The Documented History Of Monterey
- The Persaud Catalog
- Apr 30
- 10 min read
Today's article will discuss the intriguing history of Monterey, California. Monterey Bay is located on the Monterey Peninsula in Northern California. It is also situated against the Pacific Ocean, making it a prime spot for migrating whales. The bay is known for its historical sites, kayaking, museums, hiking, & the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Monterey Bay is approximately 25 miles across, & has many, many different kinds of marine features. As a result of its diverse environment, it has a biodiversity of animals, including the rare Abalone. The Bay is one of the few places in California where the sport of Abalone diving is permitted, & done.
Since it is close to many metropolitan cities, & has many different museums, it is extremely popular among tourists. The bay, along with the town, is also the capital in oceanic science, for both its environment, & the laboratories that are built along the coast.
It has many historical sites as well, due to it functioning as the capital of Alta California under Spanish & Mexican rule, & was founded in the year 1770. The bay is extremely biodiverse, & which makes it a favorite among marine creature watchers. The most popular of these creatures to watch are Sea Otters, California Sea Lions, Whales, & Dolphins.
Monterey has existed in 4 different countries, & is considered the oldest city in California. The marine life surrounding has been an important part of Monterey’s history since before contact with the Spanish. For example, An important part of the Esselen Indigenous Peoples culture was gathering abalones, mussels, limpets, & various other shellfish along California’s coast.
Monterey’s modern population is approximately 30,217 individuals. Since Monterey is only at an elevation of 26 feet & on the San Andrea’s Fault, the area is vulnerable to tsunamis. These tsunamis can damage coastal vegetation, as well as affect the many different marine mollusks & arthropods.
In this article, we will discuss the documented history Of Monterey, the aboriginals of Monterey, the most destructive man-caused & natural disasters, & the economic state Of Monterey. With that being said, let us delve into the magnificent history of Monterey.
The Documented History Of Monterey
Before Colonization By The Spanish
The Aboriginals of Monterey have occupied the area for thousands of years. It is unclear which aboriginals occupied the area first, or how long exactly they have occupied it for. 3 main groups of indigenous people inhabited the area, those being the Esselen, the Costanoan / Ohlone, & the Rumsen. All three of these tribes are not recognized by the federal government as of 2025.
After Colonization By The Spanish
Historical Events From the 1500s
The first Spanish Settler credited with seeing Monterey Bay is Juan Rodríquez Cabrillo. He laid eyes on the bay on November 17th, 1542. He named the bay “La Bahia de los Pinos”, which translates to, Bay of Pines. He did not venture ashore, though, & simply looked at the bay.
Historical Events From The 1600s
The next Spanish settler to arrive in the bay was Sebastían Vizcaíno, arriving in December of 1602, approximately 60 years after Cabrillo. His voyage began when the New Spanish Empire was attempting to establish a Pacific Port to supply Spain with Manila Galleons. Additionally, explorers thought that California must have Gold & Pearls. Vizcaíno's failure to find pearls or gold sparked doubt amongst his fellow settlers. Additionally, Vizcaíno promised a harbor as well as a land filled with welcoming natives & resources such as timber, gold, & pearls.
Ultimately, Vizcaíno’s ideas could not take form. Vizcaíno was the man to name the bay, calling it “Monte Rey Bay”. The reasoning for this name is after the Spanish Viceroy of New Spain who ordered his expedition in the first place. Under an oak tree overlooking the bay, he & his crew of 200 men celebrated mass in honor of their safe voyage.
Historical Events From the 1700s
On June 3rd of 1770, Under the same oak tree where Vizcaíno celebrated his victorious voyage, an expedition to celebrate a Presidio in Monterey headed by Captain Gaspar de Portolà was joined by the Franciscan Father Junípero Serra, & mass was held. It was at this Mass ceremony that the city of Monterey was founded. A Royal Presidio, Mission, & the San Carlos de Borromeo de Monterey cathedral were among the first buildings erected in Monterey.
In 1771, Father Serra moved from the mission in Monterey to the mission in Carmel, as it offered a more appealing agricultural & political environment.
In 1776, Spain named Monterey the Capital of both Baja & Alta California. Additionally, Juan Bautista de Anza arrived with the first Spanish Colonists in Monterey, though most would immigrate to San Francisco. The soldiers who came with him lived largely in the Royal Presidio, along with their wives & families.
Historical Events From The 1800s
In 1818, the Argentine revolutionary Hipólito Bouchard attacked Monterey to reduce or eliminate the Spanish presence in Alta California. After fighting with the Spanish on both land & sea, He sacked & destroyed parts of the town.
