Heroes
There were many heroes in the aftermath of the earthquake. As Herbert Slater would say recounting the quake two years later, rescuers were engaged in nothing less than “a battle for life”.
People from all walks of life joined in rescue efforts, including Santa Rosa’s most famous resident, horticulturalist Luther Burbank who toiled at the ruins of the Grand Hotel. In describing the efforts of her family members, Santa Rosa resident Jessica Lamont wrote: “…the men worked half the night in the ruins. …. Oh we have our heroes now. Chas and Pa worked in the Occidental Annex and got out a big six-foot man and he only had his shoulder broke.”
Other heroic acts were later recognized by the City Council. Local nurses were honored for ministering to the sick and injured in makeshift hospitals without complaint or request for pay. Finally, Bertrand Rockwell, a Civil War veteran from Kansas who happened to be visiting his daughter in Santa Rosa on April 18th, received a commendation from the city for using $5,000 of his own money to help organize gangs of workers and to help establish a temporary hospital.
