This film was shot on April 14, 1906, just four days before the San Francisco earthquake and fire that destroyed over 80% of the city, and to which the negative was nearly lost.. And it has SOUND! (Be sure to also check out the aftermath video below that traces the same route just a few days later!)
UPDATE:
Recently discovered footage of San Francisco in the wake of the destructive 1906 earthquake has been made available to the public since I posted the above video. The below 9-minute recording was likely shot by The Miles Brothers, San Francisco’s first movie company, one or two weeks after the 7.9-magnitude quake rocked the city. IT TRACES THE SAME ROUTE featured in the above “A Trip Down Market Street” film that was taken by the same company a few days before the quake. The two films offer a dramatic before-and-after contrast. No smiling faces, no hustle, no playing kinds in the street in the second one…