Photograph showing the devastation after the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. (April 18, 1906)
(USA TODAY) - One of the last survivors of the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and fire has died at 109, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Rose Cliver died Saturday at a care home in Santa Rosa, where her son lived. Her death leaves four known survivors of the devastating quake and fire that may have killed between 1,000 and 3,000 people, destroyed 28,000 buildings and left 225,000 of the city's 400,000 residents homeless.
One of 13 children, Cliver was born prematurely and wasn't expected to live long. She was 3 years old when the quake hit before dawn on April 18, and she and her family watched the city burn from atop Bernal Heights Hill, south of downtown.
This year's annual commemoration will be dedicated to her, said an organizer. Cliver last attended in 2009, and "enjoyed her 15 minutes of fame," said her son, Don.