Monterey County History Articles

California women have played a significant role in shaping every major industry within the U.S. and the world. Here are a few of them.

Talk of the Bay's host PK Hattis is joined by longtime Santa Cruz Sentinel photographer Shmuel Thaler. Both Thaler and Hattis, who also works as a reporter at the Sentinel, are mourning the death of colleague Jess York, who died …

Since 2022, the County of Monterey has received nearly $3 million in funds stemming from several opioid settlement lawsuits, with a total of $13 million expected over the next 20 years. After a slow start in distributing funds to agencies…

SALINAS VALLEY — A documentary short film set in the Salinas Valley has been officially selected for the prestigious 2025 Sundance Film Festival, and will have its world premiere during the festival’s celebrated Short Film Program.

A diverse and buoyant crowd of nearly 1,000 people from around Monterey County gathered for a 1.1-mile march through the heart of Seaside on Monday, Jan. 20, to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day. They carried signs and banners advocating…

Hundreds of people came to Santa Cruz Monday to honor Martin Luther King Jr., many waving signs, chanting and singing as they made their way down Pacific Avenue. Their message was one of community, activism and support.

Walking around downtown Salinas can be an architectural adventure. There are dramatic bas relief busts on the original courthouse (now county offices) by artist Jo Mora, and large Queen Anne homes with asymmetrical facades, art deco flair and embellishments on…

The number of National Historic Landmarks in Monterey County just increased.

A lecture hall, Sunday school, dance studio, Boy Scout headquarters, gym and tent storage during the winter between summer Methodist camp sessions in the late 1800s. Pacific Grove’s Chautauqua Hall has served many purposes over 143 years since it was…

The Carmel Public Library opened in 1928, in the era when Carmel was establishing its bohemian reputation. It was a year after the Carmel Art Association was established, and two years before Sunset Center was built, as a school. The…

Pam Marino here, thinking about how history reverberates through time. We may want to say “the past is the past” and move on, but the truth is, the past influences the present and the future, whether we want to admit…

The burning of a Chinese fishing village on the shores of Pacific Grove in 1906 continues to reverberate through the town’s history to the present – two years ago, P.G. City Council issued an official apology for the fire and…

There is a photograph of Anne Rasmussen wearing her dress blues. It dates from World War II, when she served in the WAVES, or Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service, a branch of the Navy.

Over 20 years ago, developer Nader Agha decided to adorn the Holman Building in Pacific Grove with a large, half-moon shaped, Tiffany-style stained glass window depicting Butterfly Town’s beloved monarch butterflies.

Roosevelt Elementary School in the Salinas City Elementary School District celebrated its 100th anniversary on Thursday, Oct.3. It's the same school where the famous novelist John Steinbeck attended when he was a child.

Gary Griggs, UCSC Distinguished Professor of Earth Sciences tells us about his new book, California Catastrophes: The Natural Disaster History of the Golden State, about the history of disasters in our state and what we can expect in the future.

SOLEDAD — Soledad Historical Society has announced a new display at the museum, located at 137 Soledad St., in Soledad.

KING CITY — Members and friends of the nonprofit group King City in Bloom gathered Friday afternoon to celebrate the completion of the new mural at 122 N. Second St., across from the Hartnell College campus.

The Giant Dipper roller coaster at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk turned 100 years old on May 17th, 2024. We celebrated by interviewing Jessie Durant, the Seaside Company's archivist about the history of the ride and the iconic boardwalk amusement …

California has been home to many Asian American and Pacific Islanders who have transcended barriers and reshaped society, from education to advocacy, art to sports, politics, and beyond.