Great Fire of 1873

[3] By 4:40 am, just twenty minutes after its start, the fire had spread a block and the nearby Metropolitan Hotel was a complete loss.

The wind, however, spread the fire in all other directions and soon twelve blocks were engulfed in flames and the city water supply was failing.

[2] Among the losses were 2 Engine Houses, 2 Sash Factories, 3 Foundries, 4 Mills, 5 Hotels, 100 retail stores, and 250 dwellings.

The city "shunned" financial aid offered from San Francisco and the East Coast, and instead used local resources.

[4] In December 1872, 8 months prior, there had been another fire which started in a Chinese laundry facility on the waterfront along Front Street.