It is very likely that, when Mr. Bell recounted his experiences on the morning of the earthquake, some 50 years after the fact, the details were somewhat nebulous and perhaps rearranged in his mind. However, there were two large foreshocks located near Parkfield several hours before the mainshock, which may be what caused the cattle to stampede. Note that this unquestionably describes right-lateral offset. Click on a location below to view more first-hand accounts of the 1857 earthquake. For the original sources of these accounts, please click here .
Several maps show the above locations.