His sea attacks were largely against El Castillo. The soldiers quickly rebuilt the town afterward & began industrializing Monterey soon after. They built streets, houses, & businesses outside of the Presidio to establish a larger community. The rest of the historical events for this century will be discussed in the subsection titled “After Colonization By The Mexicans”, as Mexico gained Independence in 1821.
After The Colonization By The Mexicans
Historical Events From The 1800s
In April of 1822, the residents of Monterey finally learned that Mexico had won its independence from Spain, & that they were a part of the newly formed Mexico. Soon after, the Californians pledged their independence to the Mexican Government. Though the Spanish Government discouraged foreign nations from trading with California, the Mexicans still opened international trade.
Monterey became the official Port of Entry for California, & British, American, Scottish, Irish, & French ships could not resist the resources that California was offering. The majority of the exports were Hide & Tallow used for soap making. At one point, a dried steer hide was dubbed the “Bank Note Of California”. These hides would largely be used for saddles, harnesses, belts, & various other leather goods. This new trade advanced Monterey at a Rapid Rate, & gave Monterey an international presence. Many immigrants would marry into Mexican families to become Mexican Citizens.
In 1842, the U.S. built a consulate in Monterey in response to the growing U.S. presence in California. Thomas Larkin was the first & only American Consul to California. His house still is standing, & is located on Pacific & Jefferson Street. His house is widely considered the origin of the architectural sub-style of Monterey Colonial.
Around this time, the Mexican Government gave land grants to both private citizens & the city of Monterey. The city received approximately 30,000 acres of land. In 1842 Commodore Thomas Catesby mistakenly seized California from Mexico. This was quickly sorted out, & Catesby’s shipped nervously sailed away.
After Becoming The Republic Of California
Historical Events From The 1800s
The Republic of California existed from June 14th of 1846 to July 9th of 1846. The reason for this Republic only existing for 25 days is because it wasn’t meant to become a real country. On July 7th, Commodore John Drake Sloat’s Squadron landed in the bay of Monterey, & raised the U.S. flag. After this, the Republic of California was dissolved.
After Colonization By The United States Of America
Historical Events From the 1800s
In 1848, The Mexican War Stopped with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The first American Alcalde for Monterey was Navy Captain Chaplain Walter Colton. Colton, a graduate of Yale University, was a fine alcalde of Monterey. One of his accomplishments for the town was the construction of Colton Hall, which was the first Californian building to be built under the American Flag. It was opened on March 8th of 1849 to be a town hall & school, but it became much more. Additionally, in 1849, the Californian Military Governor called for a constitutional convention to be held at Colton Hall. The California Constitution was ratified on October 13th. Despite Monterey's importance, it was not the first state capital, a title that instead went to San Jose.
On September 9th, 1850, the U.S. Congress admitted California as the thirty-first state of the Union. Many Chinese immigrants began coming to Monterey due to the rich abalone beds & abundance of squid.
These immigrants began establishing a community, & by 1853, they established a fishing village near Monterey. Many Chinese immigrants brought their families in search of a new life. These Chinese immigrants would soon be followed by Portuguese whalers, who wanted to make a lucrative career out of whaling. Colton Hall served as the County Seat until 1873 when Salinas took that role. Colton Hall served as a Court House & a Public School from 1873 to 1896. In the modern day, the hall is a museum for Monterey’s History.
With railroads becoming the most efficient form of travel, many realized that having a railway in Monterey would make trade much more efficient. So, in 1874, the Monterey & Salinas Valley Road was established. The road was soon overtaken by the Southern Pacific Railroad.
One of the big landowners near Monterey had a dream of building a seaside resort. This man was Charles Crocker, & his dreams would come to life very soon. Complete with Gardens, a Polo field, & race tracks, the hotel would open in 1880. This hotel sparked the birth of the Monterey Tourism Industry.
As more Japanese & Chinese Immigrants began arriving in the 1890s, many Japanese fishery experts became very interested in the abalone beds of Monterey, & began appraising them.
Historical Events From The 1900s
In 1900, the first sardine canning plant was opened by H.R. Robbin, & In 1902, the second fish packing & canning plant was opened to create the historic cannery row. It was opened by Otasabaro Noda, & Harry Mapas. These 2 canning factories would be the foundation of Monterey’s historic sardine industry. In 1906, a fishing village near Monterey burnt down, resulting in a large Chinese population relocating to McAbee Beach, & establishing a community.
