San Francisco, 1906

This post is a departure from what I usually write about, but I feel it is worthwhile to read and watch the video. I find inspiration in so many areas and parts of life, and the following post reminds me to be inspired to live life with my eyes and my heart open to what there is to learn.

These days, almost anything can make me turn nostalgic, even more so during the Christmas season. So when my husband sent me this link to a “60 Minutes Rewind” video, aired on July 10, 2011, I had to share it with you. This is an 11 minute film created in 1906 by attaching a camera to the front of a trolley as the trolley traveled down busy Market Street in San Francisco. Unknown at the time, the film was shot just days before the San Francisco earthquake and fires destroyed much of the city. So the short film now bears a heavier relevancy because of its history.

The scenery and life it captures are precious. There are horses, wagons, carriages, horseless carriages, trolleys, and innumerable pedestrians all criss-crossing through the streets in a bustling, but manageable, symphony of life in the city. As you watch, try to catch site of the fashions and faces of the pedestrians that cross in front of the camera. Ladies in street skirts and tall hats, men in suits; all of them with bright faces, unaware of what history holds for their city and their world. Poignant.

Out of ashes we often try to find blessings. My husband credits the earthquake with helping him to be born in this country. His maternal grandparents emigrated to the United States from Poland shortly after the fire. His grandfather was a craftsman in the construction trades, including beautiful inlaid wood floors, and he could speak several languages, which made him a valuable worker in a melting pot society like this city. So he brought his family to San Francisco to help rebuild it. My husband grew up with stories of the city’s rebuilding.

Click here to watch the film, and afterwards, make sure you scroll down near the bottom of the short article to link to some photos of the aftermath of the earthquake, a sort of before and after, if you will.