This photograph shows some of the destruction that resulted from the Munjoy Hill Reservoir break. The Munjoy Hill Reservoir was completed in 1889 and had a capacity of 20,000,000 gallons. Because of a defective overflow, the reservoir burst on August 5, 1893, causing millions of gallons to cascade downhill destroying four homes (as shown here) and tragically killing four people.

In the mid 1880s the Munjoy Hill Reservoir was built to meet the increasing water demands from Portland's growing population. The reservoir was located between North and Sheridan Streets and remained in operation until 1970.