Schmap Monterey and Carmel Historical Background

Our apologies: your internet browser is not yet fully supported by our Schmap online guides. If you continue, pages in this guide may display or function incorrectly.

Would you like to continue anyway?

Schmap.com supports the following browsers:

Internet Explorer 6 and above
Firefox 1.5 and above
Safari 3 for Pc

MAC

Safari version 1.3 and above
Firefox 2 and above

Monterey and Carmel - Historical Background
Download the Schmap Monterey and Carmel Guide
With Schmap 2.0 you can:

Browse this Schmap Guide on your PC, online or offline.
View Schmap Guides for 200 worldwide destinations.
Bookmark places of interest, plan trips and take virtual tours.
Custom print your own full-color travel guides.
Publish and share schmapplets with your favorite places
Enjoy many more unique Schmap features.

Monterey and Carmel Home
Schmap Monterey and Carmel guide and map

Human habitation of the Monterey Peninsula dates back some 3500 years. The Ohlones to the north and the Chumash to the south led a peaceful, subsistence-based existence, enjoying the area's temperate climate and abundant resources. Spain laid claim to the entire California coast in 1542, it was explorer Sebastian Vizcaino who discovered Monterey Bay sixty years later. Having had the area named after him, the Viceroy of Mexico, Gaspar de Zuniga y Acevedo, was enthusiastic about its further exploration. He was replaced, however, in 1603. Vizcaino was subsequently fired, and the King's orders for him to return to Monterey with colonists were quietly shelved. It wasn't for another 168 years that Gaspar de Portola, the Spanish governor of Baja California, established the first mission (under the direction of Father Junipero Serra) and presidio in Monterey. (So rosily inaccurate were Vizcaino's descriptions of the Bay's features, that it took Portola two expeditions to finally locate it.) Portola established the mission (under the direction of Father Junipero Serra) and presidio (still standing) in Monterey. In 1775, Monterey was made the Capital of Alta California, and remained so through Spanish, Mexican, and independent California until American statehood took effect in 1850. Spanish settlement and mission life doomed Ohlone and Chumas culture.

Bear Republic

Huge land grants, or ranchos, were sold to Spanish settlers, or Californios. When Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, the vast holdings of the Catholic Church were broken up and sold off at generous rates as further ranchos. Many of the ranchos, particularly those along the Central Coast, survive today as ranches, farms, state and federal parkland, and the occasional golf course. The period of Mexican rule of California was short-lived, however. The steady stream of American immigration from the east became an unruly torrent once the Mexican Revolution broke the Spanish monopoly on California trade. John C. Fremont's Bear Flag Revolt of 1846 ushered in the 21-day history of the Bear Republic. During the ensuing period, in which California was a territory of neither Mexico nor the United States, the California Constitutional Convention met in the office of Monterey alcalde (mayor) Walter Colton.

"Forty Niners"

With the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 (and statehood two years later), the torrent of immigration to California turned into a flood. While Spanish visions of gold in the Monterey area never materialized, the demands of the "Forty-Niners" to the north sparked a robust timber and fishing industry, which continued to thrive long after the gold rush petered out. The lawlessness which characterized life in early San Francisco was prevalent, albeit to a lesser degree, in Monterey. In one three-year period during the 1850s, there were 60 murders without anything approaching a conviction, in large part because most of the murders were committed at the behest of the county sheriff, William Roach.

When Nevada's Comstock silver boom fuelled ever greater expansion in the San Francisco economy, Monterey's seemingly inexhaustible resources stood ready. Crops, grain transport, fishing, and whaling made Monterey a bustling port. The area's attractions remained largely agricultural, however, but for coastal resorts and retreats that sprung up here and there along the Central Coast. (And which continue to be one of the area's great attractions, from St. Clare's Retreat House to the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. The most extreme example of Central Coast resort-building is, of course, Fred Swanton's Brighton-style casino up the road in Santa Cruz, where the famous roller coaster now does its thing.)

"Okies"

It was the Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 1930s that brought a new wave of immigration to the Monterey Peninsula. "Okies" from the drought-stricken South and Midwest came by the tens of thousands to pick lettuce and other crops and to work in the sardine canneries. Their travails are part of the picture of pre-war Monterey glimpsed in Cannery Row, Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, Tortilla Flat, and other John Steinbeck classics. The industrial boom of World War II brought military bases like Monterey's Fort Ord to California, and the aeronautics industry cranked out bombers and fighters by the hangarful from area factories.

