2 The Production and Circulation of Earthquake Knowledge in 1868 California

William Henry Knight wrote to his mother four days after the great earthquake of 1868: “You will have heard all about our great earthquake, the exagerated [sic] reports, and the succeeding reports making light of the whole affair. But a few words about it direct from one who experienced it may have a peculiar interest.” The next three pages of his letter provide details about the earthquake as Knight tried to make sense of what had happened in San Francisco: