May 27: Plague Breaks Out in San Francisco

The Bubonic Plague broke out in San Francisco in 1907. It was an aftermath of the San Francisco earthquake (and fire), probably caused by the rats who were displaced in the destruction.

A few years earlier, the city had faced another outbreak of the Plague, made worse by the denial of local businessmen and even Governor Henry Gage, who denied that there was any plague.

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Pictured: Henry Gage, the infamous governor. By unknown photographer, about 1903.