People in San Francisco were starting to clean up after the famous San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 which had struck at 5:13a.m. on April 18, 1906. Hundreds of people were killed, and much of the city was destroyed, both from the earthquake itself and from the dynamiting of buildings in a failed attempt to halt the flames
Nineteen local breweries – including Anchor Brewery – were totally destroyed.
The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 was the first time Anheuser-Busch provided disaster assistance. Adolphus Busch, who had been visiting the city at the time in the comfort of its private rail car, acted quickly, supporting the relief efforts of the Red Cross. He apparently had a narrow escape from death and reported the loss of his family’s personal luggage, which was valued at $20,000.