On June 29th 1925 at 6:44 a.m., a 6.3 earthquake awoke most Santa Barbara residents. Centered 8 miles southwest of Santa Barbara, this earthquake destroyed most of Santa Barbara's commercial district and brought the Sheffield Dam to its resevoiresque knees: causing the dam to crack apart and send a wall of water into the ocean. Although red cross relief was speedy, officials estimated that 11-13 people died due to the earthquake. Today, the earthquake's legacy can be seen in the prevalence of the Spanish-Moorish style architecture in Santa Barbara's downtown area. Using this natural disaster as a regulating opportunity, city officials, with the rebuilding of the commercial district, enforced strict building codes. Fortunately, Moses Cohen was there to take photographs of an unfortunate natural disaster. This photograph depicts about fifty men trying to clean up after the quake. They are cleaning up debris from a building that looks as if only one half was left standing after the earthquake.