The Robbins factory was taken over by Frank Booth, who began heavily promoting sardines. An associate of Frank Booth, Petro Ferrenate, brought over several Sicilian Fishermen who introduced the Lampara boat & net system. This would massively increase & optimize the salmon, & sardine catches. Booth would go on to hire the Norwegian fishery expert Knut Hovden to mechanize the Canning process. Hovden succeeded in this process & by 1940 there were 19 sardine factories, that were collectively canning 250,000 sardines each year.
Unfortunately, issues over wages began arising in the 1920s & 1930s, which caused fishery workers to go on strike. This put a fairly large strain on the sardine industry.
In 1939, the Path of History connecting 55 historical sites became part of the city's historical preservation plan.
In the mid-1940s, the sardine industry slowly began reducing, until eventually, it reduced to nothing at all. The reason for the fishing industry's end is largely due to diminishing sardine catches.
The Aboriginals Of Monterey
The Esselen Indigenous Aboriginals
The Esselen Indigenous Tribe is a small group of Aboriginals located along the Monterey Peninsula, more specifically, the Santa Lucia Mountains. They primarily speak the Esselen Language, which is a part of the Hokan Language Family. The Esselen are one of the smallest tribes in California as of 2025, & their culture is in extreme danger. When Sebastian Vizcaíno arrived, his goal was to convert the Esselen to Catholicism. He built 3 missions around the Santa Lucia Mountains to do so. At these missions, the men & their families were separated & banned from speaking their language or practicing certain cultural behaviors.
During the Land Granting period, their land was given away to private owners & they were left to fend for themselves. Very little of their culture survived, & extremely little is known about them. Archeological research is extremely difficult to obtain as their sites in the mountains were extremely remote. This is a link to the official Esselen Website: https://www.esselentribe.org. There are approximately 460 remaining Esselen Individuals.
The Ohlone / Costanoan Indigenous Aboriginals
The Ohlone Indigenous Aboriginals are a group of native people from the Central California Coast Area. They were formerly known as the Costanoan Aboriginals, but they have since changed the name of their tribe. They have been roaming the coastal areas for thousands of years. The Costanoan Tribe had approximately 15,000 people pre-Spanish contact. Unfortunately, they have been largely written out of California’s History, & were recorded as extinct. Due to the poor records, very little of their culture remains. Thankfully, they have over 2,000 members as of 2025, & have cultural offices in downtown Pomona, California.
The Salinan Indigenous Aboriginals
The Salinian Aboriginals are an indigenous tribe found from Santa Barbara County to the Central Monterey Peninsula. Their language is in the Hokan Family, & is one of the oldest languages in California, being at least 6,000 years old. The Salinian People lived rather simple lives, mostly hunting, gathering, & farming food. They would often gather acorns, choke cherries, & pine nuts. Basket weaving was also an important part of their culture, & was often done with willow branches & tule reeds. Additionally, they had a deep respect for the natural world & wildlife, specifically birds.
Unfortunately, they are not recognized by the federal government. As of 2025, there are approximately 681 individuals in the Salinan Tribe.
The Most Destructive Man-Caused & Natural Disasters Of Monterey
Unfortunately, we could not find any information on any floods, fires, earthquakes, or ecological disasters directly affecting the bay or the town.
The Economic State Of Monterey
The largest industries around Monterey are Fishing, Forestry, Hunting, Agriculture, & Tourism. Agriculture is the biggest employer, as Monterey County is the third largest Agricultural County in California. The average income of a Monterey resident is approximately 36,318$ U.S.D.
Directories / Credits
Citation No. 1: “Dive Into History”, Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the City of Monterey. Retrieval Date: October 20th, 2023.
Citation No. 2: “Monterey: History On A Half Shell”, Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published By the National Council On Public History. Retrieval Date: October 20th, 2023.
Citation No. 3: “Our History” Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Esselen Tribe. Retrieval Date: October 20th, 2023.
Citation No. 4: “Costanoan Rumsen Tribe History” Written by Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by The Costanoan Rumsen Tribe. Retrieval Date: October 20th, 2023.
Citation No. 5: “Atascadero Lake & the Salinan Tribe Of Native Americans” Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the City of Atascadero. Retrieval Date: October 20th, 2023.
Citation No. 6: “T’epot’aha’i” Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Salinan Tribe. Retrieval Date: October 20th, 2023.
Citation No. 7: “Economic Overviews” Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Monterey County Workforce Development Board. Retrieval Date: October 20th, 2023.
Citation No. 8: “Monterey, California” Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Sperling’s Best Places. Retrieval Date: October 20th, 2023.
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