Cultural Figures

Steinbeck was hardly the only cultural figure attracted by the beauty, silence, and seclusion of the Central Coast. A century before, Richard Henry Dana and Robert Lewis Stevenson (who patterned the coastline of Treasure Island after those of Carmel Bay and Point Lobos) had settled there. Jack London, Isadora Duncan, Henry Miller, Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Jack Kerouac all lived in the area at various times. Something in the fog air of the coast has had an attraction for spiritualists and self-development movements, as well: Theosophical Society founder Madame Blavatsky was followed, in later years, by the Esalen Institute, the Tassajara Zen Center, hippies, New Ageists, and many others.

Tourism

Tourism grew to play an increasingly important role in the area's economy. The Monterey Jazz Festival, Concours Classic Car Weekend, and the Bing Crosby Pro-Amateur golf tournament at Pebble Beach (now the AT& T National Golf Tournament) helped put Monterey on the map as a travel destination.

Environmental Awareness

Wary of coastal development and the threat posed by offshore drilling, Monterey put itself at the vanguard of environmental activism. Much of Monterey's coastline has been put in the care of the state to keep it protected. Its beaches remain famously pristine. Monterey Bay Aquarium, with its iconic sea otters, has done much to heighten awareness of the fragility of the marine environment off the Central Coast: the most recent additional to the federal wildlife sanctuary system is the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Supported by education (California State University's Monterey campus has just begun classes at the former Fort Ord), tourism, and agriculture, and supplemented by the inevitable Internet startups, today's Monterey is secure in its place away from the frenzied New Economy culture to the north.

Carmel Mission

Portola established the Carmel Mission (under the direction of Father Junipero Serra) and presidio (still standing) in Monterey. In 1775, Monterey was made the Capital of Alta California and it remained so through Spanish, Mexican and independent California rule until American statehood took effect in 1850. Spanish settlement and mission life doomed Ohlone and Chumas culture.

Artist’s Colony

The city of Carmel proper was established in 1904 as an artist's colony. At the time, the area was well off the beaten path and the seclusion, as well as the scenic land- and seascapes were deemed ideal by the early colonists. Through the years and the onslaught of tourists, Carmel has maintained its rustic quality, successfully keeping both street addresses and chain stores from within its city limits. It has also proven a refuge, not only for artists who work in oils and bronze, but also for the celluloid variety. The former Hollywood denizens who now call Carmel home include Kim Novak, Doris Day, and Clint Eastwood, who served as the town's mayor in the 1980s and ‘90s.

Today, tourists sometimes outnumber locals on the quaint streets lined with galleries and upscale shops. Some are looking for a restful break from their workaday lives in an idyllic setting; some are looking for the world-class golf and dining to be found here. Few leave less than enchanted with what they have found.

Copyright 1999-2005 Wcities, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Contact Wcities

Carmel

Monterey and Carmel
United States

Carmel takes quality-of-life matters very seriously, which is why you will see no neon signs, telephone poles or street numbers on houses. Affluent Carmel preserves its idyllic gracefulness with a stern propriety one might associate with Martha's Vineyard. In spite, or perhaps because of this, the town, known far and wide for exclusive gift shops, award-winning restaurants and secluded resorts, has been a popular destination for more than a century. That the city fathers remain so adamantly opposed to the intrusions of the late 20th century (to say nothing of the 21st) has inevitably brought them into conflict with development-minded area businessmen. It was just this that swept Mayor Clint Eastwood into office. Mr. Eastwood has served his term and stepped away from Carmel politics, although he remains a Carmel resident.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Christina W. Pan

Photo: Jakob Heuser

Photo: Andrew Schwartz

Photo: Dave Corn

Photo: Hans Christian Berge

Photo: Evan Levine

Photo: pforty

Photo: Matthew Klozik

Photo: Togga Olafsdottir

Photo: AvalonC

Photo: Holly Woodcock

Photo: katetq

Photo: Pierrick Gaume'

