structural engineers, for instance, have long considered brick buildings to be one of the deadliest types of structures in an earthquake. And the Santa Barbara temblor revealed just how dangerous brick buildings built in that era could be.
Yet for decades, little was done to force brick buildings around California to be retrofitted — inaction that had deadly consequences, from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake all the way through to the 2003 San Simeon earthquake, when two women were killed as they fled a brick building in Paso Robles...
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Preparing for an earthquake? Don’t bother.
If you’re in a well built building... Everything will be fine... A poorly built building... You’re screwed. That’s about all you’ve got... And they’ll never be able to warn you ahead of time... By the time they figure out that an earthquake is happening... Well... It’s happening.
Would it be wrong to hope that California falls in to the sea?
Yes, because it would kill a lot of innocent people, including the founder of Free Republic.
“”Would it be wrong to hope that California falls in to the sea?””
Not if you’re a hell-bound demon or ghoul that cares nothing for human life. You’re not, are you?
I experienced the Santa Barbara quake in 1978. As I recall it was a 5.2? Enough to get your attention but not too much significant damage overall.
I don’t think so personally.
That’s right.
In an earthquake zone, a well built building is not rigid. Brick buildings have great vertical strength, but a little lateral movement and it comes down.
“Would it be wrong to hope that California falls in to the sea?”
Sure man. Whatever makes you feel tingly. We don’t need all those military bases and innocent people.
The Santa Barbara Earthquake--Vernon Dalhart (1925)
And this tune was the flip side on Columbia. However, the version featured here was released on the Cameo label and has a better quality than the ones on Columbia, Edison and other labels available on Youtube. Dalhart tells the story of the sensational "Monkey Trial" of John T. Scopes, a teacher who dared to teach Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in Tennessee.
Yes, it would. I don't want to have to swim to Arizona.
Day after day, more people move to LA
Don't you tell anybody, the whole place is shaking away.
(There she goes!)
Where can we go when there's no San Francisco?
Better get ready to tie up the boat in Idaho!
Huge oil field off the coast of Santa Barbara no drilling allowed sometimes oil washes on the beaches not a stable area.
Newsom and Karen Bass and their fellow fraud-elected Democrats have made earthquakes obsolete when it comes to destruction in California.
Scopes was a science teacher and football coach. He was recruited by the ACLU to test the unconstitutionality of the BUTLER ACT.
He was never put in the stand in the trial cause they knew he would not be able to answer any questions on biology. He was substituting and read from a textbook which discussed evolution. After the trial he admitted that he did not remember if he had actually taught evolution...but the case garnered national attention for Dayton, Tennessee. Brought in lots of money. Although the case was framed as a “backwoods hillbilly hick” vs. “intelligent fair minded science” ...it was about a state taxpayer being able to have influence on what their children are being taught.
It did expose the modus operandi of the ACLU..which is what they seem to still do.
See Tennessee museum, 5 things you didn’t knout Scopes trial website
IMHO. FYI. Freegards.
Well, we hope not
But that’ll be the day I move back to Annandale
I can’t seem to get to you through the U.S. Mail
knout. = know about
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