California Disasters

This book highlights some of the major catastrophic events from natural and man-made disasters dating from 1771 to 2020. It is said that California has four seasons: drought, flood, fire, and earthquakes. From the well-known (the Donner Party fiasco of 1846 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire) and the obscure (the wreck of the paddle ship Brother Jonathan in 1865 and the fire at the Argonaut Mine in 1922). Perry's book surveys the scope and impact of these disasters, covering quakes, shipwrecks, plane and train crashes, car pileups, tsunamis, dust storms, floods, bridge and dam collapses, and the spectacular eruption of Lassen Peak.