Before…
By 1906 Santa Rosa’s population was about 7,000. Served by three railroads, Santa Rosa had advanced from a frontier trading post to a commercial and agricultural shipping center since the town’s 1854 founding. An ornate courthouse, symbol of the city’s stature as the county seat, anchored the downtown. An assortment of handsome buildings, primarily constructed of brick surrounded the central courthouse and town plaza. The city boasted several large hotels and the Athenaeum theatre, a 2,000-seat venue that featured nationally known talent. As unknowing residents went to bed the night of April 17th, some of them, undoubtedly, thought of the price of that year’s crop, their families or simply getting an early start to the next day’s business.