Photo: Gregg Lowrimore

Photo: Jose Natalini

Photo: Peter Liu

Photo: David Link

Photo: Sergiy Matusevych

Photo: Jim Patterson Photo

Photo: Thorin Brentmar

Photo: Ricardo Mendoza

Photo: natalie gage

Photo: Kerri McHale

Photo: John Jackson

Photo: gal & lotem

Photo: Scott Bush

Photo: Gary McDonald

Photo: shricthism

Photo: Alison Biggs

Photo: veggielo

Photo: anneliese120

Photo: Terry Ayers

Photo: Gerson García

Carmel Mission

Father Serra's favorite 3080 Rio Road
Monterey and Carmel, CA 93923
United States
+1 831 624 3600 / +1 831 624 1271 Also known as Mission Carmel Basilica and more formally, as Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo, this was the second of the nine missions founded by Father Junipero Serra. The area was originally chosen for its agricultural possibilities in 1771, but the temperate climate and exquisite landscape soon made it Father Serra's favorite. Indeed, he is buried, as per his wishes, in front of the church's main altar. The building, which fell into ruins in the 19th century and has since been completely restored, exhibits classic Mission-style, fortress-like architecture, with thick, bougainvillea-covered adobe walls and a central courtyard. A Moorish-style bell tower contains nine bells and is open to the public. Though some may find the climb up the steep staircase taxing, the views from that vantage point are magnificent.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Monterey

Monterey and Carmel
United States
While no longer the county seat nor even its largest city (both honors rest with blue-collar Salinas), Monterey remains the area's best-known and most popular destination. A city of only 32,000, it attracts easily 100 times that many tourists each year, motivated mostly by its aquarium. Arguably the finest in the world, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is as good as it is not only because of its imaginative presentation and great funding, but also because it focuses on what is just outside in the deep waters of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. You will see otters at play, a towering kelp forest, trance-inducing jellyfish, and the world's largest aquarium window, and you can pet a velvety bat ray.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Monterey Bay Aquarium

World class aquarium 886 Cannery Row
(at the corner of David Avenue)
Monterey and Carmel, CA 93940
United States
+1 831 648 4888 This is one of the best designed aquariums going. A unique feature is the two-story tank, home to a kelp forest in which swim sunfish, sharks, and the occasional diver tasked with squeegeeing the algae off the tank walls. Sand dabs are displayed in shelf-like tanks ideally suited to the flat fish, and a school of sardines swim in an endless circle in their cylindrical tank home. If you want to interact with some aquatic dwellers, you're invited to pet the bat rays (oddly velvet-like). The jellyfish display shows that they are like something from another planet.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Dave Cutforth
Photo: Alex Pang
Photo: Melody Janssen
Photo: Derek Fok
Photo: Chris Alexander
Photo: metaphors
Photo: Maria De La O
Photo: Carlos Morales

Photo: rbeforee
Photo: js42
Photo: nugunslinger
Photo: metaphors
Photo: spyzter
Photo: Melody Janssen
Photo: Justin
Photo: may tam

Photo: David Lake
Photo: Jansen Zhang
Photo: Cary Dunn
Photo: Peter Van Gorp
Photo: sfhomeless
Photo: Geoff Myers (.net)
Photo: J. Mailin Peng
Photo: LuckYou

Photo: MNKaren
Photo: Jeff Frank
Photo: Stef Maruch
Photo: Eli Draluk
Photo: ~Miss Talky luvs the
Photo: Gordon Worley
Photo: Wallace Chane
Photo: Matt Kent

Photo: Refujio Juarez
Photo: Kelley Hood
Photo: Melissa Hao
Photo: Sujeet Bambawale

Pebble Beach

Monterey and Carmel
United States
Famed as the site of the Pebble Beach Country Club and Resort and Spyglass Hill golf courses, and home to the yearly AT&T Celebrity Golf Tournament (where huge crowds await Bill Murray's schtick), Pebble Beach has what may be one of the finest stretches of coast on the Monterey Peninsula. Craggy shoreline, crashing surf and cypress groves mark the spot where Portola landed in 1769 on his first, fruitless expedition to find Monterey. Pebble Beach has long been the enclave of the very top tier of country club society.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Richard Coffey
Photo: Usok Choe
Photo: **Mary**
Photo: Nithya Selvaraj
Photo: John vanSuchtelen
Photo: Oopsfotos
Photo: Nithya Selvaraj
Photo: Paul Ark

Photo: Michael Corazzelli
Photo: coldwaterdiver66
Photo: Dana Hannah
Photo: Doug Musto
Photo: Christiana Tjhin
Photo: Alan
Photo: enrguerrero
Photo: Courtney Newman

Photo: Rustin Crandall
Photo: Tom Ferris - imgPire
Photo: John Spencer
Photo: Amy Sutor
Photo: GoogleMesa
Photo: Mary Kate Rosack
Photo: Rob Frechette
Photo: stevefung

Photo: David Forrest
Photo: Xavi Galvez
Photo: Dr. Kalpana Kanal
Photo: Tanya Spillane
Photo: Jay Valencia
Photo: Nicole Klein
Photo: nolapoboy
Photo: RogueFive

Photo: Didi G
Photo: SJASingh
Photo: shantel mitchell