Central Coast Gallery Walk

Station Seven: Monterey

California’s First Capital

When exploring the coast of California, the Spanish immediately recognized the importance of the natural ports of San Diego, San Francisco, and indeed Monterey. In order to solidify Spanish control over California, a four major military installations called presidios were established. The two largest were in San Diego and San Francisco with the two in Monterey and Santa Barbara bridging the distance between the two. Even though, by all accounts, the bays of San Francisco and San Diego were far more sheltered and more valuable to the Spanish, it was Monterey that ended up being the center of the Spanish colonial government in the Californias.

After the independence of Mexico, Monterey retained its position as the administrative center for the Mexican government in Alta California. At the time, the old custom house was the only place in which merchants and traders could import goods into the then-northern territories of Mexico. Because it was the capital of the Mexican territory of Alta California, after the Americans captured San Francisco (and its bay), Monterey was captured almost immediately after without much resistance. On July 7, 1846, American rule began in Monterey when Commodore John Sloat raised the US flag over the old Mexican government custom house.

Monterey Today

Monterey hosted California's first constitutional convention in 1849, which composed the documents necessary to apply to the United States for statehood. Monterey was officially incorporated as a city in 1890. The city had long been famous for the abundant fishery in Monterey Bay. That changed in the 1950s when the local fishery business collapsed due to overfishing. A few of the old fishermen's cabins from the early 20th century have been preserved as they originally stood along Cannery Row.

More recently, Monterey has been recognized for its significant involvement in post-secondary learning of languages other than English and its major role in delivering translation and interpretation services around the world. In November 1995, California Governor Pete Wilson proclaimed Monterey as "the Language Capital of the World".

“If there’d been any farther west to go, he’d have gone. He’s told me so himself. But at last there was the ocean. He lives right by the ocean where he had to stop…he goes down and stares off west over the ocean.”