Monterey County History Articles

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.

How the California mental health crisis emerged out of the state’s history of deinstitutionalization and laws designed to protect the mentally ill, as well as the communities around them.

Usually, Monterey’s history is an asset, something to highlight, but in some cases, it’s complicated. History is part of what’s holding up a 42-unit affordable housing project on a 0.5-acre city-owned site adjacent to the Vasquez Adobe and behind Monterey’s…

These arts groups have deep roots in the capital city.

Based in California’s most iconic vacation spot, Katherine Hill celebrates Tahoe Guide’s 42nd birthday.

The Williamson Act, passed in 1965, now keeps more than 16 million acres of farmland out of the hands of developers. Here's how the law puts the brakes on the development of California agricultural properties.

Peter Coniglio described himself as a "Monterey guy," and he was, with deep roots that run back to his Italian immigrant grandfather who came to Monterey and found success as a fisherman and founder off the first cannery. Coniglio branched…