On March 26, 1872, a large earthquake hit Inyo County in the Owens Valley of central California in the early morning hours. Worst-hit was Lone Pine, where 52 of the town’s 59 homes were destroyed, killing 27 people. The ground moved a full seven feet horizontally in some places. It was estimated to be of a 7.8 magnitude and was felt from Oregon to Mexico. For the next two months, there were an estimated thousand more aftershocks, though none were deadly.
